Brexit “will boost work for notaries”
Demand for notarial services is increasing and Brexit could give it a further boost, the new president of the Notaries Society has said. The challenge was how to recruit enough new notaries to meet demand.
Financial services chief to head BSB
The chief executive of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme is to take over as director-general of the Bar Standards Board as we round up several pieces of news from the regulator.
Women face “sticky floor, not glass ceiling” after children
Women lawyers returning to work after maternity leave face “not so much a glass ceiling as a sticky floor” and should recognise that a perfect work-life balance is impossible, a conference was told last week.
Cuts to MoJ budget “have been exaggerated”
MPs and campaigners are wrong to say that the Ministry of Justice’s budget has fallen by 40% since 2010, new justice minister Chris Philp said last week.
Legal advice privilege “survives” company’s dissolution
Legal advice privilege attaching to communications between a company and its lawyers survives the dissolution of the company, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Male solicitor suspended for groping and sexting colleague
A male solicitor who groped a junior female colleague on two occasions and accepted a police caution for sending her an obscene text message has been suspended for 18 months.
Barrister sanctioned for “seriously offensive” tweet
A barrister who sent a “seriously offensive” tweet that was “racially charged and derogatory to women” has been reprimanded and given a “low-level” fine of £1,000.
SRA pledges to speak out on access to justice problems
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has pledged to add its “unique voice” to the wider policy debate on access to justice issues as it looks to become more assertive.
Cost of legal aid “dwarfed by benefits”
The economic benefits of legal aid outweigh the costs and public funding can bring significant advantages, a detailed global analysis conducted jointly by the World Bank and International Bar Association has found.
LeO wants to publish complaints decisions in full
The Legal Ombudsman could start publishing its full decisions, as well as annual reviews of the most complained-about lawyers and firms, to improve the quality of information it makes available.
