Day in the life of a criminal duty solicitor
BBC highlights the unsustainable lifestyle of a criminal duty solicitor as it expresses the Law Society’s concern that without a 15% hike in fees, criminal solicitors will leave in droves. The piece also uses the Law Society’s research on duty solicitor deserts.
President of the Law Society Lubna Shuja commented: "This could be somebody who has potentially committed a very, very serious crime. We have explained to the government very, very clearly what is happening.
"If this government wants to be a government which is interested in law and order, it needs to take this seriously and do something about it."
Criminal court backlog
Hampshire Chronicle interviews Law Society President Lubna Shuja about the rising number of delays in criminal court cases in the Southampton Crown Court, and the need for immediate investment in legal aid to mitigate court backlog.
Lubna Shuja expressed her concern: “The government needs to invest in maintaining the court estate. They’ve got to repair the courts, they’ve got to repair the broken heating systems, the air conditioning, the toilets, so that all of the courts are operating at maximum capacity.
“They need to invest more money in court staff, so they’ve got enough staff to deal with all of the backlogs, and they’ve got to appoint more judges to deal with the cases as well.”
UK-Switzerland agreement
Business News Wales, Latest Finance, and Herald Wales continue coverage of our reaction to an agreement between UK and Switzerland that guarantees mutual recognition of professional qualifications, including legal ones.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “Switzerland is the third largest UK legal services export market in Europe, so this deal will benefit not only our members but also the wider economy.
“Legal services facilitate all international business transactions and provide crucial support to UK and multinational firms wanting to export. The sector consistently generates a trade surplus with net exports of UK legal services standing at £5.4bn in 2021.”
First woman Lord Chief Justice
African Voice Online continues coverage of the historical appointment of the first woman Lord Chief Justice in England and Wales, Dame Sue Carr. She is the first woman in the history of the role dating back to the 13th century.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja responded: “We are delighted to hear this news and congratulate Dame Sue Carr on her appointment as the first ever woman Lord Chief Justice.
“This is a historic moment and I hope will lead to further progress on women’s representation within the judiciary.
“Only around a third of judges in our courts are women, with even fewer in the senior judiciary. We need to see this improve. This momentous appointment is a sign that times are changing.
“I look forward to working with Dame Sue Carr when she takes office.”
Life as a conveyancing solicitor
The Gazette runs an in-depth piece examining the problems facing conveyancing solicitors. It notes that conveyancers are taking the Law Society’s milestone guidance on the Impact of Climate Change on Solicitors into account.
Law Society Lubna Shuja said the Society is “developing guidance focused specifically on climate change and property which will be released in due course.”
Inaccessibility in the court estate
The Guardian reports about inaccessibility in the court estate. It cites a Law Society report, which found that Colchester Magistrates Court is one of the best in the country for access.
CQS Enforcement
Today’s Conveyancer reports that conveyancers have asked for improved CQS policing and staff training as enquiries rise.
A Law Society spokesperson said: “There is a module on additional enquiries that forms part of the current CQS mandatory training that launched in December 2022.
“We have also included a specific question in the updated CQS application form where firms are required to indicate whether they have raised any standard additional enquiries. The answers to this question are reviewed as part of the annual reaccreditation process.”
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