Collapsing criminal justice system
The Guardian, Yahoo! News, MSN, News Explorer and News Break cover the story of a man who’s been told he’ll spend at least four years and three months in jail without a trial because of barrister strikes, a malfunctioning courtroom and Covid.
Arrested in 2019 and on remand, Voja Petkovic won’t step into court until April 2023.
It is cases like this which have led us to warn of a crisis in the criminal justice system.
New SRA-led indemnity fund
Inside Conveyancing reports after years of lobbying, solicitors will now definitely be protected from the potentially ruinous impact of long-tail negligence claims after the closure of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority announced that existing SIF arrangements, as operated by Solicitors Indemnity Fund Limited (SIFL), will be replaced with SRA-run indemnity arrangements from September 2023.
Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said: “This is likely to be a relief to the many members, and former members, who have been worried that the closure of SIF would mean the ending of PSYROC as a regulatory arrangement, when for most there was little prospect of finding alternative comparable protection on the open market.
“The Law Society called for the establishment of an indemnity scheme, ring-fenced for PSYROC claims and offering the same scope of protection currently provided by the SIF.”
President’s maiden visit to India
Asia Business Law Journal covers the news that the Federation of Indian Corporate Lawyers hosted a high tea reception for president I. Stephanie Boyce and our head of international, Mickaël Laurans on their visit to India.
I. Stephanie Boyce highlighted the role the Law Society plays in securing access to justice and Mickaël Laurans stated how the opening of the Indian legal market will benefit legal professionals in India and the UK.
Climate change resolution
Over 170 lawyers have signed an open letter urging their colleagues to stop supporting clients which contribute to the climate crisis, report Legal Futures and City A.M.
Our climate change resolution is cited in the letter. The resolution outlines the role solicitors can play in addressing the climate crisis.
Read our climate change resolution
Also worth a read:
- Complete guide to the Queen’s funeral – Times (£)
- Kwasi Kwarteng to provide mini budget next week – Guardian
- Civil court delays reaching crisis point – Gazette
- Research shows in-house lawyers’ workload is rising – Gazette
- SRA: Press and public forbidden from attending board meetings – Legal Futures