​As the professional body for solicitors, every week the Law Society is working hard to influence the legal and regulatory environment on behalf of our profession and to promote solicitors at home and abroad. We support practice excellence, are an informed source of legal sector news and support members at every stage of their career.
 
Here are some highlights from this week.
 
Influencing on behalf of the profession and promoting the profession
 
The Law Society’s media profile this week:
Our head of justice, Richard Miller featured on Radio 4’s You and Yours consumer programme as the top story on Friday, highlighting our legal aid deserts campaign.
The Sunday Times (£) reports Law Society’s opposition to the proposed increase in probate fees and the Daily Mail covers the issue with a comment from me: “The decision to treble the cost of death certificates comes hot on the heels of the Government’s proposed increases to probate fees.”
Melinda Giles, council member and member of the wills and equity committee, was interviewed on LBC to discuss our concerns, following her interview on probate fees for TALKradio. 
The Times (£) covers the Law Society’s Lawtech Adoption Research report. I am quoted saying: “Lawtech in the UK is largely focused on efficiencies and automation rather than on delivering new types of law. As such it is less mature than other fields of digital disruption – such as fintech, where there is more funding and regulatory alignment.”
Speaking about the Law Society’s disappointment with the LSB’s failure to adequately protect consumers, I told the Gazette: “We are increasingly concerned by the LSB’s lax approach to deregulation.
“Regulation exists to protect the public, so the stakes are high if those protections are removed. We are disappointed the LSB has rubber-stamped hugely significant rule changes without rigorously applying the available evidence to understand the impact on the public.”
As we approach International Women’s Day on 8 March, coverage of gender equality issues is gathering momentum.
In an article in the Guardian on sexism in the profession, I was quoted saying: “Sexual harassment is illegal. Just as anyone is protected by the law, they should also be protected by employers – law firms and courts included. As a profession which strives to uphold justice, the legal sector needs to be at the forefront of the fight against sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace.”
The Guardian reported on Gwyneth Bebb and her struggle to gain equality in the legal profession. Legal Futures and We are the City note the Law Society is to join CARE International for #March4Women 2019 on 3 March.
The Gazette reports that the common law tradition has been, by any measure, a successful ‘export’ for England and Wales. “The result of cutting legal aid was a vast increase in the number of litigants in person in the courts,” adds the Law Society’s head of justice, Richard Miller. “And – surprise, surprise – they struggle with the adversarial system”
The Gazette covered the Law Society Group’s 2018 gender pay gap report, published this week.
Legal Futures and Today’s Conveyancer report reactions to the Law Society’s tougher code for completion, which has been introduced following a ruling on liability for losses caused by fraud during property transactions.
Consultation responses and parliamentary activity, influencing on behalf of the profession:
Regulation
We launched the Legal Needs survey on 13 February. We expect preliminary results in March.  
 
Access to Justice
LASPO
Following the publication of its Post Implementation Review of LASPO, we are seeking to engage with the Ministry of Justice to further develop the proposals. 
 
Technology and the Law
Technology and Law Policy Commission Evidence Session – algorithms in the justice system
The Law Society’s Technology and Law Policy Commission hosted its final evidence session on Thursday 14 February at Chancery Lane.
The Commission, led by myself alongside co-Commissioners Sofia Olhede (UCL), Sylvie Delacroix (University of Birmingham) examined the use of algorithms in the justice system, the impacts on the rule of law, implications for data rights, and whether our human rights framework is fit for purpose.
Witnesses at the London session included Richard Susskind, Jamie Susskind, Hannah Knox of UCL, David Powell of Hampshire Police and Judith Jones of the ICO. We were joined by Guest Commissioner Madhumita Murgia of the Financial Times.
A video of the event will be made available on our website in the coming weeks.  Further information on the Commission is available here.
 
Global Legal Blockchain Consortium briefing session
On Monday 25 February the Law Society will be hosting a briefing session by the Global Legal Blockchain Consortium. The GLBC is the largest legal industry blockchain consortium in the world, comprised of more than 190 large companies, law firms, software companies, and universities. It promotes the use of blockchain technology for the legal industry and is also developing standards to govern the use of blockchain technology in the business and practice of law. 
I will be opening the session with a speech, followed by an update on the activities of the GLBC, its plans for 2019 and demonstrations of  new blockchain proofs-of-concept in legal applications. 
Any members wishing to attend can book their place on the GLBC’s event page. 
Civil Justice
We responded to DEFRA’s consultation on biodiversity net gain. Our response supports the government's aims set out in the consultation and argues that the best way to achieve a consistent framework for business, which provides clarity and certainty through a streamlined process (the consultation objectives), is to mandate net gain in the planning process through a clear legal duty which is subject to prescribed exemptions. The response also argues:

• the tariff revenue should be collected locally (for example, through a local authority);
• the tariff revenue should be spent through a blended model, allowing spending at both local and national levels; and
• if a dispute is only over biodiversity net gain requirements, then the planning appeal system, as currently operated, would be an inefficient way of settling matters that would likely result in the stalling or abandonment of developments.

Further, the response agrees that there should be exemptions from mandatory net gain, particularly for small developments (unless the adverse biodiversity impact is significant), permitted development and developments where planning gain requirements are already very large. 
Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland
We held our Law Society Board meeting in Cardiff this week and engaged with the Commission on Justice in Wales. Paul Tennant, Chief Executive and I also met colleagues from Law Societies in Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland in Belfast.
 
Our influencing work internationally:
On 21 February, the Brussels Office hosted and chaired a Legal Issues Task Force meeting with the UK Brussels-based organisations.
 
Solicitor brand campaign
We’re looking for business or consumer clients who would like to be photographed as part of our campaign to promote the value of solicitors. More details can be found here.
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career
 
International Women’s Day seminar – Friday 8 March
Our flagship event to celebrate International Women’s Day 2019 is fully booked. The theme of the event is inspiration and action in the workplace. Our empowerment workshop is also now fully booked.
   
To celebrate international women’s day and 100 years of women in the law, we are also supporting March4Women – on Sunday 3 March
#March4Women: https://wwwcareinternational.org.uk/march4women
Tickets are just £5. You can book here: https://careint.uk/2G1s5EJ
 
Wellbeing champion training – Thursday 21 March 2019
Wellbeing champion training is designed as a follow up workshop for mental health first aiders and champions. This is a half-day workshop that aims to bring additional clarity to your role as a first aider. 
 
Supporting practice excellence
Some of our upcoming events are:
 
Lexcel consultant training – Wednesday 20 March 2019
This course provides an in-depth understanding of Lexcel England and Wales v6.1 and what evidence is required to meeting the Standard requirements.
 
Advocacy and the Vulnerable Training, Wednesday 27 March 2019, Manchester – Afternoon session  
The Advocacy and the Vulnerable Training was developed in conjunction with the Bar to help solicitor advocates and barristers strike the balance between advancing their client’s case effectively in court whilst ensuring vulnerable witnesses are not subjected to undue stress.
 
This training will also be held in Bristol on Friday 29 March.
Keeping members up to date
 
We have a number of newsletters for members. Below is a list, along with links for signing up to them.
 
Newsletter
Sign-up method

Advocacy Update
Update My Law Society preferences

Anti-money Laundering Update
Law Society newsletter page

City Update
Contact the City relationship management team

Diversity & Inclusion Update
Update My Law Society preferences

In-house Forum
Update My Law Society preferences

International Update
Law Society newsletter page

Junior Lawyers Update
Law Society newsletter page

JLD sign-up page

Legal Aid Update
Law Society newsletter page

Professional Update
Law Society newsletter page

Regional Update
Contact your regional relationship management team

Risk & Compliance Update
Join the Risk and Compliance Service

Small Firms Focus
Contact the Small Firms Division

Solicitor Judges Update
Join the Solicitor Judges Division

 
You can also register for the Gazette daily update here.
 
As always, please feel free to share this update with your constituents unless otherwise specified.
 
Kind regards,
 
Christina
 
Christina Blacklaws
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1PL

​As the professional body for solicitors, every week the Law Society is working hard to influence the legal and regulatory environment on behalf of our profession and to promote solicitors at home and abroad. We support practice excellence, are an informed source of legal sector news and support members at every stage of their career.
 
Here are some highlights from last week.
 
Influencing on behalf of the profession and promoting the profession
 
The Law Society’s media profile this week:
 
The government’s proposed increases to probate fees will see estates of £2m pay £6,000 the Financial Times (£) reported. I’m quoted saying: “The cost to the courts for granting probate does not change whether the estate is worth £50,000 or £2m. It is unfair to expect the bereaved to find or subsidise other parts of the courts and tribunal services, particularly in circumstances where they have no other options but to use the probate service.” Further coverage in the Sunday Times (£) and the Gazette.
Melinda Giles, a council member and member of the wills and equity committee also appeared on Talk Radio to discuss probate fees. You can listen to the broadcast here. The interview runs from 08:00.
The Times (£) reported ministers faced a backlash over the MoJ’s recent review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders act. The government was accused of kicking legal aid issues down the road. I called on ministers to “give urgent attention to amending the means test thresholds because the current levels are preventing families in poverty from accessing justice”. Further coverage in the Gazette, Family Law Week, the Justice Gap and Legal Futures.
Ranjit Thaliwal, a Midlands-based mental health law solicitor talked to BBC Radio Nottingham about the legalities of sectioning for Time to Talk mental health day. You can listen to the broadcast here. Ranjit’s interview starts from 1:12:00.
There is little wrong with the 30-year-old Children Act. But years of austerity too often compromise the legal process, challenging the ability of courts and social services to prioritise the interests of the vulnerable. Jerry Bull, chair of the Law Society’s children law sub-committee, points to ways in which overworked family judges in a stretched judicial system are adding to the pressure on lawyers. “There are far more proceedings and courts are expecting more of us each time, because they don’t have the resources to back up the judges.” Full report in the Gazette.
Nominations are now being accepted for this year’s Law Society Excellence Awards, which will recognise the outstanding achievements of solicitors working in all areas of law across England and Wales.“Every day solicitors across this country demonstrate their commitment to their clients, their community, and to the rule of law,” I said. “The Excellence Awards celebrate the very best - the winners highlight not just the values of the profession, but the vital role solicitors play in the administration of justice every day.” Coverage in the Gazette.
The Northern Echo carries the first of a new, weekly ‘Legal Expert’ column in conjunction with the Law Society. This week’s topic is no-fault divorce. Law Society position on no-fault divorce is here.
 
