E-conveyancing steering group
The Gazette covers the formation of the Digital Property Market Steering Group.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “The Law Society is committed to improving the home-buying experience for consumers and others involved in the conveyancing process. Whilst we know that chains of transactions can lengthen timescales, involving sellers’ solicitors at an early stage would make the process smoother and more efficient.
“We recognise that the combined efforts of the whole sector – regulators, professional and trade bodies, and government – are needed to achieve this. This new group provides a forum for collaboration and achieving change, while enabling individual members to progress their own work in a co-ordinated way.”
Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service
Property Industry Eye and Property 118 look at our reaction to the Ministry of Justice’s new Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS).
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “In principle we support the HLPAS.
“It is also a welcome recognition of the value of early advice and the need to address a client’s problems holistically. We cannot overestimate the value of early legal advice as it can help address problems before they escalate, preventing cases from going to court unnecessarily.
“However, we have continuing concerns as to whether the system will be effective, and about the increasing legal aid advice ‘deserts’ caused by long-term underfunding of the system.”
Latest in judicial diversity data
New Law Journal reports the Law Society’s response to the latest judicial diversity statistics.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “There has been some progress in improving judicial diversity in the courts but more needs to be done.
“Women still only make up just over a third of judges. The proportion of the judiciary from a non-barrister background remains persistently low despite solicitors making up the majority of applicants.
“The selection process needs to be urgently reformed. The requirement to consult sitting judges on candidates’ suitability, known as ‘statutory consultation’, must be reviewed with serious consideration given to removing it altogether, as it is not working fairly or transparently at the moment.”
Allegations of corrupt immigration lawyers
Asian Voice covers immigration lawyers allegedly advising their clients to provide misleading information to authorities to secure the right to remain in the UK.
A Law Society spokesperson said in response to the Prime Minister’s allegations on social media: “Where there is evidence of wrongdoing it is right that the regulators investigate and take appropriate action. It is disappointing that senior politicians continue to persist with loose language which stereotypes a whole profession. This undermines the hard work carried out by the majority of good solicitors to ensure everyone has access to justice.
“Allegations against a few lawyers should not distract from the fact that the Illegal Migration Act is incompatible with international law and likely to fail.”
Prison sentences for repeated shoplifting
Scott Bowen, a member of the Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee, spoke to BBC Radio Wales (from 1:12:20) about proposed mandatory jail sentences for shoplifting, which is expected form new legislation in the upcoming crime and justice bill.
Common Platform
Scott Bowen, from our Criminal Law Committee, has his experiences of the Common Platform system quoted in a in a Gazette piece about the rollout of the digital system.
Scott wrote about the Common Platform in February, when he said:
“Technical issues, such as being timed out of the system when visiting clients, and not having a shareable online document for forms, have led me to agree with the many others who view the common platform as not fit for purpose.”
Read the February article here
Regional admissions ceremony
JURIST report the news that the Law Society will have a regional admissions ceremony in Leeds this September, and writes about it as a historic moment for the legal profession.
Also worth a read:
- HMCTS CEO on the Common Platform– Gazette
- Bar Council visit to Rwanda – Gazette
- UK govt removes national emissions regs – Guardian
- Scotland’s prisons in disarray – BBC
- SRA crackdown on compliance – Legal Futures