First Muslim Law Society president set to take office
Asian Image and Telegraph and Argus report Lubna Shuja is to become the first Muslim president of the Law Society of England and Wales, ahead of her inauguration next week.
Lubna said: "At school, being a lawyer was never something I thought about. I didn't know any lawyers and did not think someone from a working-class background like me could have any chance of a legal career.
"I managed to get decent A-level grades and a school friend then suggested I should do a law degree as it would offer good career options. I could hardly contain my excitement when I managed to get a place at university studying law."
Crown Court backlog
Coverage continues of our response to the mounting Crown Court backlog in local news outlets including Barnet Post, Stourbridge News, Dudley News, Wirral Globe and Lancashire Telegraph.
“A huge backlog of criminal court cases has left victims and defendants facing unacceptable delays to access justice, even in the most serious of cases,” said Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce.
“The criminal justice system has been devastated by years of underfunding and cuts and there are not enough judges, barristers and solicitors to cover all the cases.
“Trust in the system is in real jeopardy and a system collapse would embolden criminals.
“The UK government is falling way short of addressing the crisis in the criminal justice system. You cannot fix the problems in the system unless you fund all parts of it effectively.”
Annual Statistics Report
Today’s Family Lawyer reports on our Annual Statistics Report 2021.
“There is more work to be done in increasing representation of those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic, and low socio-economic backgrounds, as well as increasing the number of women in the higher echelons of the profession,” said Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce.
“The decline in the number of firms also highlights the need for widespread investment in our justice system including legal aid rates to ensure lawyers are there when needed.”
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