THIS ISSUE
It’s all happening on 1 October
Solicitors have called for any increase in probate fees to be accompanied by ‘real and tangible improvements in the service’
Legal professionals are at high risk of burnout (particularly if aged 26-35), mental ill-health, discrimination and harassment, research by charity LawCare has found
The Law Society has joined with Cardiff University to issue guidance for law firms on reasonable adjustments to help them recruit and retain disabled employees
Legal aid deserts have sprung up around the country as practitioners move to more economically viable fields, retire or leave the profession
Unfair dismissal has been the number one case at employment tribunals since the pandemic began, according to data compiled by law firm Wright Hassall
Nearly one in three barristers (30%) have reported being bullied, harassed and/or discriminated against at work within the previous two years, research has found
Last-minute cancellations of court hearings to agree financial settlements or child contact arrangements are leaving ex-couples facing ‘ruinous costs’, family lawyers have warned
City firms would have to meet a national pro bono target to be eligible for government contracts, under proposals announced by Shadow Justice Secretary David Lammy MP
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Hugh James—Jonathan Askin
London corporate and commercial team announces partner appointment
Michelman Robinson—Daniel Burbeary
Firm names partner as London office managing partner
Kingsley Napley—Jonathan Grimes
Firm appoints new head of criminal litigation team
NEWS
Personal injury lawyers have welcomed a government U-turn on a ‘substantial prejudice’ defence that risked enabling defendants in child sexual abuse civil cases to have proceedings against them dropped
Children can claim for ‘lost years’ damages in personal injury cases, the Supreme Court has held in a landmark judgment
The cab-rank rule remains a bulwark of the rule of law, yet lawyers are increasingly judged by their clients’ causes. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, warns that conflating representation with endorsement is a ‘clear and present danger’
Holiday lets may promise easy returns, but restrictive covenants can swiftly scupper plans. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Francis of Serle Court recounts how covenants limiting use to a ‘private dwelling house’ or ‘private residence’ have repeatedly defeated short-term letting schemes
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already embedded in the civil courts, but regulation lags behind practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Ben Roe of Baker McKenzie charts a landscape where AI assists with transcription, case management and document handling, yet raises acute concerns over evidence, advocacy and even judgment-writing
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