Open justice
The Times (£) mentions the Law Society in a piece looking at open justice.
Groups including the Law Society highlight the importance of improving court listings to enable the press and public to see the cases that are taking place, and the need for better data collection through the justice system, the report says.
Statutory consultation
The Times Brief covers our call for the Judicial Appointments Commission to publish data on the selection exercises that have waived the use of statutory consultation.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “While waiving statutory consultation from some large-scale judicial exercises has been a step in the right direction, we still believe that in order to achieve a fair appointments process and diverse judiciary, further consideration needs to be given to removing statutory consultations altogether.
“A transparent process is essential and we invite the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) to share data on which exercises such consultations have been waived from during the past year.”
Cyber attacks
ReadMe reports the rising threat of cyber attacks on law firms.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “It’s essential that legal professionals know how to react after a cyber attack to help protect their firm’s systems from further damage or loss and clients’ data from being compromised.”
Regional admissions ceremony
The Times Brief mentions our regional admissions ceremony which took place in Leeds.
Inspirational visit
Saddleworth Independent and Shaw and Royton Correspondent continue coverage of Lubna’s trip to Oldham Sixth Form college.
Amaima Naveed, an A-level Law student, said: “Lubna is an inspirational, dedicated Asian woman providing footsteps for young women to enter into the law and breaking the stereotypes that a woman is less capable than a man. This was an important occasion to learn valuable life experience.”
Backlog of personal injury cases
Legal Futures covers the concerning rise of delays and backlog in personal injury cases. A newly released report on whiplash reform reveals that 349,000 cases currently remain unresolved in the new whiplash portal.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said that “now would be an opportune time for the Ministry of Justice to examine how the portal has been operating.”
Climate change guidance
Legal Cheek mentions our milestone guidance on climate change, as a legal charity offers copyright-free climate clauses to promote greener commercial agreements.
Diversity in the legal profession
Law Careers.Net reveals discussions about improving diversity in the legal profession at our Junior Solicitors Network summit.
Anti Money Laundering and Financial Crime conference
Inside Conveyancing reports that Legal Eye will sponsor our Anti Money Laundering and Financial Crime conference next week.
Also worth a read:
- Court security staff to strike – Gazette
- Suicide of solicitor who would not charge the poor – Times (£)
- Children who have lived in care eight times more likely to have received a youth justice caution or conviction than those who have not – Guardian
- Research suggests law firms are losing business by failing to get back to potential clients – Legal Futures
- Electric shock as Crown Courts crumble – Times (£)
- Editors call on government to legislate further to end lawsuits being used to silence free speech – Gazette
- Veterans of the UK’s nuclear weapons tests are attempting to relaunch a battle for compensation – BBC