Law Society access to justice committee member June Venters QC writes in The Times about her experience of offering legal advice pro bono from her local GP’s surgery over the last decade. This follows a proposal by the justice minister Lucy Frazer last week that funded legal advice be offered from GP surgeries.
 
The Times (£) also reports that British fashion designers risk losing design right protections in the event of a no-deal Brexit. I said: “The law governing intellectual property is largely harmonised across the EU. Much of the legislation and case law stems directly from EU level law.” Further coverage in the Gazette.
 
The BBC reports that new laws are needed to tackle knife crime in London. “The home secretary is right when he says there's no specific legislation that easily lets you pull down knife crime content from social media,” says Steve Kuncewicz, a member of council and of the technology and the law committee.
 
Law Society immigration committee member Zeena Luchowa answered questions from BBC London audience members worried about their futures.
 
Our Valentine’s Day warning about the myth of common law marriage was cited in the Manchester Evening News and the Daily Mirror as well as Global Legal Post. I said: “The term originates from when it was less socially acceptable for couples to live together and have children outside wedlock.” I also warned of the pitfalls of people relying on long term cohabitation as the basis of their rights.
The controversy about whether 19-year-old Shamima Begum - who left Britain in 2015 with friends in order to live in Isil-controlled Raqqa – should be allowed to return to the UK has received widespread coverage in the media. Ian Kelcey, co-chair of the criminal law committee, is quoted in the Times commenting on her potential legal situation: “On the basis of what we know so far it is likely that Begum would be arrested on return to the UK and probably charged under the Terrorism Act 2006.”
 
Legal Futures covered the launch of the Law Society’s LawTech adoption report which reviews how far the legal sector has come in terms of adopting technology to execute work.
 
Don’t forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.
 
 
Consultation responses and parliamentary activity, influencing on behalf of the profession:
 
Probate
Shadow leader of the Commons Valerie Vaz MP quoted Law Society vice president Simon Davis on the subject of probate fees. She noted that the Non-Contentious Probate (Fees) Order 2018 may be ultra vires, and cited the Law Society’s argument that it is a “tax hike through the back door”, mentioning Simon Davis by name.
 
More than 2,000 people have now written to their MP regarding the proposed changes to probate fees using our online tool.
 
Brexit
No deal guidance – we published new no deal guidance on VAT and intellectual property – this will feature in our professional update this week and in a number of our other newsletters.
 
Concerns on no deal raised with the lord chancellor – the CEO wrote to the lord chancellor to raise our concerns around no deal and the decrease in legal services exports from 2016 to 2017.  
 
No deal concerns raised in Parliament – we briefed shadow justice ministers in the Commons and Lords five times on key secondary legislation around legal services, recognition of professional qualifications and civil justice co-operation – the Law Society was mentioned in the debates 19 times and our concerns around no deal were mentioned throughout.
 
Increased awareness of with Lords justice spokespeople on Brexit – we met with the Labour’s Lords adviser on justice to increase his understanding of the Law Society’s Brexit priorities.
 
Brexit conference – We hosted a joint conference on Brexit with City and Financial. Both the vice president and deputy vice president spoke at conference, along with:

• Justice minister, Lucy Frazer QC MP
• Shadow justice minister, Yasmin Qureshi MP
• Former lord chief justice, Lord Thomas
• Former attorney general, Dominic Grieve QC MP
• Chair of the justice select committee, Bob Neill MP.

 
Speeches
I spoke at an “in conversation" event with Lady Arden at Clyde & Co. I also spoke about the women in leadership in law programme at a Network for Knowledge event on Wednesday.
 
The vice president and deputy vice president spoke at a joint Law Society and City and financial conference on Brexit and legal services.
 
Resilience and Wellbeing Survey 2019
For the third year running, the Junior Lawyers Division’s (JLD) is undertaking a resilience and wellbeing survey of its membership. The survey can be accessed here.
 
Access to justice
LASPO
The MoJ published the Post Implementation Review this week. We immediately put out a press release and provided a summary for members online and via a Legal Aid Update.
 
Courts modernisation
The Gazette hosted a roundtable regarding court reforms, self-representation and the prospect of a more inquisitorial system.
15 guests took part, including myself, Law Society head of justice Richard Miller, and Susan Acland-Hood (CEO of HMCTS).
 
The justice select committee have launched a new inquiry into the access to justice implications of the HMCTS court modernisation programme, including on the increasing use of digital and video technology and of court closures.
 
Court closures
On 7 February we attended the Westminster Legal Policy Forum on Civil Justice reform in England and Wales which discussed court modernisation, litigation costs and priorities for implementation of the Civil Liability Act. The event was chaired by Lord Faulks QC.
On 8 February I met with Professor Abi Adams to discuss the court modernisation programme and access to justice. It was agreed that it is essential to have the relevant data to analyse in order to evaluate the programme effectively.
Public Accounts Committee Hearing
HMCTS has now responded to five of the recommendations that came out of the June 2018 Public Accounts Committee Hearing. The recommendations can be found here.
 
Flexible Operating Hours Pilots
HMCTS intends to pilot flexible operating hours for civil and family matters in Manchester and Brentford from April. We attended the first meeting of the Evaluation Advisory Group which will consider how the pilot is evaluated. HMCTS took on board a number of our concerns about methodology.
 
Role of the profession
The Flag It Up campaign, of which the Law Society is a core partner, filmed two videos on compliance on 6 February, one of which is with Amy Bell, former chair of our MLTF, in our offices.
 
Technology
Technology and Law Policy Commission Evidence Session – algorithms in the justice system
The Law Society’s Technology and Law Policy Commission hosted its final evidence session on Thursday 14 February in London. The commission, led by me alongside co-commissioners Sofia Olhede (UCL) and Sylvie Delacroix (University of Birmingham), examined the use of algorithms in the justice system, the impacts on the rule of law, implications for data rights, and whether our human rights framework is fit for purpose.
 
Witnesses at the London session included Richard Susskind, Jamie Susskind, Hannah Knox of UCL, David Powell of Hampshire Police and Judith Jones of the ICO. We were also joined by guest commissioner Madhumita Murgia.
 
Lawtech adoption research
I spoke at the launch of this new Law Society report which shows a rise in the number of lawtech companies in recent years. 
However, this increase is not reflected in the rate of lawtech adoption among legal practitioners. Our research explores what types of lawtech providers are gaining traction in different sectors of the profession and the drivers behind this, with a view to how adoption rates might impact the future shape of legal process and delivery.
Civil
Environment
We attended a roundtable at DEFRA hosted by Environment Secretary Michael Gove to discuss environmental targets.
 
Our influencing work internationally:
On 11 February, Helena Raulus, head of the Brussels office, chaired the British Chamber of Commerce event on the EU, third countries and Brexit – managing secure data flows across borders. It was also attended by legal secondee Betty Ann Morain and speakers included Heather Anson.
 
On 13 February, Betty Ann Morain attended an event organised by the European Commission: Civil Society Dialogue on WTO negotiations on e-commerce The same day, EU policy adviser Rita Giannini met Nicola Wisdahl from the Scottish Government to discuss justice and home affairs matters.
 
Along with Lizzette Robleto de Howarth, international programmes manager, I attended the Festivity of Sant Raimon de Penyafort, an annual event organised by the Barcelona Bar Association. On 15 February, I spoke at the ‘Trobades de Barcelona – Jacques Henry Memorial’ of the European Bars Federation – an event where international representatives of the legal profession come together in Barcelona to discuss issues of interest to the legal profession. This year’s focus was on gender equality, and I took part in a panel on the challenges, opportunities, and benefits of empowering female leadership in the legal profession.
 
Solicitor brand campaign
We’re looking for business or consumer clients who would like to be photographed as part of our campaign to promote the value of solicitors. More details can be found here.
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career
 
International Women’s Day seminar – Friday 8 March
Join us for our flagship event to celebrate International Women’s Day 2019. The theme of the event is inspiration and action in the workplace.
 
To celebrate international women’s day and 100 years of women in the law, we are also supporting March4Women – on Sunday 3 March
#March4Women: https://www.careinternational.org.uk/march4women
Tickets are just £5. You can book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/march4women-2019-event-tickets-54751304626?aff=lawfirms (Short link: https://careint.uk/2G1s5EJ)
 
Judicial appointments: interview training for solicitors – 15 March – London
In view of increasing competition for judicial appointments, this course will equip delegates with the skills to help enhance their application and interview performance. (Also running on 16 March – book here.)
 
In-house Division: Communicating law to non-lawyers – 20 March – Manchester
This seminar will offer practical examples and guidance to help strategically align in-house lawyers with their business.
 
Law Society team in half marathon for LawWorks
On Sunday March 10th Tom Fothergill, Chief Operating Officer, Sophie Brooks, Operational Director of strategy and planning and Kerry Jenkins, Head of Finance will be running as a representative Law Society Team at the Vitality Big Half Marathon here in London & we are aiming to raise money for LawWorks which, as many will know, is a charity supported by the Law Society which focuses efforts on connecting those in need of legal advice who can’t afford to pay for it with volunteer pro bono solicitors.
 
