Judicial review
The FT (£), Gazette, Sky News, Reuters, Law360 (£) cover the Law Society’s judicial review against the government over criminal legal aid fees, which began yesterday.
They note that our Counsel will argue that by ignoring the independent review’s recommendations, the government’s decision was irrational, lacked evidence-based reasons and breached the constitutional right of access to justice.
Rwanda Bill
Solicitors Journal and the Herald cover the Law Society’s response to the Rwanda Bill, which passed its first vote in the House of Commons yesterday.
Law Society chief executive officer Ian Jeffery said: “Independent judicial oversight is a bedrock of the rule of law and essential to ensuring there are democratic safeguards for individual rights.
"The measures taken in this bill would effectively place government above the law and demonstrate a profound lack of respect for the rule of law and separation of powers.”
Leasehold Reform Bill
Property Wire covers the Law Society’s response to the second reading of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.
Law Society president Nick Emmerson said: “We welcome the government’s commitment to deliver on these proposals by amending the Bill as it makes its way through Parliament.
“Once the missing provisions have been included, the Bill could impact millions of homeowners and home buyers in England and Wales and could make improvements to the home buying and selling process.”
Role of AI in profession
Daily Mail reports that judges in England and Wales will be able to use ChatGPT to help write legal rulings.
President Nick Emmerson said: “Models trained off language can reflect biases in the underlying data.
“It is important to remember that judges play an important human role in judicial discretion and decision making that cannot be replaced by machines.”
Renters Reform Bill
Letting Agent Today and Intermediary report that the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Private Rented Sector has warned that certain provisions in the Renters Reform Bill, including the ban on “no-fault” evictions, will fail without sufficient resources. Both articles mention the Law Society’s view on the Bill.
Also worth a read:
- An asylum seeker on the Bibby Stockholm has died, reportedly by suicide – BBC
- As it happened: Rwanda bill passes its first vote in Commons – Guardian
- Post Office Horizon IT hearing continues: Post Office was told to report three of its solicitors to the SRA for misconduct – Gazette
- SRA has “long way to go” to improve diversity of its senior leadership – Legal Futures