
Nearly half of Bar students now from ethnic minority backgrounds
Nearly half of UK students on the Bar training course are now from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to a quarter a decade ago, according to new figures.

“Instruct conveyancers early”, Trading Standards tells sellers and agents
National Trading Standards has encouraged sellers and estate agents to engage conveyancers earlier than now after it made clear all the information that needs to be included in property listings.

Some lawyers’ conduct poses “significant risk to the rule of law”
Lawyers can sometimes be “too inclined” to act unethically or use a “mistaken” adherence to an overly narrow view of the rule of law to justify questionable conduct, major new research has said.

MoJ identifies where, but not why, OIC cases are being delayed
The period between a liability decision and the insurer making a first offer is where the ever-lengthening delays in the Official Injury Claim portal are occurring, the Ministry of Justice said yesterday.

“A new era of positive change” – intervenors welcome ADR ruling
The Court of Appeal’s ruling yesterday that judges can order parties to engage in ADR heralds “a new era of positive change”, one of the intervenors in the case has declared.

Supreme Court: “Not fair” to challenge expert evidence only in closing
It was “not fair” for the defendant in a personal injury claim to only challenge the claimant’s expert evidence during its closing submissions, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday.

Court of Appeal: Judges can order parties to engage in ADR
Courts can order parties to engage in alternative dispute resolution, so long as it does not restrict their ability to proceed to a judicial hearing, the Court of Appeal ruled today.

Axiom Ince: SRA receives £33m in client claims but no in-year call for funds
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has decided against making an unprecedented mid-year call on the profession to bolster its Compensation Fund in wake of Axiom Ince’s collapse.

Law firms “continue to threaten” journalists despite SRA warnings
Libel law firms continue to mislead journalists and others that their letters cannot be published and the SRA needs to act, high-profile tax lawyer Dan Neidle said yesterday.

Solicitor MP clashes with CILEX leaders over regulatory reforms
A solicitor MP yesterday clashed with the leaders of CILEX over the body’s planned reforms, including using the title ‘chartered lawyer’ and creating chartered paralegals.