Sponsoring them couldn’t be simpler – just follow this link http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/lawworksbighalf to their fundraising page.
 
Supporting practice excellence
Some of our upcoming events are:

Risk and Compliance annual conference 2019: preparing for change in shifting times – 15 March
This full-day programme features a mix of plenary sessions and a choice of workshops to help you achieve best practice in compliance.
 
Property Section seminar: Risk and negligence in property transactions – 28 March – Manchester
Join John de Waal QC and other contributors to the recently published Risk and Negligence in Property Transactions for an interactive and practical seminar.
 
Keeping members up to date
 
We have a number of newsletters for members. Below is a list, along with links for signing up to them.
 
Newsletter
Sign-up method

Advocacy Update
Update My Law Society preferences

Anti-money Laundering Update
Law Society newsletter page

City Update
Contact the City relationship management team

Diversity & Inclusion Update
Update My Law Society preferences

In-house Forum
Update My Law Society preferences

International Update
Law Society newsletter page

Junior Lawyers Update
Law Society newsletter page

JLD sign-up page

Legal Aid Update
Law Society newsletter page

Professional Update
Law Society newsletter page

Regional Update
Contact your regional relationship management team

Risk & Compliance Update
Join the Risk and Compliance Service

Small Firms Focus
Contact the Small Firms Division

Solicitor Judges Update
Join the Solicitor Judges Division

 
You can also register for the Gazette daily update here.
 
As always, please feel free to share this update with your members unless otherwise specified.
 
Kind regards,
 
Christina
 
Christina Blacklaws
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1PL

As the professional body for solicitors, every week the Law Society is working hard to influence the legal and regulatory environment on behalf of our profession and to promote solicitors at home and abroad. We support practice excellence, are an informed source of legal sector news and support members at every stage of their career.
 
Here are some highlights from this week.
 
Influencing on behalf of the profession and promoting the profession
 
The Law Society’s media profile this week:
The Independent reported on the surge of parent litigants in person in family courts. Penny Scott, chair of our family law committee and Jenny Beck, a member of our access to justice committee, both commented on the issue and said the rise in unrepresented parties were causing “huge injustices” in rulings.
 
Talented trainee lawyers are invited to apply for a place on the profession’s Diversity Access Scheme (DAS), the Law Society said today as it opens recruitment for the 2019 cohort of scholars. Full report in the Gazette.
 
Legal Futures covered the Law Society response to LeO’s business plan. Meanwhile the Times (£) said the Law Society had praised the Legal Ombudsman for having made “progress with its modernisation programme”. The society however expresses concerned over an “absence of detail” in the ombudsman’s business plan.
 
I’m interviewed in In House Community about the evolution of the legal profession.
 
We welcomed the MoJ’s review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) as a step in the right direction. I’m quoted saying: “The MoJ has accepted the case for changes in relation to the legal aid means test, exceptional case funding and early legal advice, and has committed to further work as to what those changes should look like”. Full reports in the Gazette, Guardian, City A.M, and the FT (£).
Plans to hike probate fees to as much as £6,000 have narrowly been approved. Vice president Simon Davis said: “The cost to the courts for granting probate does not change whether the estate is worth £50,000 or £2 million. The government can call it a service charge or a graduated fee but asking those who have larger estates to pay more is in effect a tax hike through the back door.” Full report in the Gazette. Also in the Sunday Times (£) and the Telegraph carries reports and the Law Society is urging members to write to your MP. I am then quoted in subsequent coverage: “It is unfair to expect the bereaved to fund or subsidise other parts of the courts and tribunal service, particularly in circumstances where they have no other options but to use the probate service.” Full reports in Gazette and the Times.
 
The Gazette reports on new advice published by the Law Society to help family lawyers in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Read the No-deal Brexit family law guidance in full.
 
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is to carry out randomised “web sweeps” of around 500 law firms over the next few months to check they are publishing fees for common consumer transactions. Full report in The Times (£) and Legal Futures
 
The press office is working with solicitors and regional papers to provide agony aunt-style columns on major legal issues. This week David Gibson, a local employment law solicitor, spoke to BBC Radio Tees about the legalities of mental health in the workplace for time to talk day. You can listen to the broadcast here. The interview starts at 55:00.
If you would like to participate, please email press.office@lawsociety.org.uk
 
Don’t forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.
 
Consultation responses and parliamentary activity, influencing on behalf of the profession:
 
Parliamentary
LASPO Review - The Ministry of Justice’s post-implementation review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 was published on Thursday, and the lord chancellor made a statement to the House of Commons. The proposals reflect a considerable number of the recommendations we put forward. The ministry has accepted the case for changes in relation to the legal aid means test, exceptional case funding and early legal advice.
 
Civil judicial co-operation - The Law Society briefed MPs on a number of statutory instruments on civil judicial co-operation that were debated this week. The Law Society was referenced four times in the debate including on our concerns about the impact of a no deal Brexit in this area.
 
Probate fees – The Law Society is opposing the government’s plans to increase the fees charged for a grant of probate. Over 180 people have written to their MP using the Law Society’s campaign action tool, and the Law Society’s concerns regarding the proposal were referenced twice during a debate in the Fourteenth Delegate Legislation Committee on Thursday. (See Media above).
 
Campaigns
Criminal justice campaign - Following the launch last week of our criminal justice campaign, our animation showing Peter’s journey through the criminal justice system has received nearly 6,000 views on YouTube. For comparison, a previous animation as part of our early advice campaign received 1,800 views in total.
 
Stakeholder engagement
Ministerial roundtable – I hosted a roundtable with George Hollingbery MP, Minister of State for Trade Policy to discuss international trade in legal services.  The roundtable was attended by senior experts in international trade law and I spoke about our recent discussions and meeting with international bar organisation including India and Australia.
Speeches
I spoke at a conference on blockchain and legal services on Tuesday.
 
Criminal legal aid
Following the government’s response to the Justice Select Committee’s report on criminal legal aid and announcement it will be conducting a fundamental review of criminal legal aid fees over the next 18 months, we met with the MoJ lead on the review. We discussed a wide range of issues arising from the current situation and emphasised the need for an independent review of sustainability. We were assured the review would be ‘evidence based’, and if the data analysis undertaken indicates more investment is needed then this is what the MoJ will recommend.
 
Technology
 
Technology and Law Policy Commission Evidence Session- algorithms in the justice system
The Law Society’s Technology and Law Policy Commission will host its final evidence session on Thursday 14th February in London. The commission, led by me alongside co-Commissioners Sofia Olhede (UCL), Sylvie Delacroix (University of Birmingham), will examine the use of algorithms in the justice system, the impacts on the rule of law, implications for data rights, and whether our human rights framework is fit for purpose.
 
Witnesses at the London session include Richard Susskind, Jamie Susskind, Hannah Knox of UCL, David Powell of Hampshire Police and Judith Jones of the ICO. We will also be joined by guest commissioner Polly Toynbee. Council members wishing to attend can book a place at the London session here. 
 
Technology and Law Policy Commission Evidence Session- algorithms in the justice system Cardiff session
We hosted the penultimate Technology and Law Policy Commission evidence session on Thursday 7th February in Cardiff. Witnesses included Inspector Scott Lloyd of South Wales Police who gave a demonstration of the Police’s facial recognition technology, Dr Bernadette Rainey of Cardiff Uni and Adam Curtis of Hoowla. 
 
Draft Ethics Guideline for Trustworthy AI
We responded to the European AI Alliance’s consultation on a draft ethics guideline for trustworthy AI.  Our response argues that if the guidelines had greater focus on the issues of technical and organisational measures of mitigating the risk of "unethical use" of AI, they would be more helpful in constructing the future debate around "trustworthy AI”.
It also argues:
·       That setting the "ethical purpose" as a fundamental principle for AI development, implementation and use without having similar standards on the use of data in general might lead to a perverse situation where higher standards of ethical behaviour are demanded of machines than of humans.
·       That having "ethical purpose", as defined in the Guidelines, as one of the two fundamental components of "trustworthy AI", which we consider impractical, creates the danger that the future debate around ethical AI might become too theoretical and part ways with real-life developments in this area.
Civil
 
Leasehold reform
We joined the deputy vice president David Greene in meeting with the shadow housing minister and shadow secretary of state for housing and homelessness (John Healey MP and Sarah Jones MP) to discuss leasehold reform.
 
We attended the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee’s final session of their inquiry into leasehold reform where they took evidence from Heather Wheeler MP, minister for housing and homelessness.
 
 
Our influencing work internationally:
On 6 February, Stephen Denyer, director of strategic relationships came to Brussels to carry out firms visits. Accompanied by Eoin Lavelle, EU Policy Adviser, he attended the following meetings:

• Emmanuel Plasschaert, Partner at Crowell & Moring LLP;


• David Henry, Barrister at McDermott Will & Emery;


• Denis Fosselard, Partner and Head of Brussels Office at Ashurst;


• Werner Eyskens, Partner at Allen & Overy;


• Laurent Ruzette, Partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.

 
On 6 February, Law Society CEO Paul Tennant was in Brussels. He and Brussels head of office Helena Raulus attended the British Chamber of Commerce UK-EU Task Force. They also attended the following events and meetings:

• roundtable with Brussels Based UK organisations at the Welsh Office.


• meeting with Fergus McReynolds from EEF (Manufacturers’ Organisation).


• meeting with UK Rep.


• meeting with Pascal Kerneis from ESF (European Service Forum).


• meeting with Philip Buisseret, Secretary General of CCBE.

