The following is an update on the activities, work and events of The Law Society, including open consultations, as provided by Beth Quinn, Key Account Manager for Liverpool Law Society.
Opening of the legal year
The formal opening of the legal year took place at Westminster Abbey on 1 October. The invite-only event was attended by approximately 200 dignitaries from the English and Welsh legal sector, and hosted by the lord chancellor, Dominic Raab MP.
The night before the event, the Law Society hosted a formal dinner where I. Stephanie Boyce, president of the Law Society, gave a speech to usher in the new legal year, covering the global legal community, the rule of law and diversity and inclusion.
Stephanie expressed solidarity with members of the profession around the world who are persecuted for simply doing their jobs, such as those currently in Afghanistan. She also called on her peers to do all they can to uphold the rule of law, and fight to ensure that the legal system remains fair and efficient.
Finally, Stephanie reiterated a key pledge of her presidency: to leave the profession a more diverse place than she found it.
> Find out more about the opening of the legal year
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Pride in the Law: An up to date look into LGBT+ experiences and equality in the legal profession
The Law Society has released a new report, based on findings of a survey conducted earlier this year, which shows a current look at LGBT+ equality and experiences in the legal profession from LGBT+ lawyers and their allies.
The data, both quantitative and qualitative, paints a clear picture of the positive action taking place for better inclusion within workplaces and across the sector and, equally, what is needed for more effective and personalized support.
Reasonable adjustments for better disability inclusion
Securing reasonable adjustments consistently emerged as the most significant barrier for disabled people in the profession in the Legally Disabled research launched in 2020.
Together with the Legally Disabled? research team and our Lawyers with Disabilities Division Committee, we’ve created guidance to help organisations better understand reasonable adjustments and how to implement them.
The guidance includes real examples from many firms and organisations showing what is possible and practical.
> Find out more information and read the full report: Reasonable adjustments in organisations – guidance for best practice
ACCESS TO JUSTICE & THE RULE OF LAW
Legal Aid deserts
A statement from the Law Society went out last week to flag that growing numbers of people do not have access to publicly funded advice for life-changing legal issues following our new analysis revealing catastrophic legal aid deserts across the country.
In our new interactive maps, you can see the vanishing availability of legal aid across housing, welfare, education, community care and immigration following stringent and successive government cuts to legal aid alongside stagnant rates of pay for expert providers.
A new report and infographic detail the erosion of civil legal aid across all areas.
Those living in areas without a major city are particularly badly hit. The south west, north east and north west are bereft in almost all legal and local authority areas. Wales also has very sparse coverage. The fees government pays for legal aid provision have not increased for more than 20 years. On top of this fees were cut by a further 10% in 2011.
Catastrophically low rates of pay are forcing legal professionals across the country to withdraw from providing legal aid as the work is not economically viable for small businesses like solicitor firms. For instance, the number of firms providing family law legal aid has halved since 2011.
Fewer and fewer solicitors can afford to go into legal aid work, leading to an ageing profession and a pending drain of expertise unless government steps in to make the work sustainable.
Across England and Wales:
· 52m people (88%) do not have access to a local education provider
· 47m (79%) do not have access to a local welfare legal aid provider
· 40m (67%) do not have access to a local community care legal aid provider
· 38m (63%) do not have access to a local immigration and asylum legal aid provider
· 23.5m (39%) do not have access to a local legal aid provider for housing advice
Law Society president, I. Stephanie Boyce has said: “The government must commit in the upcoming spending review to fund the legal aid system properly so that everyone – no matter their background – has access to legal aid when they are entitled to it. This, with measures to address the huge backlogs in civil and criminal courts, would begin to put the justice system on the long road to recovery.”
· Housing legal aid: https://the-law-society.carto.com/builder/d9a7b0b9-2209-4907-b4e5-031dfe17c1ff/embed
· Welfare legal aid: https://the-law-society.carto.com/builder/5957adad-c30a-4bea-b348-4f2283772da8/embed
· Education legal aid: https://the-law-society.carto.com/builder/cebaea59-6305-4405-a2e9-3b68a3e464ce/embed
· Community care legal aid: https://the-law-society.carto.com/builder/24179dd5-3303-4b79-a963-e5b300afc93b/embed
· Immigration legal aid: https://the-law-society.carto.com/builder/69c071fe-faf1-4e8e-9b76-f0f2c1dc575f/embed
· Infographic showing the decline of civil legal aid: https://infogram.com/timeline-legal-aid-sustainability-1hzj4o3xend8o4p?live
·For a copy of our report on the sustainability of civil legal aid email: harriet.beaumont@lawsociety.org.uk
Law Society of England and Wales to sponsor LawScot COP26 Conference, Friday 29 October
We are pleased to be sponsoring the Law Society of Scotland’s COP26 Conference event on Friday 29 October. On the eve of the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties 2021 in Glasgow the Law Society of Scotland will bring together lawyers from across the globe to discuss the role of the lawyer on environmental impact.
