Technology and innovation “step-change” in last year but barriers persist
The past year has seen a “step change” in the adoption of legal technology and innovation, in part as a result of Covid-19, a major piece of new research has found. However, significant barriers remain.
Longer court hours re-emerge despite concerns over impact
Extended operating hours in the courts – bitterly opposed by the legal profession – have returned, at least for now, in the guise of ‘temporary operating arrangements’.
MPs urge complete overhaul of both civil and criminal legal aid
MPs have called for an extension of the court duty solicitor scheme for housing possession cases to other areas of civil justice where there are “significant numbers” of litigants in person.
Men four times more likely than women to appear before SDT
Men are four times more likely than women to appear before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, despite gender parity in the profession, academics have found.
Court of Appeal allows claim over law firm break-up to proceed in full
The Court of Appeal has overturned a decision striking out parts of a claim brought by a solicitor against his former partner in a Middlesbrough law firm, increasing its value significantly.
Dishonest but “humanitarian” solicitor avoids strike-off
A solicitor found to have misled a court, lied to a client about receiving money from them and falsely held himself out as a notary public has avoided being struck off.
Discrimination the “sole cause” of paucity of Black QCs
Discrimination is the “sole identifiable cause” for the paucity of Black barristers, particularly at QC level, a co-chair of the Bar Council’s race working group has argued.
Fears about using judicial data to predict judges’ actions “exaggerated”
Access to judicial data should be made easier to increase public trust, while fears it will be used to create accurate predictions of what judges will do are overblown, a seminar heard last week.
Call for law to enforce undertakings given by incorporated law firms
Parliament should extend the courts’ supervisory jurisdiction over solicitors’ undertakings to cover those given by incorporated law firms, particularly LLPs, the Supreme Court said today.
Supreme Court upholds six-year non-compete clause signed by law firm
A non-compete undertaking given by one law firm to another ahead of them working together was reasonable and not a restraint of trade, the Supreme Court ruled today.
