The New Zealand Ministry of Justice has funded NZ’s first pro-bono portal, connecting lawyers with people in need of legal assistance. Te Ara Ture is New Zealand’s first pro-bono legal service aimed at helping Kiwi’s who cannot normally afford to enlist the help of legal professionals. The software takes referrals from the community and through…
Legal-aid bill assessment shake up in the UK paused by Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice in the United Kingdom has shelved plans to stop legal-aid bills from being court assessed and bring them inhouse. Under the current system legal-aid practitioners can choose to have bills between £2,500 and £25,000 assessed by the courts or the Legal Aid Agency. Under the new scheme the Ministry of Justice wanted…
Japan Ministry of Justice approves update to registered foreign lawyer system
The Ministry of Justice in Japan has approved changes to the registered foreign lawyer system, which will expand the scope of practice for lawyers working in Japan. The changes, which are intended to improve practice conditions and expand Japan’s international legal market, are focused around three main issues – The scope of ‘international arbitration case’…
Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security publishes analysis of changes in lawyer regulation
Following the March 2015 report submitted by the Advokatlovutvalget (the Lawyer Commission), which suggested changes to the regulation of lawyers in Norway (see the report in Norwegian), the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security has decided to further evaluate the recommendations. The Ministry has commissioned research consultancy Copenhagen Economics to provide further analysis on two…
Singapore Minister for Law signs legal cooperation MOU with China
During his recent visit to China, Singapore Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Minister of Justice Fu Zhenghua. Both sides emphasised the progress in legal cooperation that has been made over the past few years. In accordance with the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister…