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25 October 2024 / Lizzie Hardy
Issue: 8091 / Categories: Features , Profession , Career focus , Training & education , Education , Equality
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Project Rise: boosting opportunities for stellar work

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Lizzie Hardy reports on a part-time training initiative shaping full-time inclusion
  • Project Rise was launched in 2021 by the Law Society’s Disabled Solicitors Network to encourage more part-time training opportunities in the legal sector.
  • Firms or in-house teams commit to the principle that those who are talented enough to train as a solicitor should have the opportunity to do so, even if that means they need to train part-time.
  • Multiple organisations are signed up to the initiative and more are being urged to do so.

‘The days are long, but the years are short.’ It’s a common phrase in child-rearing, but perhaps equally applicable in the world of law. It seems hard to believe we are fast approaching five years since the 2020 publication of ‘Legally Disabled?’, the ground-breaking research by Cardiff Business School in partnership with the Law Society, detailing the career experiences of disabled lawyers. Like so many others, I read the (at times, harrowing) research and wondered what more could be

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
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