 
On 7 February, Stephen Denyer and Helena Raulus, attended the following meetings:

• Lode Van Den Hende, partner at Herbert Smith Freehills;


• Ken Daly, managing partner at Sidley Austin;


• Elvira Aliende Rodrigues, partner at Shearman & Sterling;


• Ingrid Vandenborre, partner at Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom;


• Ruxandra Cana, partner at Steptoe & Johnson.

 
On 8 February, they also met Jeroen Jansen, Partner at DLA Piper.
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career
 
March4Women – Sunday 3 March
To celebrate international women’s day and 100 years of women in the law, we are supporting this event.
#March4Women: https://www.careinternational.org.uk/march4women
Tickets are just £5. You can book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/march4women-2019-event-tickets-54751304626?aff=lawfirms (Short link: https://careint.uk/2G1s5EJ)
 
LGBT History Month              
February is LGBT History Month and our LGBT+ Lawyers Division will be holding their second speed networking in Cardiff on Thursday 21 February. We are partnering with a number of firms and organisations to deliver other events across the country – details of the full programme can be found here.
 
Law Society team in half marathon for LawWorks


On Sunday March 10th Tom Fothergill, chief operating officer, Sophie Brooks, operational director of strategy and planning and Kerry Jenkins, head of finance will be running as a representative Law Society Team at the Vitality Big Half Marathon here in London & we are aiming to raise money for LawWorks whom, as many will know, is a charity supported by the Law Society which focuses efforts on connecting those in need of legal advice who can’t afford to pay for it with volunteer pro bono solicitors.
 
Sponsoring them couldn’t be simpler – just follow this link http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/lawworksbighalf to their fundraising page.
 
JLD Forum: Junior lawyers skills day – 2 March 2019 – Southampton
This free one-day skills event aims to equip those at the start of their careers with the skills and advice necessary to progress, diversify and develop within the legal profession.
 
Apprenticeship Week at the Law Society – 5 March 2019 – London
As part of National Apprenticeship Week, we are bringing together firms, training providers and prospective apprentices to learn about and discuss apprenticeships in legal services.
 
Junior Lawyers Division annual conference and ball 2019 – London
Registration is now open for the JLD’s 12th annual conference and ball on Saturday 6 April. Early bird rates are available until Friday 8 March.
 


Supporting practice excellence
Some of our upcoming events are:
 
Future of Law lecture: The Future of Justice and the Justice System – 26 February 2019
Justice Minister Lucy Frazer QC MP will share her thoughts on the future of the justice system, particularly in light of the LASPO post-implementation review.
 
Private Client Section: cross border conference 2019 – Insights into foreign assets
Our full-day programme will help you to keep on top of the increasingly complex and changing environment of international private client work. 
 
Keeping members up to date
 
We have a number of newsletters for members. Below is a list, along with links for signing up to them.
 
Newsletter
Sign-up method

Advocacy Update
Update My Law Society preferences

Anti-money Laundering Update
Law Society newsletter page

City Update
Contact the City relationship management team

Diversity & Inclusion Update
Update My Law Society preferences

In-house Forum
Update My Law Society preferences

International Update
Law Society newsletter page

Junior Lawyers Update
Law Society newsletter page

JLD sign-up page

Legal Aid Update
Law Society newsletter page

Professional Update
Law Society newsletter page

Regional Update
Contact your regional relationship management team

Risk & Compliance Update
Join the Risk and Compliance Service

Small Firms Focus
Contact the Small Firms Division

Solicitor Judges Update
Join the Solicitor Judges Division
 
You can also register for the Gazette daily update here.
 
As always, please feel free to share this update with your members unless otherwise specified.
 
Kind regards,
 
Christina
 
Christina Blacklaws
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1PL

This is a quick plea to ask for assistance in promoting the Junior Lawyers Division’s (JLD) resilience and wellbeing survey for 2019 with any junior lawyer colleagues and contacts you have. For the purposes of the survey, a junior lawyer is a paralegal who has obtained their LPC, a trainee solicitor or a junior lawyer with up to five years’ post qualification experience. The survey can be accessed here.
 
Background
 
As part of its agenda for the last three years, the executive committee of JLD has been focusing on supporting junior lawyers experiencing mental ill-health and high levels of stress at work and raising awareness of these issues in the legal profession.
 
Surveys
 
To ascertain the extent of the levels of stress and mental ill-health among junior lawyers, the JLD conducted its first survey in 2017 which received over 200 responses. The 2017 survey found that more than 90% of junior lawyers experienced stress in their role with 26% of those experiencing severe/extreme levels of stress. More than 25% of junior lawyers stated that they had experienced mental ill-health in the last month (whether formally diagnosed or not). It was clear to the JLD that high levels of stress and mental ill-health affected the majority of its members (specifically, paralegals (who have obtained their LPC), trainee solicitors and solicitor up to five years’ qualified).
 
The JLD ran its resilience and wellbeing survey again in 2018 and it received nearly 1,000 responses. The overall figures in relation to stress remained the same as in 2017, however, the proportion of men regularly reporting either severe or extreme levels of stress increased from 20% to 26%. In 2018, high workload and client demands and expectations were the most commonly selected causes of stress, whereas high workload and ineffective management were the most common causes in 2017.
 
In relation to mental ill-health, more than 38% of junior lawyers stated they had experienced mental ill-health in the last month (whether formally diagnosed or not), an increase of almost 13% from the 2017 survey. The largest change was in relation to trainees, 19% reported experiencing mental ill-health in the last month in the 2017 survey compared to 38% in 2018. You can read the survey results report for 2017 & 2018 surveys here.
 
Guidance for best practice for supporting resilience and wellbeing in the workplace
 
To support employers in meeting some of these challenges, the JLD developed best practice guidance aimed at reducing stigma and fostering positive mental health. The guidance is designed to give employers ideas on how to build a successful wellbeing strategy for their organisation. The guidance focuses on three core pillars (1) support; (2) education and training; and (3) culture; to enable organisational change. You can view the guidance here.
 
Roundtables
 
The JLD has hosted two roundtable events with law firms to promote mentally healthy workplaces. These roundtable events involve a discussion on the recommendations in the guidance. As part of the discussion, law firms are encouraged to share their best practice and positive/negative experiences of running initiatives internally. By giving firms an opportunity to speak openly about their wellbeing strategies and what they are doing (under Chatham House rules), it helps give ideas to other firms who are still in the process of planning their own strategies. The next roundtable is taking place on 5 March 2019 and do let us know if you would like more information or to attend.
 
If you’ve got any questions about the above, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
 
Kind regards

Future of Law Lecture Series
The Future of Justice and the Justice System – with Lucy Frazer QC MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice
 
Tuesday 26 February
 
Dear colleague
 
I am delighted to invite you to the next event in our Future of Law lecture series.
We invite subject matter experts to explore the most pressing legal questions facing the profession and aim to bring together leaders from across the legal profession, members, policy makers and key stakeholders to discuss how to maintain a successful legal services sector for the future.
 
This lecture will focus on the future of justice and the justice system, particularly in light of the LASPO post implementation review.  We will also explore the role that technology and innovation will play in facilitating access to justice, including plans for court modernisation and the wider justice system.
 
Lucy Frazer QC MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice will share her thoughts on what the future holds for the justice system and what this will mean for the legal profession.
 
 
Tuesday 26 February 2019
 
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, WC2A 1PL
 
08.00 - 08.15   Registration and breakfast
 
08.15 -  09.30  Welcome: Christina Blacklaws, President, The Law Society  
 
                        Key note speaker:
                        Lucy Frazer QC MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
                        Ministry of Justice
 
                        Audience Q&A
 
To book your place email – presidentevents@lawsociety.org.uk
 
 Christina Blacklaws
President

Your weekly Law Society update
 
As the professional body for solicitors, every week the Law Society is working hard to influence the legal and regulatory environment on behalf of our profession and to promote solicitors at home and abroad. We support practice excellence, are an informed source of legal sector news and support members at every stage of their career.
 
Here are some highlights from this week.
 
Influencing on behalf of the profession and promoting the profession
 
The Law Society’s media profile this week:
 
Cris McCurley, a member of the Access to Justice Committee appeared on BBC Essex to discuss the criminal justice system. You can listen to the broadcast here. Cris’ interview starts from 2:16:10
 
Chancery Lane warned against plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to remove EU lawyers' exemptions from tests to qualify in England and Wales in the event of a ‘no-deal' Brexit. The Law Society said the plans could cause an ‘unnecessary barrier to qualification’ which could have the knock-on effect of making England and Wales a less attractive jurisdiction and imperil its position as Europe's largest legal market. Full report in the Gazette.
 
Restricting the right of landlords to recover non-litigation costs in leasehold enfranchisement claims could deter them from engaging solicitors and thwart efforts to make the process simpler, the Law Society has warned. Full report in the Gazette.
 
Mobile phone and computer evidence means that the system of paying advocates by the volume of pages of prosecution evidence is out of date, ministers have said. I welcomed the review of criminal legal aid fees and hoped it would be accompanied by a commitment to increase spending on criminal legal aid. But I added: “Reporting on a fundamental rethink in 2020 is all very well, but we are facing a crisis today.” Full report in the Times.
 
A new poll shows around four in 10 legal practices are still confused about GDPR rules, and only around one in four see cyberattacks as a leading risk to their business. Peter Wright, author of the Law Society Cyber Security Toolkit and managing director of DigitalLawUK, says too many companies don’t believe they’ll be hacked because they are a small, independent practice. Full report in Lawyer Monthly.
 
