Latest news
“Testosterone overdose” deterring women from profession
Support for diversity initiatives has come from the upper levels of the barristers’ profession, with a top QC warning of a “teststerone overdose” in the wake of criticism of how some men behave.
From law student to partner in less than 12 months
A trainee chartered legal executive has spoken about how she is due to become a partner in a law firm less than 12 months after finishing her law degree.
New SRA chair to dial down calls for total independence
The new chair of the Solicitors Regulation Authority is set to dial down its strident calls for complete structural independence from the Law Society. Anna Bradley was speaking six weeks into the job.
Ex-partner loses jurisdiction challenge over City firm’s refund demand
A former partner at City firm Watson Farley & Williams has lost his High Court challenge to an arbitrator’s ruling that he must repay almost $68,000 (£52,000) to the firm.
Solicitors gear up for leasehold negligence claims
National firm Simpson Millar has set up a team within its professional negligence department to handle potential actions against solicitors who failed to warn leasehold clients of damaging clauses.
University creates ABS to fuse law degree with work experience
Sheffield Hallam University has set up a standalone law firm so it can offer a law degree that incorporates mandatory work experience into every year of the course.
“Time for quotas” to boost ranks of women partners
It is time to impose quotas on law firms for the number of women at both equity partner and management level as “years of talking” about diversity have failed to drive sufficient change.
Government pumps £6m into legal AI and analytics projects
The government has awarded grants totalling over £6.4m to 18 legal artificial intelligence and data analytics projects. The projects span the whole range of legal services, from City firms to a CAB.
‘New Law’ pioneer Axiom set to float
Leading alternative legal services provider Axiom Law is set to list on the New York Stock Exchange in what could prove the most significant move in the so-called ‘New Law’ market to date.
Robot mediator settles first ever court case
A ‘robot mediator’ has been used to settle a dispute in the court system, for what is believed to be the first time. The online tool uses artificial intelligence algorithms in place of a human mediator.
Blog
Why is Andrew Malkinson still paying for a crime he didn’t commit?
Like many in my profession and beyond, I have been moved by the case of Andrew Malkinson, the man who spent 17 years in prison for an awful crime he did not commit.
What is tech bloat and why is it a problem for law firms?
Too many law firms are adopting shiny new tech without first retiring their legacy systems, causing duplication and unnecessary costs.
The civil courts and the digital divide
Despite the government’s decision to increase Ministry of Justice funding, its budget for 2025-26 is still 14% lower in real terms than in 2007-08.
