Today's rundown:
Impact of no Lugano
Social diversity and the law
Agreement with Rome
Journey into the law
Legal Aid needs reform
Impact of no Lugano
Sarah Garvey, chair of our private international law committee, spoke to CNN about the Lugano convention, which the UK used to be a member of via its EU membership and which we've reapplied – so far unsuccessfully – to re-join. The Daily Express and the World News both have reports.
Social diversity and the law
Law Society social mobility ambassador Alice Kinder writes in the Times (£) on the impact of economic status and class on your chances of progression in the professions. She cites SRA data which says that 22 percent of lawyers in England and Wales attended fee-paying schools compared to seven percent in the general population.
Agreement with Rome
The Times (£) legal diary makes a valiant attempt to be amusing about our memorandum of understanding with the Rome Bar. The agreement pledges to continue co-operation in support of the Italian and English legal professions – despite Brexit.
Journey into the law
Vice president Lubna Shuja writes an article for Legal Women Magazine on her route into the law. "When I started my training contract there were only 709 Black, Asian and minority ethnic solicitors. I don't remember being conscious of not seeing others that looked like me. I just got on with the job. Now there are over 20,000 Black, Asian and minority ethnic solicitors, and over half of the profession are women. It is wonderful to see such progress but much more still needs to be done."
Legal aid needs reform
New Law Journal quotes Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce in an article on legal aid covering MPs' call for urgent reform. The Justice Committee report was published this week and identifies challenges in hiring and retaining staff because of the "rigid system" of fixed fees and low pay.
Stephanie Boyce said: "People living below the poverty line are regularly denied legal aid by a too stringent means test."
Also worth a read: