Practice Management
Solicitors ignoring importance of business skills
There is a “fundamental disconnect” among solicitors between the skills they think they need and the ones they actually need, new research has suggested.
Hackathons not solving “intractable justice problems”
The “hackers, hustlers and hipsters” of legal tech hackathons are “not enough” to solve the “intractable problems” of access to justice, a leading legal researcher has argued.
Anonymous reporting tool to aid barristers facing harassment
Barristers will be able to make anonymous reports of bullying and harassment by their colleagues and judges after the Bar Council signed up to an online tool to aid the profession.
Government stumps up extra £250k for Legal Access Challenge
The government has provided an extra £250,000 in funding for the Legal Access Challenge to double the number of finalists in and winners of the competition.
Law Commission paves way for video witnessing of deeds
The Law Commission has paved the way for video witnessing of deeds by calling on the government to set up an industry working group which could consider the matter.
Tribunal rejects solicitor’s “attempts at character assassination”
A solicitor who resigned without notice was in breach of contract, an employment tribunal has ruled after finding that it was not a case of constructive dismissal.
Law school launches SQE-friendly conversion course
BPP has become the first law school to reveal details of a new conversion course aimed at getting students through the first stage of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam.
HMCTS sets out reform ambitions as impact assessment begins
A high-level advisory panel of experts has met to consider the first steps in how to conduct an over-arching evaluation of the government’s £1bn court reform programme, expected to produce an interim report within two years.
CBA chief criticises senior judiciary over wellbeing failure
The outgoing chair of the Criminal Bar Association has criticised senior judges for failing to follow their Family Division colleagues in adopting email and sitting hours protocols to aid wellbeing.
Unhappy paralegal refused discrimination claim rerun
An employment tribunal has refused to reconsider a decision that comprehensively rejected a disability discrimination claim brought by a paralegal who worked for well-known personal injury firm Ralli.
Blog
On good authority? GenAI and the reputational risks to law firms
As GenAI’s influence grows, so do the risks which are already playing out in courtrooms across England and Wales, where some early adopters are setting precedents they would rather not.
Why this is the year for law firms to embrace generative AI
After more than a year of pilots, proofs of value and early experimentation, firms are increasingly embedding AI into day-to-day workflows.
Client account interest is not spare change
The proposed Interest on Lawyers’ Client Accounts scheme is being framed as a sensible, international, “tried and tested” way for the profession to help fund a justice system under strain.
