Latest news
Council apologises for press release breaching judgment embargo
A local authority that sent out an embargoed press release about a High Court ruling that had not yet been handed down has apologised to the judge.
Hiring star lawyers “can lower quality of service”
Hiring ‘star’ or elite commercial lawyers often reduces the quality of the teams they join, a study has found, with some large law firms panicking about losing big clients unless they had “big names”.
MR: Regulators and courts need to control use of ChatGPT in litigation
Legal regulators and the courts may need to control whether and how lawyers can use AI systems like ChatGPT in litigation, the Master of the Rolls has said.
Ex-judges “need guidance or regulation” on post-retirement work
The Post Office’s use of two former senior judges in its defence of the sub-postmaster prosecutions indicates the need for guidance or regulation on what judges do in retirement.
SRA rebukes lawyers for bankruptcy and costs misconduct
A solicitor who continued to practise after being made bankrupt and a fee-earner who failed to return disallowed costs to Court of Protection clients have been rebuked.
SRA looks to “harness the potential of unbundling”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority wants to “harness the potential of unbundling to broaden access to legal services and increase consumer choice”, it said yesterday.
High Court: Letter asserting solicitor’s lien was not defamatory
The High Court has thrown out a defamation claim over a letter sent by one law firm to another asserting a solicitor’s lien over £100,000 of any damages awarded to its former clients.
Appeal judges uphold law firm’s entitlement to £300,000 fixed fee
The Court of Appeal has upheld an award of £300,000 to a small central London law firm owed under a retainer which the client had claimed was not payable.
MPs playing “little recognised role” by providing access to justice
MPs in Westminster and members of the Senedd Cymru are playing a “little recognised role” in providing access to justice for people with social welfare problems.
Carr appointed first ever female Lord Chief Justice
Dame Sue Carr was yesterday appointed the first female Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, just three years after joining the Court of Appeal.
Blog
The profession can play a greater role in improving access to justice
In this, the third blog of my series, I focus on what lawyers in the UK can do to improve access to justice through greater professional stewardship.
Does AI work for conveyancers? We asked those on the front line
What is the view on AI from conveyancers themselves? Based on a Dye & Durham’s roundtable discussion on AI, the answer is: it depends.
Is the legal profession ready for agentic AI?
An AI agent is difficult to supervise. By design, it works in the background. It means a solicitor can be held responsible for work they had no real means to oversee.
Reports
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