Jenny Beck explains the risks for litigants in person paying for advice from McKenzie friends to take their case through the courts. She explains the impact of cuts to legal aid and why the advice of a solicitor is important for people trying to navigate the Family Court. Listen on BBC West Midlands (2:26:36)
 
Labour’s Chuka Umunna highlighted that the Law Society is holding various events to mark the centenary of women lawyers in an article for the Independent. He mentions the First Hundred Years project to chart the journey of women in law, illustrating how that has led to a giant leap forward for gender equality in the UK over the years.
 
The Law Society has renewed its warning about the potential problems of leaving the EU without an agreement on a future relationship in the wake of last night's House of Commons vote. Full report in the Gazette. And vice president Simon Davis also said a no-deal Brexit would “introduce opaqueness where previously there has been clarity in relation to a whole range of rights enjoyed currently by our citizens”. He added: “Where cross-border disputes arise among families and between businesses in the UK and EU countries, the resolution mechanisms available across Europe will no longer apply, leaving them unclear as to which lawyers they can use and which courts can help them.” Full report in the Times (£).
This week we convened 16 organisations from healthcare, science, academia, engineering, architecture, business, energy, town planning and more to write a letter to the Independent setting out our shared concerns about exiting the EU without a deal. We urged politicians “from across the divide to unite to avert a UK-wide crisis and find a way forward to ensure the end of our EU membership doesn’t end an era of unprecedented economic strength for the UK – with all the political and social fallout that will herald.” I was the lead signatory on behalf of the Law Society.
The Guardian covers our concerns about changes to safeguards affecting some of the most vulnerable people in society – those with limited mental capacity. New legislation being rushed through parliament will remove independent scrutiny – and hand decisions to care home managers and private hospitals. Sheree Green, a member of our mental health and disability committee, is quoted saying: “The government’s bill is quite different to the one produced by the Law Commission. [It] places responsibility on the care home manager to do the DoLS or ‘liberty protection safeguard’ work, as it will in future be known.”
 
The Independent reports EU citizens have won the right to challenge a law which prevents people from accessing immigration data held by the Home Office. It cites the Law Society statement from last year which said nearly half immigration decisions are overturned on appeal – clear evidence of serious flaws in the ministry’s procedures.
 
The press office is working with solicitors and regional papers to provide agony aunt-style columns on major legal issues. If you would like to participate, please email press.office@lawsociety.org.uk
 
Don’t forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.
 
Consultation responses and parliamentary activity, influencing on behalf of the profession:
Brexit
We are working to represent the views of members on the UK exiting the EU and influence both the UK government and EU institutions. We continue to support members by providing guidance on preparatory steps they can take to prepare their firms. The government has published a series of notices on how to prepare for a no-deal Brexit. We have published guidance on the potential effects on our members in the event of a no-deal Brexit in the following areas:

• Civil and commercial cooperation


• Data protection


• Family law


• Providing legal services in the EU

 
Access to Justice
The Justice Committee have launched a new inquiry into the access to justice implications of the HMCTS court modernisation programme. MPs will look at two elements of the changes:
1. Increased use of digital and video technology
2.The closures of the courts and tribunal hearing centres.
The deadline for the call for written evidence is Monday 11th March 2019.
 
The government has responded to the Justice Select Committee’s report on criminal legal aid. 
 
Government engagement
The CEO attended the Economic crime ministerial strategy board which was also attended by senior cabinet ministers including the chancellor and lord chancellor.
 
Parliamentary
The Law Society was mentioned twice in the committee stage of the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill Committee, highlighting our concerns at 16-17 year olds and access to the Court of Protection.
We were also mentioned six times in debates on several Brexit related statutory instruments on lawyers rights and civil legal aid.
 
Our influencing work internationally:
This week, I was delighted to attend the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year in Hong Kong, jointly hosted by the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association. As part of the events, I spoke on a panel on ‘Legal Profession as a Talent Platform - What law societies and bar associations can do to enhance the image of the legal profession to attract new entrants to the profession?’ to an audience of 40 bar leaders from more than 20 jurisdictions.
 
While in Hong Kong, I met with our member firms, as well as the president of the Law Society of Hong Kong, the secretary of justice, and the Justice Centre, Hong Kong.
 
Later in the week, I attended the IBA 5th Asia Law Firm Management Conference where I spoke on a session on retaining talent and being an attractive workplace for future talent. I met with the Singapore Academy of Law and its Future of Law Innovation Programme (FLIP) – an initiative that brings together stakeholders from business, government and academia to collaborate on developing new models for the delivery of legal services in the future economy.
 
On Wednesday, I met the Law Society of Singapore’s Women in Practice committee and was honoured to provide the keynote speech at their Women in Practice: Change and Impact panel discussion. One hundred people attended.
 
On 17 January, David Greene, deputy vice president signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Georgia’s Anaklia City JSC (Anaklia City) to cooperate and exchange best practices in the development of a special economic zone and disputes resolution centre in Anaklia, Georgia. The MoU provides a way for us to continue our engagement with Anaklia City and will provide several business development opportunities for members. We look forward to working with Anaklia City.
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career
We've now published ‘Your professional body – the value of your membership’ aligned to the member offer. It clearly shows how we influence for impact and promote the profession. It also showcases the services we offer to support practice excellence, keep members up to date and act as a career companion. All new members will receive a copy in the post. A simple summary of our member offer is also available.
 
Judicial appointments: interview training for solicitors - 8 February 2019 – London
In view of increasing competition for judicial appointments, this interactive course will equip delegates with the skills to help enhance your application and interview performance. This workshop has been developed specifically for solicitor applicants but the content is relevant for anyone serious about submitting a credible judicial application.
 
JLD Forum: Junior lawyer skills day
The Junior Lawyers Division is holding a free one-day career development and skills event in partnership with the South Hampshire JLD and the Bournemouth JLD.

Apprenticeship Week at the Law Society
Bringing together firms, training providers and prospective apprentices to learn about and discuss apprenticeships in legal services.
 
Supporting practice excellence
Some of our upcoming events are:
 
Competition Section seminar: the impact of data on merger control
This seminar will survey EU merger control cases involving data issues, and ask whether or not the European Commission has now developed a legal and economic framework for assessment of those cases going forward.
 
Webinar: Smart contracts for lawyers
A smart contract is a set of rules taking the form of electronic code that is capable of self-execution. The development of the blockchain and distributed ledger technology has enabled smart contracts to be re-imagined to offer a new paradigm of contracting, automating the performance of contractual obligations and aligning to business outcomes.
 
This webinar we will provide participants with the practical next steps to overcome the uncertainty of smart contracts, firstly through clarification of the fundamental characteristics before directly showing how a lawyer might go about drafting and deploying a smart contract on a blockchain network.
 
As always, please feel free to share this update with your constituents unless otherwise specified.
 
Kind regards,
 
Christina
 
 
Christina Blacklaws
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1PL

​Your weekly Law Society update
 
As the professional body for solicitors, every week the Law Society is working hard to influence the legal and regulatory environment on behalf of our profession and to promote solicitors at home and abroad. We support practice excellence, are an informed source of legal sector news and support members at every stage of their career.
 
Happy New Year and welcome back from the break.
 
Here are some highlights from this week.
 
Influencing on behalf of the profession and promoting the profession
 
The Law Society’s media profile this week:
Last Friday I was on BBC Woman’s Hour to discuss the 2019 centenary of women being able to qualify as solicitors. You can listen to the broadcast here. The interview starts at 00.40.
 
Internal emails and instant messages released under Freedom of Information laws reveal the fury inside the Ministry of Justice after Buzzfeed News was leaked a report on the impact of LASPO that the department had insisted didn’t exist. A Law Society spokesperson said: ““People will wonder why the MoJ chose at first not to disclose the full report. The research into unrepresented defendants contains important information...”.
 
Ireland’s prime minister has said his country is exploring how to take legal business from the UK after Brexit. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has in mind a partnership of the legal representative bodies to exploit the UK’s departure from the EU. The Gazette report quotes me.
 
This week the media relations team organised a series of interviews with solicitors on local radio to discuss ‘divorce day’ and answer common questions about the divorce process.
 
You can listen to Hannah Field on BBC Surrey and Sussex here. Hannah’s interview starts at 1.23:30.
 
Meanwhile Talvinder Penaser’s interview on Pulse 1 in West Yorkshire.
 
Christine McVay appeared on BBC Radio Newcastle. You can listen to the broadcast here. Christine’s interview starts from 1:26:00.
 
Both the Gazette and Legal Futures covered our new practice note for solicitors engaged in drawing up non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
 
Penny Scott, the chair of our Family Law Committee, appeared on BBC Radio Essex discussing a family law case in the county and the Law Society’s early advice campaign. Parts of this interview ran on the news bulletins throughout the day. You can listen to the broadcast here from 1.00:30.
 
While the EU committee’s Anna Bradshaw appeared on ITN talking about the Jack Shepherd case.
 
Jenny Beck, former chair of the Access to Justice committee was on Radio 5 Live to discuss McKenzie friends and the importance of family law solicitors. You can listen to the broadcast here from 2.52:30.
 
Legal aid provision in England and Wales is being slashed, as experts say people are being “denied justice.” Simon Davis, vice president of the Law Society, said: “Cuts to legal aid spending over the past five years have denied justice to the most vulnerable in society, placed a further burden on the taxpayer and damaged the foundation of our justice system.” A full report in The Daily Post. Also appears in Hull Daily Mail, Derby Telegraph, Evening Gazette and four other regional titles.
 
In a comment for the Gazette, former IP law committee chair Mark Anderson calls for reforms to IP law.
 
Joy Merriam, a member of the Law Society Access to Justice committee, was interviewed by BBC Radio Kent on the subject of 'Cliff's Law' – a proposed new law to stop police suspects being named by the media until they are proven guilty. You can listen to the broadcast here. Joy’s interview starts from 0:34:20.
 
Don’t forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.
 
