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
​

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 last week.
 
Influencing on behalf of the profession and promoting the profession
The Law Society’s media profile this week:
 
The Law Society’s ‘no-deal’ Brexit papers giving advice on potential rule changes affecting business disputes, data and family law were covered in the Gazette, New Law Journal, Family Law Week & Australasian Lawyer.
 
Wills and equity committee chair Ian Bond was on BBC Moneybox talking about the government’s decision to introduce banded probate fees, despite intense opposition the last time they tried. You can listen here. The story begins at 10:34. There were also reports in the Times (£) plus more coverage of probate fee hikes in the Guardian.
 
Victims forced to sign gagging clauses could be given a voice as Parliament launches a new inquiry into the use of non-disclosure agreements following the scandal surrounding Sir Philip Green. Max Winthrop, chair of the Law Society’s Employment Law Committee, said: “The evidence that you give to a select committee is covered by Parliamentary privilege in the same way that the floor of the House of Commons is covered.” Report in the Telegraph (£). More coverage of the inquiry in the Gazette.
 
Urgent changes in the law are needed to provide certainty to workers and employees, the Law Society has said, following another ruling on ‘self-employed contractors’ involving taxi firm Addison Lee. I said: “The law has not kept pace with changes in how people are employed and the rapid growth of the gig economy.” Report in the Gazette plus more coverage in the Telegraph (£) & 130 regional newspapers including: Basildon Recorder, Westmorland Gazette, Essex County Standard, Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, Craven Herald, Dorset Echo, Campaign Series, Bromsgrove Advertiser, Evesham Journal, Dudley News, South Wales Argus, Northwich Guardian, This Is Wiltshire, Warrington Guardian, This Is Hampshire, The Northern Echo, Bolton News, Wiltshire Business online & Yeovil Express
 
The FT (£) did a major report on blockchain technology. The data stored on blockchain cannot be changed and some believe this could lead to fewer legal disputes. However, I warned there could still be litigation. “It may lead to fewer disputes or to different types of disputes – perhaps ones about expectations of a contract rather than the execution of a contract.”
 
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:
Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam
The SRA announced the implementation date for SQE has been delayed to September 2021 and released information indicating costs will be between £3,000 and £4,500.  At the Westminster Policy Forum, the SRA also discussed possible total training costs of £7,500-£10,500 – a projection based on QLTS costs and private providers, although other models will be available. 
 
Legal Ombudsman
We met with the Legal Ombudsman Service and a Danish delegation to discuss the representative body and regulatory systems for complaints management. 
 
SRA Handbook review
The Legal Services Board has granted the SRA’s Handbook application in full.  Our press release outlines our concerns about the decisions. See Media above for coverage.  We are working to create Practice Notes and other guidance for the profession in preparation for supporting members in complying with the new rules. 
 
AGFS
We held a follow up meeting with the Criminal Bar Association discussing future reform. 
 
Courts modernisation
HMCTS has confirmed it will provide a stakeholder engagement plan by November. 
 
Technology and Law Policy Commission Evidence Session - algorithms in the justice system
The Law Society’s Technology and Law Policy Commission held its second evidence session on Monday.
 
The commission, which I lead along with co-commissioners Sofia Olhede (UCL), Sylvie Delacroix (University of Birmingham) and guest commissioner William Blair, 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 included Marion Oswald, Adrian Weller, Lord Tim Clement-Jones and Karen Yeung. 
 
Probate fees
The Ministry of Justice announced a revised probate fee increase on 5th November.  The announcement was unexpected as the fee increase was not mentioned in the Budget the previous week. We will continue to engage with government over this change.
 
Law Commission consultation on the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SARs) regime
We responded to the Law Commission’s consultation asking how the UK’s SARs regime could be improved. Our response said that many of the proposals would only tinker around the edges of the problems with the regime. We recommended the introduction of a reasonable excuse defense for failure to report specific offences on a ‘de-scoped list’ of offences, supported by statutory guidance on reasonable excuses.
 
AML leaflets
We published leaflets on AML checks and responsibilities for firms to download.
 
Social Housing
We responded to a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consultation on making sure that social housing provides safe and secure homes.
 
Brexit
On Wednesday evening, the European Commission published the full draft legal text of the Withdrawal Agreement which had been approved by Cabinet on Wednesday night. A summary of the draft legal text for lawyers will be available shortly. The UK Government also published the political declaration on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
 
Women in Leadership in Law
The first three men’s roundtables took place this week with senior male leaders from inhouse and private practice. There were 25 attendees and the events were hosted by Simon Davis and Stephen Denyer. Firms included: Prudential, Irwin Mitchell, Lewis Silkin, Debevoise, Freeths, Mayer Brown, Goodman Derrick, Cooley, Ashurst, Shearman & Sterling, Standard Chartered Bank, NatWest, Nestle, Charles Russell Speechlys, Dentons, Legal Aid Agency, Wikborg Rein, Gibson Dunn, Macfarlanes.
 
Write to the Lord Chancellor on the Early Advice Campaign
The government is currently preparing its response as part of its review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 and we are actively pushing our online campaign tool which allows you to tell the lord chancellor why he needs to bring back legal aid for early advice. It only takes 2 minutes to join in: https://lawsociety.e-activist.com/page/26570/action/1
 
Speeches
On Thursday, I spoke on a panel at an International Bar Association event on building the law firm of the future.
 
