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The next generation

03 January 2008 / Susan Blake
Issue: 7302 / Categories: Features , Legal services , Profession , Employment
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Mastering the art of working as an effective lawyer by Susan Blake

Effective legal practice is important for a society to function well. Many barristers and solicitors command relatively high salaries, and lawyers in and have a well deserved international reputation. Entry to the profession is competitive, and millions of pounds are spent each year on education and training. How good are we at producing lawyers who can work at the cutting edge of the law, and perform effectively and efficiently?

 

UNDERESTIMATING SKILLS

In some ways we are very good. We live in a jurisdiction that has many highly regarded university law departments, and many aspects of our skills-focused professional training have been copied in other jurisdictions. However, there are questions about how coherent our education and training is as a whole. Institutions running professional courses find that even among graduates with good quality law degrees:

Students find it difficult to deal with remedies, especially calculating damages. There may have been limited emphasis on these areas

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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