Consultation responses and parliamentary activity, influencing on behalf of the profession:
Access to Justice
On 18th December, Heads of Division published four jurisdictional documents on the judicial intranet in response to the ‘Judicial Ways of Working’ consultation. These are a highly critical assessment of the government’s proposals for court reforms and closures. 
Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Bill
Before Christmas, the Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Bill received Royal Assent. The Bill will allow appropriately qualified and experienced court and tribunal staff to deal with routine matters.
It will allow the judiciary to be flexibly deployed across jurisdictions where they are most needed, allowing judges to gain experience of different types of cases.
 
Leasehold
The Law Commission has published a consultation on commonhold “Reinvigorating commonhold: the alternative to leasehold ownership”.  This consultation makes provisional proposals to make commonhold work for homeowners, developers, mortgage lenders and across the wider property sector. The consultation is available here.
 
Draft CIL Regulation changes consultation
Shortly before Christmas, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government published a technical consultation looking at proposed reforms to the system of developer contributions, primarily the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 (as amended) and section 106 planning obligations. The consultation is available here.
 
Meetings
On Tuesday, I met with Justice Minister Lucy Frazer QC MP, to discuss law tech, the LASPO review, criminal justice and Brexit. Vice president, Simon Davis, attended a briefing on no deal preparations with Exiting the EU Minister Chris Heaton-Harris.
 
Parliamentary
The chair of the mental health and disability law committee attended a roundtable with the shadow minister for mental health and disability on Monday. Members of this committee and the public affairs team also met with Alex Cunningham MP to discuss the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill.
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career
We've now published ‘Your professional body – the value of your membership’ aligned to the member offer. It clearly shows how we influence for impact and promote the profession. It also showcases the services we offer to support practice excellence, keep members up to date and act as a career companion. All new members will receive a copy in the post. A simple summary of our member offer is also available.
 
Changing career direction - options for flexible working
This event will be hosted by Adaptive, the flexible resourcing model from Simmons & Simmons. Adaptive was created to respond to the shifting legal landscape of Law, by providing clients with technically excellent first-rate lawyers, who are available to work on defined contract assignments and projects. The model is designed to strengthen client relationships by providing a commercial solution that meets both the needs of clients and the firm. This event has been designed in partnership with Adaptive and the Law Society, specifically for those who are interested in finding out more about how they can adopt a flexible working pattern and the benefits of doing so. As the legal marketplace evolves, clients are also actively seeking flexible resourcing solutions to meet the changing demands. The flexibility of working through a model like Adaptive, lets you keep control over when and how you work: you can choose your assignments in terms of work content and the defined periods you choose to undertake them.
 
JLD forum: Helping you to secure a training position
The Junior Lawyers Division is holding a free one-day skills event in partnership with the Merseyside JLD to assist LPC students and graduates with their search for a training position.
 
Supporting practice excellence
Some of our upcoming events are:
The Law Society’s Art Group exhibition
Between 8 and 18 January, the 59th annual exhibition of the Law Society's art group will be on display in the Reading Room. All the art is created by solicitors and shows a high standard of talent, from painting to three dimensional exhibits. All the art is for visitors to enjoy and purchase. If you have any enquiries about the exhibition, you can get in touch with Hazel Bate.
 
International Women’s Day
Join us on Friday 8 March for our flagship event to celebrate International Women’s Day 2019. The theme of the event is inspiration and action in the workplace. I will be leading a panel of distinguished speakers in a discussion about the outcomes of the research so far conducted as part of the Women in Leadership in Law project.
 
Online training: GDPR for Managers: An Introduction
In this course training is given on key aspects of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) data protection regime and first steps for compliance.
 
As always, please feel free to share this update with your constituents unless otherwise specified.
 
Kind regards,
 
Christina
 
 
Christina Blacklaws
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1PL

As the professional body for solicitors, every week the Law Society is working hard to influence the legal and regulatory environment on behalf of our profession and to promote solicitors at home and abroad. We support practice excellence, are an informed source of legal sector news and support members at every stage of their career.
 
Our annual thank you e-mail to our members started going out last week. As part of our work to target our communications, members with less than five years PQE, private client, property, large firm and in house members will receive tailored messages about our member offer.
 
Here are some highlights from our week.
 
Influencing on behalf of the profession and promoting the profession
The Law Society’s media profile this week:
Head of justice Richard Miller was on the Today programme on Monday talking about the impact legal aid cuts have had on access to justice. You can listen to the story here from 48:40. The issue was also covered on BBC News online with a report, which drew heavily on Law Society information, showing cuts to legal aid have created "deserts" of provision across England and Wales. The story was also covered by Yorkshire Post, Bolton News, Norwich Evening News (p.4), Dereham Times; Eastern Daily Press. While BBC Surrey, BBC Cornwall, BBC Cumbria, BBC Leeds, BBC Humberside & BBC World  carried portions Richard Miller’s Today interview as part of rolling coverage of the legal aid crisis.
 
Meanwhile the government this week put down legislation paving the way for an additional £23m on criminal defence advocacy fees. The Ministry of Justice has announced it will embark on a wider review of criminal legal aid payments. Full report in the Gazette plus a comment piece from justice minister Lucy Frazer. More coverage in the Times (£).
 
The Times (£) also ran a story on “a near clean sweep of women leaders in the legal profession’s regulatory and representative bodies”. The report picks up on a comment I made saying that in contrast, “the pace of change within the profession is “glacial”.
 
I raised concerns about employment law in a letter to the FT (£). I wrote: “The High Court ruling in the Deliveroo case illustrates a broader issue with employment law in the UK. It has not kept pace with people’s work habits in the modern economy.”
 
Lawyers must never be persecuted for defending human rights, I said in a statement to mark Human Rights Day. “It is our duty to speak out clearly whenever we see this happening and we will continue to do so without fear or favour. Threats to the independence of the legal profession undermine the rule of law and impede access to justice for all, especially the most vulnerable.” Report in the Times (£).
 
Digitising the divorce application process and hoping for the best isn't enough to reform the legal requirements for splitting up, the Law Society has warned, telling the government to restore legal aid so that separating couples can receive early advice. Coverage in the Gazette & Times (£).
 
A Guardian feature on the story of an immigrant working in the UK includes a comment from Max Winthrop, chair of the Law Society’s employment law committee.
 
The government’s long-awaited review LASPO will no longer be published by the end of this year, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed. The department admitted the review is not yet complete and will be published instead ‘early in the New Year’. Coverage in the Gazette, Times (£).
 
Junior lawyers have warned that they could be adversely affected by proposals to roll out early morning and late-night sittings in some civil proceedings, after the government agreed to ditch similar plans for criminal cases. Writing for the Gazette, justice minister Lucy Frazer says she hopes the pilot will ‘alleviate some of the stress’ that is associated with attending court by allowing people the opportunity to fit attendance around their everyday lives.
 
Don’t forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.
 
Consultation responses and parliamentary activity, influencing on behalf of the profession:
Parliamentary
On Monday, Jonathan Smithers gave evidence on behalf of the Law Society to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee’s inquiry on leasehold reform. Jonathan’s evidence focused on the role and independence of conveyancing solicitors, while also highlighting the Society’s concerns around the potential use of retrospective legislation and its impact on the rule of law.
 
Vice president, Simon Davis, hosted a dinner in Parliament with the Industry and Parliament Trust on trade in services. It was attended by a number of parliamentarians and other stakeholders from the services sector.
 
Speeches
Deputy vice president David Greene spoke at the Law Society’s annual Graham Turnbull lecture and essay competition. The keynote speaker was Dr Gus Hosein from Privacy International.
 
To celebrate International Human Rights Day, David also spoke at a seminar on human rights defenders and at a reception with keynote speaker Corey Stoughton, advocacy director at Liberty.  There was also a seminar on modern slavery earlier that day.
 
Women in Leadership in Law
This week we have had the final two men’s roundtables on 2018 this week with 45 attendees from the following firms: BCLP, Blake Morgan, Capsticks, Citi Group, Clarke Wilmott, Clifford Chance, CMS CMNO, Cooley, DAC Beachcroft, Dentons, DWF, EY, Financial Ombudsman Service, IBA, Mason & Cook, Maurice Turnor Gardner, Mills & Reeve, New Law Solicitors, Open Cosmos, Osborne Clarke, Sherman & Sterling, Standard Chartered Bank, Stone King, Stevens & Bolton, Sullivan & Cromwell, TLT, Travers Smith, Uber, Wedlake Bell, Wikborg Rein, Veale Wasbrough Vizards and Womble Bon Dickinson. Owing to popularity, two further roundtables will be scheduled in London in January as well as in Birmingham and Cardiff.
 
Our influencing work internationally:
 
On 10 December, the Brussels Office hosted a roundtable event: Women in Leadership in Law, followed by a drinks reception. In these discussions (which are under Chatham House rules), participants discussed their experiences of unconscious bias, the gender pay gap, flexible working and best practice in their workplace. The data collected will be presented in a report, to be published in 2019 which is intended to highlight steps to be taken regarding the major areas of improvement for gender equality in the legal profession.
 
At the invitation of the UK government, I travelled to New Delhi with Holly McKenzie to participate in the FutureTech Festival - the flagship conference under the UK-India tech partnership, announced during the Indian prime minister’s visit to the UK earlier this year. I chaired a dedicated legal tech session from 14:00-15:00 on Wed 12 December as part of the Festival.  I also held Women in the Leadership in Law roundtable, and attended meetings with Indian law firms, judges and the government of India.
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career
We've now published ‘Your professional body – the value of your membership’ aligned to the member offer. It clearly shows how we influence for impact and promote the profession. It also showcases the services we offer to support practice excellence, keep members up to date, and as a career companion. All new members will receive a copy in the post. A simple summary of our member offer is also available.
 
