The Ministry of Justice has published an independent public bodies review of the Legal Services Board, led by Richard Lloyd. The review examined the LSB’s statutory remit, strategic clarity, governance, accountability and organisational capabilities. It concludes that the LSB has lacked strategic clarity and that its oversight of frontline regulation has fallen short of what government and…
Brazilian Bar launches national study on AI in legal practice
Brazil’s Federal Bar Council, the Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil (OAB), has launched a national study with Stanford University’s Deliberative Democracy Lab and the Brazilian Institute of Education, Development and Research on the use and impact of artificial intelligence in legal practice. The initiative forms part of the National Plan for the Integration of Artificial…
New Zealand introduces administrative triage for lawyer complaints
New Zealand has amended the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 to permit the Lawyers Complaints Service to undertake an initial administrative assessment of eligible complaints before deciding whether they must proceed to a Standards Committee. The Service may take no action or no further action where specified grounds apply, including where the passage of time…
Australia-UK regulatory dialogue reports on cross-border legal practice
The Legal Services Regulatory Dialogue established under the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement has published a report on its work concerning cross-border legal practice. The Dialogue brought together legal services regulators and professional bodies from both countries as a formal mechanism for examining issues that affect lawyers and law firms operating between the two jurisdictions….
India releases Draft Advocates Amendment Bill for consultation
India’s Ministry of Law and Justice has announced the release of the Draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill 2026 for stakeholder and public consultation. The draft was prepared in consultation with the Bar Council of India, which placed the text on its official website on 18 July 2026. The consultation invited members of the profession, institutions, interested…
Bahrain adopts new Advocacy Law for the legal profession
Bahrain has enacted Law No. 24 of 2026 issuing a new Advocacy Law, replacing the Attorney Law introduced by Legislative Decree No. 26 of 1980. The new law was issued on 18 June 2026 and published in Official Gazette No. 3889, completing a reform process described during parliamentary consideration as one of the most extensive…
Hong Kong strengthens trainee solicitor registration disclosures
The Law Society of Hong Kong has outlined proposed enhancements to the registration framework for trainee solicitor contracts, centred on revisions to the Application for Registration of Trainee Solicitor Contract, or Form AA. The current form requires disclosure of matters including criminal convictions, disciplinary offences at educational institutions and bankruptcy proceedings. The revised form would…
Ireland reports growth in professional entry and demand for flexible pathways
Ireland’s Legal Services Regulatory Authority has published its seventh annual Pathways to the Professions report, recording growth in both entry to professional training and qualification as a solicitor or barrister during 2025. The figures show that 581 trainee solicitors and 139 student barristers began professional training, increases of 7 per cent and 16 per cent…
Cayman ruling clarifies limits of Legal Services Act transition
In Re: Phang Ling San [2026] CIGC (Misc) 1, the Cayman Islands Grand Court refused an application for general admission as an attorney-at-law under the Legal Services Act 2020, notwithstanding the applicant’s substantial experience and professional standing. The applicant was admitted in Malaysia, had more than 13 years experience in banking and finance law and…
Germany reinforces foreign ownership ban in tax advisory market
The latest reform of the German Tax Advisory Act (Steuerberatungsgesetz, StBerG), adopted in June 2026, fundamentally reshapes third-party investment in the German tax advisory market, tightening existing rules by extending professional eligibility requirements beyond direct shareholders to the entire ownership chain, thus introducing a full “look‑through” system. Any direct or indirect change in ownership must now be reported immediately, enabling regulators to detect and challenge non‑compliant structures…