SIF reprieve
The Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) has been extended again by the SRA until September 2023, reports the Gazette, Legal Futures, Law360, Today's Wills and Probate, Today's Family Lawyer, Today's Conveyancer, Business Mayor and Business Fast,
Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said: "We are pleased the SRA has heard our arguments about the importance of continuing consumer protection, rather than run the risks of not doing so, which would leave consumers unable to claim compensation for flawed transactions affecting wills, buying a home or child personal injury cases."
Read our press release
Crown courts facing delays & postponements
Coverage of delays and postponements in courts across England and Wales continues across local media. The Chad, the Whitchurch Herald, the Oswestry and Border Counties Advertiser and the Argus pick up the story.
I. Stephanie Boyce said: "Decades of underfunding and cuts mean there simply aren't enough judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers left to cover the huge backlog of cases.
"Defence lawyers will continue to leave the profession in their droves, and we will no longer have a criminal justice system worthy of the name, unless the government changes tack urgently."
Stuart Nolan, chair of our criminal law committee, spoke about the backlog on Greatest Hits Radio (Derbyshire).
BBC Radio WM also cover the issue, mentioning that Sir Christopher Bellamy consulted with the Law Society and the Bar Council and recommended at least a 15% increase in fees.
Judicial diversity
The recruitment process of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) comes under heavy criticism in Eastern Eye, Asian Times, and Garavi Gujarat. Some judges and lawyers have described the independent review as a "whitewash and wasted opportunity."
I. Stephanie Boyce said: "The Judicial Appointments Commission spends a good deal of its time promoting the case for minimal change, but the need for reform is clear and so too is the need for them to engage with key stakeholders. Just one per cent of England and Wales's judiciary is Black – and that hasn't changed since 2014."
Legal comparison sites
The Legal Services Board has urged regulators to do more to help legal comparison sites, the Gazette, Business Fast, Business Mayor and Legal Futures report.
Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said: "Solicitors comply with rigorous transparency rules and the LSB places more expectations on regulated professions, but DCTs operating in the legal market are not subject to similar measures or regulatory oversight from the LSB or other frontline line regulators.
"This is a real loophole that needs addressing in order to ensure the information is not distorted and for consumers and solicitors to build trust in these tools."
Climate Change
I. Stephanie Boyce writes in the Gazette about what climate change issues face the legal profession, what the Law Society is doing to tackle them and how you can help.
Trinidad and Tobago legal witch-hunt
Trinidad and Tobago MP Dr Roodal Moonilal has will said in the Trinidad Tribune and Trinidad and Tobago Newsday that he will write to the UK Law Society "to complain of the covert political role played by UK lawyers and other professionals in undermining our Constitution and our democracy."
Also worth a read:
- 'Defendants in the bath' magistrates reveal remote-hearing concerns – Gazette
- Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak rejects calls to resign over lockdown fines – BBC
- One in eight privately rented homes in England and Wales pose threat to health, MPs say – Guardian
- Inflation hits 7% in March as Britain's cost of living soars – Guardian