LGBT+ History Month events
In February our LGBT+ Lawyers Division committee is looking to support as many regional events as possible. If your firm or organisation is arranging something for History Month and would like a committee member or Diversity & Inclusion team member to attend or be on a panel, please contact the team.
 
LGBT+ Lawyers Division essay competition
The LGBT+ Lawyers Division has launched its inaugural essay competition, with a first prize of £750. Closing date is 28 February 2019 and the title is ‘What remaining legal barriers exist for the LGBT+ community in terms of equality, including any issues with the application of the current law?' More information can be found here.
 
Changing career direction - options for flexible working
This event will be hosted by Adaptive, the flexible resourcing model from Simmons & Simmons. Adaptive was created to respond to the shifting legal landscape of Law, by providing clients with technically excellent first-rate lawyers, who are available to work on defined contract assignments and projects. The model is designed to strengthen client relationships by providing a commercial solution that meets both the needs of our clients and the firm. This event has been designed in partnership with Adaptive and the Law Society, specifically for those who are interested in finding out more about how they can adopt a flexible working pattern and the benefits of doing so. As the legal marketplace evolves, clients are also actively seeking flexible resourcing solutions to meet the changing demands. The flexibility of working through a model like Adaptive, lets you keep control over when and how you work: you can choose your assignments in terms of work content and the defined periods you choose to undertake them.

JLD forum: Helping you to secure a training position
The Junior Lawyers Division is holding a free one-day skills event in partnership with the Merseyside JLD to assist LPC students and graduates with their search for a training position.
  
Supporting practice excellence
Some of our upcoming events are:
LawWorks Carol concert
The LawWorks Carol concert, held jointly with Advocate, is on 18th December at Temple Church. There will be readings by Stephen Mangan, Lady Hale and Gyles Brandreth and performances by Rob Burton, winner of the woodwind category final of BBC Young Musician 2018 and the Collegium Musicum of London Chamber Choir. There is also an incredibly good raffle. Please do spread the word! Further details can be found here. 
 
Online training: GDPR for Managers: An Introduction
In this course training is given on key aspects of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) data protection regime and first steps for compliance. 
 
Podcast: Facial recognition technology - Who is watching us?
In this podcast, Olivier Roth speaks to Big Brother Watch’s Griff Ferris about Facial Recognition Technology. Facial recognition has long been feared as a feature of a future authoritarian society, with its potential to turn CCTV cameras into identity checkpoints, creating a world where citizens are intensively watched and tracked. However, facial recognition is now a reality in the UK – despite the lack of any legal basis or parliamentary scrutiny, and despite the significant concerns raised by rights and race equality groups.
 
 
As always, please feel free to share this update with your members unless otherwise specified.
 
Kind regards,
 
Christina
 
Christina Blacklaws
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL
twitter: @lawsocpresident
www.lawsociety.org.uk
​

As the professional body for solicitors, every week the Law Society is working hard to influence the legal and regulatory environment on behalf of our profession and to promote solicitors at home and abroad. We support practice excellence, are an informed source of legal sector news and support members at every stage of their career.
 
Our annual thank you e-mail to our members is going out from this week. As part of our work to target our communications, members with less than five years PQE, private client, property, large firm and in house members will receive tailored messages about our member offer.
 
Here are some highlights from our busy work this week, which included our final Council meeting of 2018.
 
Influencing on behalf of the profession and promoting the profession
The Law Society’s media profile this week:
Brexit is seen as an opportunity to supplant London as the world’s dispute resolution centre and a no deal Brexit would “inject a huge dollop of uncertainty in the system”, says Law Society vice president and Clifford Chance litigation partner Simon Davis. Report in Monday’s CityAM, page 9.
 
New SRA rules around price publication by solicitors for selected areas of law came into force this week. The move was foreshadowed in a report in Saturday’s Telegraph Money, p.2, which quoted me saying: “Price is, of course, important, but so are the range and quality of services and the client protections offered by the providers.” Further coverage in the Gazette, Legal Futures & Telegraph (£)
 
This week’s Gazette carried a piece from me on equality in the legal sector. I wrote: “As the centenary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act approaches in 2019, there remains a long way to go to achieve gender equality in the legal sector.” I’m also quoted in Today’s Wills & Probate talking about diversity. “We have worked with the profession to develop a common set of standards that provide the level of transparency expected by firms’ clients, people and the public.” To give firms a useful benchmark and enable an evidence-based action plan to tackle inequalities, the Law Society supports the addition of partner pay along with employee pay data in gender pay gap reporting.
 
The Radio Times (p154) reports on the proposed hike in probate fees. The article cites our position “The Law Society, which represents solicitors, has criticised the fees, saying: “The cost to courts for providing a grant of probate does not change whether the size of the estate is £10,000 or £1 million.””
 
The Civil Justice Council (CJC) has stopped short of recommending a ’presumption’ that parties will agree to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as a condition for issuing proceedings - but said it is committed to promoting alternatives to litigation. The Law Society warned that imposing a requirement of mandatory ADR would ‘frustrate the principle’ that litigants should have unimpeded access to the courts. Report in the Gazette.
 
The Law Society is revamping its quality mark for residential conveyancing – CQS - which will include site visits by an independent assessor. Report in the Gazette which also carried an article by head of accreditations Rachel Hawkins. Legal Futures also covered the story.
 
The Gazette reported on my appearance on a panel at the international forum on online courts organised by the Society for Computers and Law and HM Courts and Tribunals Service. I’m quoted saying: “When it comes to regulating AI, we need a principle-led approach. We need flexibility, but we also need a framework of standards, building in ethics by design and protecting fundamental freedoms.”
 
Don’t forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.
 
Consultation responses and parliamentary activity, influencing on behalf of the profession:
Parliamentary
On Monday, the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill was considered by the House of Lords at report stage. The Law Society was positively referenced five times, and excerpts from our parliamentary briefing were quoted by Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Baroness Hamwee. The Lords also agreed to an amendment the Law Society supported, removing a power for officials to listen in to confidential legal advice.
 
The Courts and Tribunals Bill passed its committee stage in the House of Commons this week. It will now progress to report stage.
 
Carey Street
On Wednesday I hosted a dinner discussion around access to justice and the LASPO post implementation review at the Carey Street. Attendees included senior representative from HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Ministry of Justice.
 
Women in Leadership in Law
The lord chancellor attended a male champions roundtable at Chancery Lane on Monday as part of our women in leadership in the law programme.
 
LawWorks pro bono awards
I was pleased to have the opportunity to welcome the 250 plus guests to the awards also on Monday.
 
Civil Justice Council
I attended Friday’s gathering where I chaired a breakout session on technology and was part of a panel discussing what the National Pro Bono Centre could/should look like in 2020.
 
Diversity and Inclusion Celebration
I spoke at our annual diversity and inclusion celebration where I thanked colleagues from our Women Lawyers, Ethnic Minority Lawyers, Lawyers with Disabilities and LGBT+ Lawyers Divisions for their work supporting under-represented groups in the profession and our Social Mobility Ambassadors who help demonstrate that the profession is open to the best people, regardless of their background or challenges.
 
Our influencing work internationally:
I attended the Paris Bar Opening of the Legal Year last weekend within the context of Brexit, discontent on the streets in Paris and elections to the Paris Bar council and who will be the Bâtonnier in 2020-2021. Our relations with the Paris Bar under the leadership of Marie-Aimée Peyron are strong but Brexit creates a moment of uncertainty for the position of UK solicitors in France and the 50-odd UK and American law firms, many operating as branches of UK LLPs. The French bar authorities will soon let the French government know whether they think it should legislate to ensure LLPs can continue operating in Paris or would need to restructure. Paris is also making a bid to attract legal business to the new International Chamber of the Court of Appeal which will be able to hear cases in the English language and on English law. We are monitoring developments there and elsewhere in Europe very closely.
 
On 5 December, the Brussels Office as well as Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and FLINN held an event on ‘Implementing Brexit – A Rule of Law Perspective’. The event took place at the European Parliament and was co-hosted by Molly Scott Cato, Alyn Smith, Catherine Bearder, Sajjad Karim and Clare Moody, UK MEPs.  Around 70 people attended the event.
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career
We've now published ‘Your professional body – the value of your membership’ aligned to the member offer. It clearly shows how we influence for impact and promote the profession. It also showcases the services we offer to support practice excellence, keep members up to date, and as a career companion. All new members will receive a copy in the post. A simple summary of our member offer is also available.
 
LGBT+ History Month events
In February our LGBT+ Lawyers Division committee is looking to support as many regional events as possible. If your firm or organisation is arranging something for History Month and would like a committee member or Diversity & Inclusion team member to attend or be on a panel, please contact the team.
 
LGBT+ Lawyers Division essay competition
The LGBT+ Lawyers Division has launched its inaugural essay competition, with a first prize of £750. Closing date is 28 February 2019 and the title is ‘What remaining legal barriers exist for the LGBT+ community in terms of equality, including any issues with the application of the current law?' More information can be found here.
 
Advocacy and the Vulnerable Training, 28 January 2019, Liverpool - Afternoon session
The Advocacy and the Vulnerable Training was developed in conjunction with the Bar to help solicitor advocates and barristers strike the balance between advancing their client’s case effectively in court whilst ensuring vulnerable witnesses are not subjected to undue stress.
 
Mitigating risk for in-house lawyers, 31 January 2019 – Leeds
The role and approach of legal departments in identifying and managing risk is changing. With an increasing focus on the value proposition of the legal team within organisations, legal departments are having to be more strategic risk managers, gauging risk appetite to balance managing risk with creating value.
 
