SLAPPs: Review of solicitors’ reporting duties
Spot checks by the Solicitors Regulation Authority have exposed widespread ignorance among solicitors who advise in defamation and privacy cases of the obligation to report on potentially abusive litigation, according to the Gazette and Gazette Ireland.
A Law Society spokesperson said: “It is good to see the SRA understands the seriousness of this issue, especially if these lawsuits suppress free speech or restrict access to justice. The regulator’s review will be a valuable resource in supporting solicitors to ensure they maintain the highest professional standards and avoid improper behaviour.”
Solicitor’s Journal and Legal Futures also report the story.
President speaks to law students
Bournemouth University News covers highlights of Lubna’s talk at the university last week, in which she highlighted some of the challenges facing today’s students.
Lubna said when she qualified “there were only 709 solicitors who were from a Black, Asian or minority background, with very few women as well. My ethos when I joined the profession was to get on and be a good solicitor.
“The legal profession and, in fact, every profession, needs diversity. I’m using my position to make sure, that whatever your background, we want you to be confident that the solicitor profession will welcome you and your career will go as far as your skills, talent, and ambition.”
Legal aid deserts
Local Government Lawyer mentions our research on legal aid deserts in a report on Public Law Project’s case, supported by the Law Society, which forced the MoJ to expand legal aid to cover looked-after children.
Find out more about our legal aid deserts campaign
Poor court infrastructure
The Portsmouth News covers our reaction to criminal court statistics, which reveals that cases-in-waiting at the Portsmouth Crown Court have reached an all-time high.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja: “The impact of decades of underinvestment in our criminal justice system is plain to see.
“The poor state of court buildings across England and Wales is both a contributor to the huge backlog of court cases and a stark illustration of the lack of investment in our justice system.
“Government after government have not only failed to invest in infrastructure but failed to invest in people too – the judges, court staff, solicitors and barristers who keep the wheels of justice turning and have made our justice system the envy of the world.”
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