THIS ISSUE
An open and rigorous process of accountability of the 22,000 judges in England & Wales is essential if public trust is to be maintained, John Gould, senior partner at Russell-Cooke, writes in this week’s NLJ
The career freedom on offer to lawyers today would have been unrecognisable 25 years ago
Politicians love to look tough on crime and penal policy, but it’s a lamentable tradition, NLJ columnist Jon Robins writes this week
The Law Commission is extending its timetable for choosing its 14th Programme of law reform after receiving about 500 responses covering nearly 200 possibilities for law reform
2021 broke recruitment records for employment lawyers, according to research by market analytics firm Vacancysoft
Low-income individuals with ‘trapped capital’ are unable to access legal aid in 30% of cases, research by the Public Law Project has found
The cap on the number of days the Crown Court can sit during a financial year has been lifted for a second year, in order to tackle the backlog of cases
Proposed clinical negligence costs reforms are ‘unfair’ to injured patients and families of patients who have died, and would act as a barrier to access to justice, personal injury lawyers have warned
The majority of solicitors grew fee income during the pandemic, according to the Law Society’s annual Law Management Section Financial Benchmarking Survey
Targets should be set for the length of time to complete certain criminal cases, such as rape, MPs have told ministers
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Birketts—trainee cohort
Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025
Keoghs—four appointments
Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland
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
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
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
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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
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