King’s speech
The Gazette, Today’s Conveyancer, Today’s Wills & Probate, Today’s Family Lawyer cover the Law Society’s response to measures announced in yesterday’s King’s speech.
Law Society President Nick Emmerson said: “The government cannot fix the justice system unless it invests in all of it. Focusing on sentencing alone is not the right approach. The long delays faced by victims and defendants in our courts are simply unacceptable and there was nothing in this speech to seriously address the crisis. The entire criminal justice system is fracturing.
“We urge the government to focus on fixing the issues in the justice system as a whole by investing in staff, judges and its buildings.”
Axiom Ince fallout
The Global Legal Post covers the Law Society’s response to concerns that solicitors may have to pay for the fallout of Axiom Ince.
Law Society chief executive officer Ian Jeffery said: “As the representative body for the solicitor profession, we are of course greatly concerned that our members could be asked to plug a gap of many millions of pounds in the compensation fund arising from the collapse of just three law firms, which were set up under atypical business models and with their own clear and inherent risks.”
EU-derived worker protections
Personnel Today reports that the government is set to begin the process of enshrining key EU-derived worker protections into UK law.
Max Winthrop, chair of the Law Society’s Employment Law Committee, said: “When we are effectively replicating legislation from the EU, and I can understand why the government have done that because it would not be particularly popular to say ‘let’s scrap maternity rights’, it does leave the big question as to what exactly is it that we’ve gained from leaving the EU.
“It shows the complexity of junking 40 years worth of (EU) legislation, and the sorts of steps we’ve had to go through to maintain the protections that a lot of people probably thought they already had.”
SLAPPs
A representative body for media lawyers has accused the Law Society of advancing a 'one-sided and misleading account' of the issues surrounding SLAPPs, reports the Gazette and Legal Futures.
President Nick Emmerson said: “Naturally there is huge interest in the question of SLAPPs reform, and we understand the concerns that media lawyers have. Many Society of Media Lawyers members played an active role in shaping our position through our working group.
“The Law Society has to balance its position carefully taking into account the interests of members – both claimant and defendant – access to justice and the rule of law. We’re happy to work with the Society of Media Lawyers to further inform our thinking – just as we are happy to hear all positions.”
Climate target
Today’s Conveyancer reveals that the Law Society has set a 2030 net zero target.
This follows the launch of our milestone guidance on the impact of climate change on solicitors.
President Nick Emmerson said: “It is important that as well as providing guidance for the profession, the Law Society demonstrates what we are doing to reduce carbon emissions in our own operations. We are setting this ambitious net zero target despite Chancery Lane being a listed building.
“We are committed to becoming net zero by 2030 and plans to reduce our direct and indirect emissions are already underway. We have already begun to drive down energy usage across the business and the net zero target will be at the heart of all our decision-making.”
IBA annual conference
Jonathan Goldsmith, chair of the Law Society’s Policy and Regulatory Affairs committee, writes in the Gazette about the International Bar Association’s annual conference in Paris.
Property exchange protocol
The Gazette covers the Law Society’s new draft property exchange protocol.
Also worth a read:
- Explainer: 21 policies announced in King’s speech – Times (£)
- New revelations of Post Office disclosure failures – Gazette
- Number of asylum seekers to be housed on barge reduces – Guardian
- Delay in criminal justice bill – Times (£)
- Role of AI in legal careers – Legal Futures , BBC
- Online bar exams remain suspended – Gazette