Legal future: neurotech
The Mail on Sunday, Mail Online, Evening Standard, MSN, Yahoo!, Express Digest, Express Informer, News Groove and Vigour Times report on a neurotech study commissioned by the Law Society from University of Sydney criminal law scholar Dr Allan McCay.
BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service Radio (20:25) also covered the report, interviewing its author Dr Allan McCay.
The research raises questions about how technologies which interact with the brain could be used in future and some of the previously unexplored legal implications neurotechnology might give rise to.
Dr Kion Ahadi, our director of strategy, futures and insights said that implanting chips in lawyers’ brains would raise concerns. “Any fusion poses interesting and complex ethical and legal issues.”
Kion spoke to TalkTV about the report.
Morning papers
Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce was on GB News (at half past the hour, each hour) discussing the day’s newspapers.
Sustained investment needed to cut Crown Court backlog
The Gazette covers our response to HM Courts and Tribunal Service’s latest statistics on the Crown Court backlog. In June, the backlog increased from 58,540 cases in April to 58,973 in June.
Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said: “Courts are in a crumbling state and the criminal justice system is on its knees.”
“To make a significant dent in the backlog, sustained investment is needed to ensure there are enough judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers to cover the mountain of cases.”
Deputy vice president
New Law Journal reports on the election of Richard Atkinson as deputy vice president of the Law Society. Richard will take office in October of this year, becoming vice president in 2023 and president in 2024.
Richard, who is a criminal law solicitor said: “As lawyers we need to be courageous and speak out on behalf of those less able, for the independence of the legal system and institutions that are key to a functioning democracy. Many of these are under threat, not least our criminal justice system.”
Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said: “My congratulations go to Richard Atkinson who emerged as the winner from a strong field of candidates. I wish him all the very best for his three years as a Law Society office holder.”
Cyber insurance
We recently published revised and updated guidance outlining how firms can cover costs and losses in the event of cyber attacks.
Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce tells Today’s Wills and Probate: “Protection and prevention should be a firm’s priorities to guard against damaging cyber attacks. Insurance is not a substitute for good protection, but an additional safeguard to cover certain costs and losses in the event of a cyber attack.
“It’s not a strict regulatory requirement for solicitors to purchase cyber insurance, but it’s a sensible precaution. Failure to purchase such cover may conflict with solicitors’ regulatory responsibility to have ‘adequate and appropriate insurance,’ or leave them exposed to regulatory action for data breaches.”
Read our cyber insurance guidance
LawTech funding
The UK government recently invested a further £4 million of investment in LawTech.
Lubna Shuja told Today’s Family Lawyer: “It is good to see the government is continuing to invest in LawTech.
“Research from KPMG commissioned by the Law Society showed the UK ranks second only to the US for legal services, contributing £60bn gross value added to the UK economy and employing 552,000 people.
“Our research also found the UK is a global hub for LawTech, with London serving as a magnet for global tech investors looking to get the latest cutting-edge technologies.”
Recommended salary for trainees
Today’s Conveyancer reports on our minimum salary recommendations for trainee solicitors. We advise aspiring solicitors should be paid £21,024 outside of London and £23,703 in the capital.
Law Society vice president Lubna Shuja said: “It is expected that the rise in inflation will continue. There are a range of factors which will have to be taken into account during our discussions around the minimum salary policy and uplift next year, including the rising cost-of-living expenses and the economic impact that has had, and will have, on solicitors’ businesses.”
UK India FTA
Relocate Magazine reports on a letter we sent, alongside nine other organisations including the Bar Council, the City of London Corporation and techUK to International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevalyan. We urged the government to refrain from rushing the trade deal with India.
The letter stated that “it is the content of the deal that matters for UK businesses, not speed of negotiation.”
Also worth a read:
- ‘Closed-door’ court process criticised after Everard vigil prosecutions dropped – Gazette
- BBC journalists could strike over mergers of news channels – BBC
- UK real pay falls be record 3%, as job vacancies also decline – Guardian
- Calls to cut bonuses for UK water bosses until reservoirs built and leaks fixed – Guardian