THIS ISSUE
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has said it anticipates a significant call on resources in the next financial year
The UK’s legal services sector generated £43.7bn in 2023 (up 5.6% on the previous year), according to research by industry lobby group TheCityUK
Barristers have been told they must remove wigs and gowns before leaving the Old Bailey, as this has been highlighted as a security concern
Inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour, bullying, harassment and discrimination at the Bar is a ‘systemic issue’, the Bar Council has said, after research uncovered shocking levels of abuse at work
MPs have passed the controversial Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill despite concerns expressed by lawyers
The High Court was due to hear a judicial review this week brought by the Law Society against the Lord Chancellor’s decision not to increase criminal defence solicitors’ legal aid rates by 15%
Increasing numbers of deprivation of liberty orders are being made against children, family law campaigners have warned. Yet, in the majority of cases, the parents or carers concerned have no access to legal advice
Baroness Carr, the Lady Chief Justice, and senior judiciary have issued guidance advising that judicial office holders ‘must be alive to the potential risks’ of artificial intelligence (AI)
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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