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18 June 2021 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7937 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Technology , Covid-19
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Levelling up access to justice

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In the first of a three-part series, Roger Smith explores the current & future state of the access to justice sector

Few would dissent from the proposition that technology is changing our world—from online shopping to the application of artificial intelligence. And there would be similarly little opposition to the observation that technology is, more specifically, changing the practice of commercial law. Just look at the investment that firms like Allen & Overy are making in their own in-house innovation hubs to anticipate developments in the law tech market.

By contrast, the impact of technology on access to justice is much less clear. This article is the first of four to look at this issue. It covers some of the general issues. Three subsequent pieces will cover separate elements—legal practices focusing on clients with low incomes; the not-for-profit sector; and the courts.

Patchwork funding

Part of the obscurity comes just from the concept of ‘access to justice’ itself. This is a handy, ‘you know what I mean’ kind

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Keystone Law—Milena Szuniewicz-Wenzel & Ian Hopkinson

Keystone Law—Milena Szuniewicz-Wenzel & Ian Hopkinson

International arbitration team strengthened by double partner hire

Coodes Solicitors—Pam Johns, Rachel Pearce & Bradley Kaine

Coodes Solicitors—Pam Johns, Rachel Pearce & Bradley Kaine

Firm celebrates trio holding senior regional law society and junior lawyers division roles

Michelman Robinson—Sukhi Kaler

Michelman Robinson—Sukhi Kaler

Partner joins commercial and business litigation team in London

NEWS
The government has pledged to ‘move fast’ to protect children from harm caused by artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, and could impose limits on social media as early as the summer
All eyes will be on the Court of Appeal (or its YouTube livestream) next week as it sits to consider the controversial Mazur judgment
An NHS Foundation Trust breached a consultant’s contract by delegating an investigation into his knowledge of nurse Lucy Letby’s case
Draft guidance for schools on how to support gender-questioning pupils provides ‘more clarity’, but headteachers may still need legal advice, an education lawyer has said
Litigation funder Innsworth Capital, which funded behemoth opt-out action Merricks v Mastercard, can bring a judicial review, the High Court ruled last week
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