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05 June 2024
Issue: 8074 / Categories: Legal News , Education , Training & education , Discrimination , Bias , Profession
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Discrimination & bias affecting legal candidates from certain ethnic backgrounds

Research commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has identified multiple factors explaining why candidates from certain ethnic groups perform better than others in professional legal assessments

The study, by the University of Exeter and published this week, uncovered: discrimination and bias in education settings; decreased access to work experience opportunities in law firms; lack of ethnic diversity among academic staff, resulting in classroom bias; students’ sense of belonging; funding issues; and lack of role models.

Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said: ‘This is a wakeup call for the legal and education sectors.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Thackray Williams—Lucy Zhu

Thackray Williams—Lucy Zhu

Dual-qualified partner joins as head of commercial property department

Morgan Lewis—David A. McManus

Morgan Lewis—David A. McManus

Firm announces appointment of next chair

Burges Salmon—Rebecca Wilsker

Burges Salmon—Rebecca Wilsker

Director joins corporate team from the US

NEWS
What safeguards apply when trust corporations are appointed as deputy by the Court of Protection? 
Disputing parties are expected to take part in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), where this is suitable for their case. At what point, however, does refusing to participate cross the threshold of ‘unreasonable’ and attract adverse costs consequences?
When it comes to free legal advice, demand massively outweighs supply. 'Millions of people are excluded from access to justice as they don’t have anywhere to turn for free advice—or don’t know that they can ask for help,' Bhavini Bhatt, development director at the Access to Justice Foundation, writes in this week's NLJ
When an ex-couple is deciding who gets what in the divorce or civil partnership dissolution, when is it appropriate for a third party to intervene? David Burrows, NLJ columnist and solicitor advocate, considers this thorny issue in this week’s NLJ
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week’s issue
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