THIS ISSUE
"Politicisation of the judiciary has seemed less of a problem in Britain—though we should never be complacent about it."
Lawyers shouldn’t fear judges―they’re ‘gentle’ and like ‘teddy bears’. Those are the words of Sir Rupert Jackson, architect of the civil justice costs reforms (who also confesses he sometimes saw judges as ‘ogres’ when starting out).
Law firms are generally making progress when it comes to boosting the number of women in leadership roles―but some mentoring initiatives may be backfiring.
A coalition of lawyers, police and homelessness charities has called on the government to scrap the Vagrancy Act 1824, which criminalises rough sleeping and begging.
More than two-thirds of adults below the age of 50 and earning £50,000 or more per year do not have a will, law firm Collyer Bristow has warned.
Political consensus supported by ‘robust legal frameworks’ are required to tackle climate change and other environmental concerns, Lord Carnwath has said.
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), which is due to replace the current system for entry to the profession in 2021, will lower professional standards, junior lawyers have warned.
The courts and tribunals in England and Wales benefited from an extra £15m worth of repairs and improvements last year, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.
The biggest Legal Walk outside of London took place this week in Leeds, with more than 500 lawyers raising funds for access to justice causes.
Artificial intelligence (AI) software that helps law firms price their services has been launched by IT company Intapp.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Slater Heelis—Charlotte Beck
Partner and Manchester office lead appointed head of family
Civil Justice Council—Nigel Teasdale
DWF insurance services director appointed to Civil Justice Council
R3—Jodie Wildridge
Kings Chambers barrister appointed chair of R3 Yorkshire
NEWS
The abolition of assured shorthold tenancies and section 21 evictions marks the beginning of a ‘brave new world’ for England’s rental sector, writes Daniel Bacon of Seddons GSC
Stephen Gold’s latest Civil Way column rounds up a flurry of procedural and regulatory changes reshaping housing, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and personal injury litigation
Patients are being systematically failed by an NHS complaints regime that is opaque, poorly enforced and often stacked against them, argues Charles Davey of The Barrister Group
A wealthy Russian divorce battle has produced a sharp warning about trying to challenge foreign nuptial agreements in the wrong English court. Writing in NLJ this week, Vanessa Friend and Robert Jackson of Hodge Jones & Allen examine Timokhin v Timokhina, where the High Court enforced Russian judgments arising from a prenuptial agreement despite arguments based on the landmark Radmacher decision
An obscure Victorian tort may be heading for an unexpected revival after a significant Privy Council ruling that could reshape liability for dangerous escapes, according to Richard Buckley, barrister and emeritus professor of law at the University of Reading
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