Practice Management
Pre-92 universities lead way with BPTC pass-rates
The pre-1992 universities achieve the best results in the centralised exams taken by students on the Bar Professional Training Course, it has emerged.
Algorithmic-based decision-making is “risk to justice”
The head of the Criminal Bar Association has outlined her “grave concerns” about algorithmic technology that is being used in the justice system without adequate regulation.
Hale: Half of judges will be women by 2033
Half of the judges in England and Wales will be women in fewer than 14 years, Lady Hale predicted this weekend, suggesting that Lord Sumption was wrong to says gender parity would take 50 years.
Law firm co-founder was not an employee, tribunal rules
One of the barrister founders of a pioneering legal aid firm in the North-East was not an employee or worker and so cannot bring unfair dismissal and other claims, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Supreme Court backs miner’s claim against solicitors
A miner who lost the chance of compensation due to the negligence of his solicitors is entitled to damages because later evidence indicating that he was not eligible was irrelevant, the Supreme Court has ruled.
Digital assets “are property” under English law
Blockchain and smart contracts were given a major boost yesterday, when the expert panel charged with giving the technology legal certainty declared they should be treated in principal as property.
Supreme Court judge calls for independent algorithm regulator
A Supreme Court justice has called for the creation of an expert commission to act as “a sort of independent regulator” of algorithms, staffed by coding technicians, with lawyers and ethicists.
Boxer’s banker fails in negligence claim against lawyers
A solicitor, his law firm and the barrister they instructed have been granted summary judgment on a negligence claim brought against them by a banker fired for his work with boxer David Haye.
Top judge tells business lawyers: Get ready for the future
The Chancellor of the High Court has urged commercial lawyers to prepare for the disruptive impact of technology on the law, the legal system and legal profession before others “steal a march” on them.
Susskind calls for global online court revolution
Professor Richard Susskind has called for the development of a “standard, adaptable, global platform for online courts” that can be rolled out to fortify access to justice around the world.
Scully: Not having gone to university was “terrible stigma”
A leading personal injury lawyer has described how working for a “posh law firm” while not having gone to university felt like “a terrible stigma”.
Solicitors “need to get out more” to boost profession’s image
Sixteen-year-olds have been invited to compete in a competition aimed at educating them about the work of a solicitor and testing their aptitude, with the winner receiving financial support to become one.
Approval of SQE not a foregone conclusion, LSB warns
Approval of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam is not a foregone conclusion, the Legal Services Board is to make clear to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Issues such as quality and cost must be addressed.
Law firms’ “shocking” vulnerability to cyber criminals
The vast majority of major law firms still have significant unaddressed cyber-risk, despite repeated urging by regulators, insurers and others to shore up their defences, according to new research.
Law degrees unnecessarily homogenous, research finds
Law schools are not taking advantage of the “enormous regulatory freedom” they have and instead are largely all offering the same kind of law degree, new research has found.











