Bill of Rights signals collision course with rule of law
UK in a Changing Europe looks at the Bill of Rights Bill including our reaction to it.
Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said the bill is a “lurch backwards for British justice” and will “create an acceptable class of human rights abuses in the United Kingdom – by introducing a bar on claims deemed not to cause ‘significant disadvantage’.”
Ransomware payments
The Law Society Gazette Ireland covers our response to a joint letter from the National Cyber Security Centre and Information Commissioner’s Office about ransomware attacks.
A Law Society spokesperson said: “We do not advise members to pay ransoms, nor suggest that is what they should advise their clients.”
The past inspiring the present
Susanta Banerjee, a member of our ethnic minority lawyers division, writes in the Gazette about how he followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and overcame obstacles to have a career in the legal profession.
“I remember stories of how my grandfather was described to be a fierce defender of people’s rights; a Gandhian trait, which I attempt to adopt in my own approach to legal work.
“The mental image of him attired appropriately for court and the sense of etiquette involved in dealing with court procedures were also appealing to my younger self and many a time, I believed that if my grandfather could overcome every obstacle, so could I.”
All change: What will a new PM mean for lawyers?
Jonathan Goldsmith, chair of our policy and regulatory affairs committee, writes in the Gazette about what impact a new prime minister may have on lawyers and on their concerns over government rhetoric, rule of law and access to justice.
“An equal concern for lawyers with the government has been over appalling pay levels for legal aid lawyers, and principally criminal legal aid. This has caused an access to justice crisis for those unable to pay for their own representation, and a rapid shrinkage in available lawyers.”
Soft skills
The Gazette runs an in-depth feature examining how technology has advanced at pace alongside ‘soft skills’ cultivated by lawyers such as emotional intelligence, empathy, communication, collaboration and active listening.
Melinda Giles, a member of our wills and equity committee, said: “The Mental Capacity Act is less than 20 years old. This introduced a framework for dealing with vulnerable clients and so there is increased communication in this field – learning and developing skills to enable communication with those whose communication is impaired.
This means “facilitating such interviews, using techniques to support such clients to understand and then to be able to explain their understanding, rather than expecting the clients themselves to fit into a traditional ‘one size fits all.’”
“I find it helps to empathise, even refer to my own personal situation, if it helps the client to trust you and/or to feel supported.”
Also worth a read:
- Tory leadership: Eight candidates make the cut – Guardian
- MoJ has full set of justice ministers – Gazette
- Zahawi pledges to pay criminal barristers properly – Legal Cheek
- CILEX considering whether to change regulator – Legal Futures
- UK leading jurisdiction for European class action lawsuits – City A.M.