Practice Management

One of the leading figures in legal education has hailed the introduction next year of the SQE as a “revolution”, with another saying it will break down the barriers between academia and the profession.

A pioneering lawtech business is shutting down in the face of litigation from Thomson Reuters that it says means it cannot raise funds.

Actions to improve race inclusion in the solicitors’ profession are not delivering change quickly enough, Law Society research has found, highlighting a significant ethnicity pay gap and the need for targets.

Five lawtech businesses are to join a ‘sandbox’ designed to “fast-track transformative ideas, products and services” with the help of legal and financial regulators.

The challenge facing traditional law firms from artificial intelligence is not a lack of finance to invest in technology but having the right “human capital”, a study from Oxford University has argued.

Homeworking has led to many solicitors at small firms experiencing feelings of isolation and lack of motivation – but also most want it to continue in some form post-Covid, a survey has found.

A future justice system could use AI technology to inform people of their chances of success and even provide automated determinations, according to futurist Professor Richard Susskind.

A not-for-profit criminal law firm has launched  a free web app aimed at people who have been issued fines for breaching the Coronavirus Regulations.

QLTS School has become only the second training provider to announce how much it will charge students to prepare for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination from next year.

A barrister of “good judgement” who had to make rapid decisions in a “pressurised environment” was not negligent even though it turned out her client was wrongly convicted.

One law firm and five lawtech businesses have each received around £100,000 of government money to develop and accelerate commercialisation of their products and services during the pandemic.

Leading black women lawyers have spoken about the challenges of succeeding in City law firms, including the problem of acquiring ‘gravitas’, and the fear of being seen as an ‘angry Black woman’.

The Bar Standards Board is to “reflect” on the duty on barristers to report harassment, with efforts to improve reporting proving ineffective, as it looks at new measures to tackle bullying and harassment.

Chambers should conduct race equality audits and, if necessary, introduce “positive action” to address the problems identified, as well as publish anti-racist statements, the BSB is set to say.

Some of the measures used by law firms to tackle a lack of gender diversity in senior roles could be “ineffective or even counter-productive”, a report has found.