The recent sentencing of Victorian paralegal Athena Razos to over five years in prison for embezzling $1.56 million from a prominent Australian law firm has sounded alarm bells across Victoria’s legal community. This incident underscores the critical vulnerabilities within law practices regarding the hiring and oversight of non-legal staff. The Victorian Legal Services Board and…
The Legal Services Board of England and Wales is running a Reshaping Legal Services Conference in March 2024
The Legal Services Board of England and Wales is running a Reshaping Legal Services Conference on 7 March 2024, below is an abridged version of the programme: Ethics: Ethics, integrity and the rule of law The human impact of aggressive litigation: In conversation with Lee Castleton Panel: Professional ethics and the rule of law: The…
Group of regulators and representative bodies join UK government’s taskforce aiming to clamp down on strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPS)
A group of regulators, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority, Bar Standards Board, Law Society and Bar Council have joined a UK government taskforce formed to address strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) and protect public interest journalism. The taskforce includes legal regulators, representative bodies, media organizations, and free speech organizations. It aims to commission research…
Ethical considerations for lawyers when responding to clients with cognitive decline
November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, a time when we increase awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and the more than 6.2 million Americans living with it. And as our population ages, the chances that a lawyer may interact with a client with cognitive decline may increase too. The Alzheimer’s Association predicts that 12.7 million Americans 65 and older (almost 1 in…
Lawyer ethics for innovation
Law struggles to keep pace with innovation. Twenty-first century advancements like artificial intelligence, blockchain and data analytics are already in use by academic institutions, corporations, government entities, healthcare providers and others but many questions remain about individual autonomy, identity, privacy and security. even as new laws address known threats, future technology developments and process improvements…
The American Bar Association provides some expert tips for practicing ethically
Theresa Gronkiewicz writes that after a career of representing lawyers in complaints issues there are a number of issues that come up time and again which could be avoided by implementing a strong practice management system and common-sense approach to law. There are 12 tips including: Implement strong law office management procedures Learn to identify…
NOvA, the Dutch Bar, is using the DilemmApp to increase awareness of ethics and compliance issues amongst lawyers
The Dutch Bar is using an app called DilemmApp as a tool for increasing awareness and insight into ethics and compliance issues for its members. The App confronts the user with a dilemma in which they have to make a judgment call about the best course of action. After 2 weeks, NOvA posts its final…
Canadian Government passes new regulations in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine
New regulations brought in by the Canadian government have seen individuals and entities have their assets frozen and further dealings prohibited in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Lawyers in Alberta have a regulatory obligation to comply with these and to not assist anyone in conducting illegal activities, including future dealings with prohibited Russian entities…
New Zealand Law Society released new rules governing lawyer behaviour
The New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa will implement new rules on lawyer behaviour, with an emphasis on tackling bullying and harassment, from July the 1st. The amended rules will clarify the standards of behaviour expected of lawyers when engaging with clients and colleagues. New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui…
Unguided: social media usage in the legal profession and the need for practical guidance
An unprecedented ethical dilemma currently faces the legal profession, how to ethically utilize social media. Lawyers who choose to utilize social media in their legal practice are not provided any ethical guidance on how to properly use social media. Specifically, there are currently no uniform guidelines for state bar examiners to emulate these guidelines from. Existing rules of professional…