The conference will explore the extent of the influence lawyers hold on the decisions of their clients and ask:
• Are you under a moral duty to influence those decision for the benefit of global environmental security?
• How does that sit with the duty to your client?
• What tactics can a lawyer deploy to influence positive climate change?
The event is free to members of Law Society of Scotland, Law Society of England & Wales and Law Society of Northern Ireland.
The Law Society launch a brand-new catalogue search for law library collection
We’ve launched a brand-new catalogue search for our library collection that is faster, mobile friendly, and with better search options and filters. You can search all our collections, legal texts and periodicals, publications, and archives.
Save your search results, check out the new books carousel, and links to Google books preview where available. No registration required.
Try the new search for one of the most comprehensive law library collections in England and Wales.
EVENTS
Changing career direction: Hear from Those Who Have Successfully Changed Career
Tuesday 19 October, 2pm-3:30pm
This free webinar will explore changing career direction. During this virtual panel discussion, you will hear from former solicitors from a range of law firms and practice areas who have all changed career direction. They will share their stories to inspire and motivate you to explore doing the same. Our chair Husnara Begum, a former City lawyer turned legal journalist, turned careers consultant will be joined by:
• Laura Brunnen – a former private equity partner at Reed Smith and founder of the Legal Strategist, a B2B legal consulting and education business
• Josie Good – a former US law firm associate now working as a practice consultant at legal tech business Kira Systems
• Vicki Milner – a former corporate associate at DAC Beachcroft now working as a legal applications analyst at Osborne Clarke
• Matt Verrell – a former Allen & Overy finance associate turned end of life/palliative care specialist turned executive coach specialising in wellbeing.
Judicial appointments interview training for solicitors webinar
Wednesday 20 October and 30 November, 10am-4pm
This course will equip delegates with the skills to help enhance your application and interview performance. This training course has been developed specifically for solicitor applicants.
This intensive training will focus on tailoring your submission to make a positive impact in the competency-based application and selection process. You will receive practical advice on completing the application form, incorporating your experiences and invaluable interview practice with feedback.
European Lawyers webinar
Thursday 28 October 2pm-4pm. Free
This webinar gives European lawyers clarification on their practising rights in England and Wales post-Brexit. There will be a discussion on how the changes to the Solicitors Qualifying Exam will impact European lawyers and their ability to practise in England and Wales. Following the government’s update to immigration rules, speakers will also give an overview about how this affects mobility for European lawyers in the UK. To conclude the webinar, there will be a Q&A session on the key issues and concerns European lawyers and firms are facing post-Brexit.
Speakers include I. Stephanie Boyce, President, Law Society. Julie Brannan, Director of Education and Training at the SRA; Emanuele Bosia, Partner at Gianni & Origoni and Nicolas Rollason, Partner and Head of Business Immigration at Kingsley Napley.
Open Consultations
Aligning fees of Grants of Probate to cost recovery – Closes 23 September. This consultation seeks views on whether to align the fees for grants of probate into a single fee that is set at cost recovery. Fees are currently £155 for applications by probate professionals and £215 for applications submitted in a personal capacity.
Dispute Resolution Call for Evidence – Closes 31 October. A major call for evidence was launched by the Government on 3 August 2021, seeking views on the best ways to settle family, business and other civil disputes away from the court room.
Modernising Lasting Powers of Attorney – Closes 13 October. The MoJ and OPG are consulting to modernise the LPA process to: increase safeguards, especially for the donor, improve the process of making and registering an LPA for donors, attorneys and third parties and achieve sustainability for the OPG whilst keeping LPAs as affordable as possible for all people in society.
HM Treasury Review of money laundering Regulations – Closes 14 October. HM Treasury is holding two consultations as part of its twin-track approach to reviewing the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017
FCA consultation on D&I and the Listing rules (closing date 20 October 2021) – Financial Conduct Authority
The FCA have published a consultation on the diversity and inclusion on company boards and executive committees. They are proposing to change their Listing Rules to require companies to disclose annually on a comply or explain basis whether they meet specific board diversity targets and to publish diversity data on their boards and executive management.
Dispute Resolution in England and Wales (closing date 31 October 2021) – Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
This call for evidence is on various pre-litigation dispute resolution processes in civil, family and tribunals, including an examination of which ‘alternative dispute resolution’ mechanisms work and how they can be improved. This includes the greater use of new technologies and online processes.
The MoJ are particularly interested in collecting evidence and examples from individuals or organisations with data to share on the relevant questions; or those who have had experience of dispute resolution within and outside of the courts system to support the development of more effective dispute resolution mechanisms.
Supporting defence infrastructure and the future of time-limited permitted development rights (closing date 14 November 2021) – Ministry of Housing and Local Government and Ministry of Defence
This consultation seeks views on the future of two time-limited permitted development rights, and on the introduction of two new permitted development rights to support the delivery of defence infrastructure on defence sites.
Planning for new energy infrastructure: review of energy National Policy Statements (closing date 29 November 2021) – Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
This consultation seeks views on the revised energy National Policy Statements that support decisions on major energy infrastructure.