LawWorks Carol concert
The LawWorks Carol concert, held jointly with Advocate, is on 18th December at Temple Church. There will be readings by Stephen Mangan, Lady Hale and Gyles Brandreth and performances by Rob Burton, winner of the woodwind category final of BBC Young Musician 2018 and the Collegium Musicum of London Chamber Choir. There is also an incredibly good raffle. Please do spread the word! Further details can be found here. 
 
Supporting practice excellence
Some of our upcoming events are:
 
Webinar: Price and Service Transparency: How you can comply
On 6 December 2018 the new SRA Transparency Rules came into force (see Media above). The new rules will require firms to publish certain price, service and regulatory information. In response to this, we developed a practice note to provide firms with key points to consider when implementing the new minimum requirements. Presented by the lead policy advisor for transparency, this webinar will walk you through the practice note.
 
Data protection in transition: GDPR and DPA compliance for law firms
A year on from the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), the emerging data protection regime is established but not yet mature. This conference is designed to help law firms identify the right data protection strategies to navigate this difficult transitional period.
 
As always, please feel free to share this update with your constituents unless otherwise specified.
 
Kind regards,
 
Christina
 
Christina Blacklaws
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL
twitter: @lawsocpresident
www.lawsociety.org.uk
​

As the professional body for solicitors, every week the Law Society is working hard to influence the legal and regulatory environment on behalf of our profession and to promote solicitors at home and abroad. We support practice excellence, are an informed source of legal sector news and support members at every stage of their career.
 
Here are some highlights from our work this week.
 
Influencing on behalf of the profession and promoting the profession
The Law Society’s media profile this week:
A "chronic" lack of new duty solicitors may lead to innocent people being found guilty, Law Society head of justice Richard Miller has warned. He described the legal system as "creaking at the seams". Full coverage from the BBC including on BBC Wales Radio and BBC 1 Wales. You can listen to the radio discussion here from 49:00.
 
At the same time the Gazette covered the findings of the UN’s special rapporteur on extreme rights and human poverty who has criticised the government’s legal aid cuts for “depriving poor and disabled people of their human rights to remedy”. And ITV covered a “surge in the number of duty solicitors withdrawing from the rota in Scotland.
 
Gazette journalist Mondipa Fouzder writes an extended article on criminal law. She quotes Sir Brian Leveson, president of the Queen's Bench Division and head of criminal justice, who told defence solicitors they will “rarely be applauded” by a public “who don't always understand that it’s not about getting the guilty off … but that you are an essential check and balance within a large uncompromising machine”.
Junior lawyers have said they will be keeping a close eye on the training and education that prospective solicitors receive over the next year and beyond as proposed overhauls to the qualification process begin to take shape. In the past few weeks - after months of uncertainty - the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) finally estimated that the SQE could cost students up to £4,500. The start date for the exam has been delayed by 12 months following feedback from education providers and law firms which indicated a ‘strong preference’ for a 2021 launch as opposed to 2020. Report in the Gazette and in Legal Cheek.
Law enforcement authorities are seeking out 'enablers' of money laundering for prosecution, security and economic crime minister Ben Wallace MP told the Law Society’s Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crime Conference 2018 warning that 'not just the major criminals' will be targeted.  He was speaking publicly for the first time since revealing a new crackdown on estate agencies, private schools and other organisations suspected of handling dirty money adding up to £90bn a year. Full report in the Gazette.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has downgraded the pilot project to extend court working hours, to the relief of the Law Society. The extended operating hours pilots were originally due to start in May 2017, with HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) proposing to roll them out over six months at six different courts across the country. The Law Society and other key stakeholders raised serious concerns over fundamental issues in execution, resource and methodology which caused previous plans to extend court hours to be suspended last September. I commented that “HMCTS’ willingness to listen to the Law Society and address our members’ and other stakeholders’ concerns about trialling extended hours is encouraging”. Details in LawCareers.Net
Don’t forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.
 
Consultation responses and parliamentary activity, influencing on behalf of the profession:
Justice
Head of justice Richard Miller, attended the Judicial Diversity Forum with me, at which a memorandum of understanding was signed setting out the commitment of various stakeholders to the pre-application judicial education project. This is a scheme designed to help those seeking to apply for judicial office to put together high quality applications, particularly those from under-represented backgrounds. On Friday, Richard attended a workshop at Oxford University, hosted by Professors Abigail Adams and Jeremias Prassl along with Natalie Byrom from the Legal Education Foundation, looking at evaluating the HMCTS reform programme.
 
AML
We hosted our annual AML conference on 21st November, bringing together policy makers, law enforcement, regulators and industry experts to look at the latest policy and regulatory developments, changes ahead and other hot topics in anti-money laundering and financial crime. Our speakers brought delegates up-to-speed on the latest in AML policy, case law and money laundering typologies, while practical workshops tackled topical compliance challenges. 
 
Parliamentary
On Monday, I spoke at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Blockchain.
 
A Westminster Hall debate took place on Wednesday to discuss the effect of Brexit on legal services. The debate was called to discuss the recent report on the same topic by the APPG on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, which we provide the secretariat for. During the debate, the Law Society received repeated favourable mentions.
 
Speeches
I spoke at a committee meeting of the City of London Law Society on Wednesday. I also spoke at the UK Diversity Legal Awards and presented a number of awards.
I spoke at the Bristol Law Society’s Artificial Intelligence conference on AI and ethics on Saturday.
The deputy vice president, David Greene, spoke at our event to celebrate Diwali on Thursday.
 
Meetings
On Wednesday, I met with the lord chancellor and justice minister, Lucy Frazer QC, to discuss the Advocate Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS).
On Thursday I hosted a Future of Law lecture with Julia Salasky, CEO and founder of CrowdJustice who spoke about facilitating justice through technology.
On Friday, I visited the University of West England’s Law Faculty to discuss technology and diversity.
 
Women in Leadership in the Law
I travelled to Truro, Cornwall to host a women in leadership in law roundtable for around 24 attendees. The vice president, Simon Davis, led another men’s roundtable on Monday with 15 attendees from: Bird & Bird, Bristows, Clifford Chance, Farrer & Co., John Lewis, K&L Gates, Lewis Silkin, Lucy Group, Moore Blatch, Pinsent Masons, RPC, Taylor Wessing and TSB.
 
Our influencing work internationally:
On 19 November, the Brussels Office organised a dinner hosted by myself, Sir Graham Watson and Katharina Miller, president of the European Women Lawyers Association attended by a number of prominent women to discuss issues concerning women in the law.
 
On 20 November, EWLA and Brussels office hosted an event which I spoke at and chaired on: Indirect discrimination in access to justice. Around 40 people attended from the legal, policy and academic communities.
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career
We've now published ‘Your professional body – the value of your membership’ aligned to the member offer. It clearly shows how we influence for impact and promote the profession. It also showcases the services we offer to support practice excellence, keep members up to date, and as a career companion. All new members will receive a copy in the post. A simple summary of our member offer is also available.
 
Get involved in the 2019 Solicitor Brand Campaign - we need your help!We’ll be promoting the solicitor profession throughout 2019 to consumers, businesses and managers, raising its profile and endorsing the use of solicitors above other sources of legal advice. Our campaign will develop understanding of the vital role solicitors play and drive more people to the Law Society public pages (to help consumers understand their legal needs) and our Find a Solicitor website (which helps you attract new clients).
Over the last two years our campaign has featured real solicitors. We also want the 2019 campaign to feature contented clients who have positive things to say about their experience of using a solicitor.
We’ll also feature solicitors in some of the photography and in video case studies. The content we create will promote the solicitor profession overall, so won’t include individual solicitor details. However, we can create alternative versions for members who get involved so you can use them in your own marketing materials. Read on, or see Monday’s Gazette if you’re interested in being involved.
 
LGBT History Month - Speed networking
To mark the start of LGBT History Month, our LGBT+ Lawyers Division is hosting a speed networking event. As well as receiving tips on networking, there will be the opportunity to put these into practice in both formal and informal sessions.
 
Supporting practice excellence
2019 will be 100 years since the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act was passed, which finally paved the way for women to practise law – an important milestone in the slow progress towards the rights of women to fulfil their potential and gain ownership over their lives and futures. The March4Women in London, supported by the Law Society will mark this occasion next March and is seeking sponsors. Please do assist if you can.
 
Webinar: Blockchain for Lawyers
Blockchain is a form of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) that has been widely hailed as “game-changing” technology, with a World Economic Forum survey suggesting that 10% of global GDP will be stored on blockchain by 2027. Blockchains can present both a threat and an opportunity for lawyers and law firms. As the technologies become more widely used (or perhaps for these technologies to become more widely used by end clients) lawyers, legislators, regulators and courts will have to address the legal frameworks around them.  However, they also offer an ability to innovate the way in which legal services themselves are provided. This webinar will provide participants with the practical steps to overcome this uncertainty through clarification of the fundamental characteristics of distributed ledgers, including blockchain, and how a lawyer might go about using blockchain to provide legal services.
 
 
Some of our upcoming events are:
Compliance support forum for in-house lawyers, London
This forum provides an update on the in-house lawyer’s current compliance position with discussions about common conduct and practising conundrums and suggestions for an appropriate and proportionate response. It also includes a review of changes of significance which have been proposed in the SRA’s ‘Looking to the future’ consultation.
 
Private Client Section: Case law seminar - Constructive methods to successfully navigate the CoP and beyond
These regional seminars are designed to keep you on top of both the soft skills and the case law required to support your elderly and vulnerable clients from a practical care angle, while simultaneously supporting your SRA continuing competency needs and developing your career.
 
As always, please feel free to share this update with your members unless otherwise specified.
 
Kind regards,
 
Christina
 
Christina Blacklaws
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL
twitter: @lawsocpresident
www.lawsociety.org.uk
​