Our influencing work internationally:
This week, I was delighted to open the fifth Russian Law Week conference in London. The conference was organised by the Law Society’s international team and the Bar Council to promote legal links, best practices and opportunities between legal practitioners from the UK and Russia. As part of the conference. Simon Davis participated in a panel discussion on ‘Law firms in Russia: Innovations, challenges and opportunities for Russian and international law firms’.
 
On Monday, EU Policy Adviser Rita Giannini chaired an ERA (Academy of European Law) event on: Post-Brexit Cooperation in Criminal Justice. On Tuesday, she also delivered the closing speech in the ERA conference on Criminal Justice, on the topic “Achieving a close and functional security deal between the EU and the UK – avoiding the ‘cliff-edge’ solution”.
 
On Wednesday and Thursday, Stephen Denyer and Helena Raulus met with partners at Bird & Bird, Freshfields, Norton Rose and Eversheds based in Brussels.
 
Helena Raulus also spoke at the EPC Brexit Forum on the implications of a no deal Brexit.
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career
This week I signed a new Memorandum of Understanding. The Law Society is working with the JAC D&I working group to deliver a positive action initiative to support more lawyers from under represented groups who have aspirations of becoming judges. The initiative, Pre application judicial education (PAJE) is due to launch early next year.  
 
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 if you’re interested in being involved.
 
Some of our upcoming events are:
London Law Fair 2018: Promoting access to a diverse legal profession - Morning session, 28 November
The London Law Fair is the only national recruitment event specifically designed to encourage a more diverse range of entrants into the legal sector.
 
Judicial appointments: interview training for solicitors, 23 November
In view of increasing competition for judicial appointments, this course will equip delegates with the skills to help enhance your application and interview performance. This training course has been developed specifically for solicitor applicants.
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.
 
Competition Section seminar: update on recent pharmaceutical competition cases, 4 December
Insights into the latest on patent settlement agreements following the reference from the Tribunal to the Court of Justice in the paroxetine case (GSK and others); and the Tribunal's judgment on the CMA's first ever stand-alone unfair pricing decision in the pharmaceutical sector (Pfizer/ Flynn - phenytoin).

Advocacy and the Vulnerable Training, 6 December 2018
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. We anticipate that the Ministry of Justice will make this training compulsory for all publicly-funded advocates before they can act in serious sexual offences cases.  
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.
 
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:
 
New rules which clearly limit the influence the Law Society can have on the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and the Bar Council on the Bar Standards Board (BSB), have been published. Full report in Legal Futures
 
At Toynbee Hall Legal Advice Centre in Tower Hamlets, an experiment is taking place. It is the result of collaboration between a number of people from many corners of the legal profession and represents a prime example of how commercial law can play a part in access to justice beyond offering simple pro bono advice. And it’s the brainchild, at least partially, of the mental health and human rights lawyer and former Law Society president Lucy Scott-Moncrieff. Feature in The Lawyer (£).
 
The latest MoJ data shows that 297 cases reached crown courts in Devon and Cornwall, between April and June, down from 440 over the same period in 2014. Crown courts deal with the most serious crimes, such as murder, robbery and sexual offences. Magistrates’ courts can only hand out a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment, so crimes which require longer jail terms go to trial at crown court. Ian Kelcey, co-chair of the Law Society’s criminal law committee, said: "The problem is that police forces do not have the manpower to put together the information the CPS wants and I suspect a lot of cases have just not been pursued because it is too much trouble for them.” Report in the Crediton Courier
 
The Law Society is calling on its members to provide feedback for a consultation exercise that could make life easier for leaseholds. The Law Commission is seeking views on provisional proposals for a new, single enfranchisement regime designed to benefit leaseholders of both houses and flats. “The closing date for responses is January 7, 2019.” Full report in Yorkshire Post, p.4
 
The Legal Services Board approved SRA plans to liberalise the market, after 90 days of deliberation. In effect, solicitors can now offer paid-for legal services through any business, outside the remit of SRA regulation. I branded the LSB's decision 'a serious error' adding: “The regulators have sacrificed the best interests of the public they exist to protect. This ill-conceived scheme creates an overly complex marketplace for legal services, jeopardising the public interest and the rule of law under the guise of driving access to justice. Yet there is no evidence deregulation will achieve this. On the contrary, the most vulnerable are the most likely to fall foul of a less-shackled marketplace for legal services.” Coverage in the Gazette, Legal Futures & Times (£). Further reaction in Legal Futures, New Law Journal, Legal Business & Today’s Conveyancer.
 
The Law Society is recommending that all law firms, including those with fewer than 250 employees, should publish their gender pay gap statistics in the current reporting period. I said: “Law firms can get ahead of the curve by assessing and tackling the range of pay gaps that may exist in their organisation. Inequalities can be compounded by the intersection of protected characteristics like gender and ethnicity, so identifying these dynamics will help firms to create far more effective, sustainable equality action plans.” Reports in the Gazette, Legal Business, Legal Week & Legal Cheek.
 
The lack of diversity within senior law firm roles is contributing to fewer women applying to become a judge, the lord chancellor has warned. The government is also working with the Law Society, which will host a roundtable for senior partners and law firms ‘to explore what support is needed to encourage more solicitors to apply for judicial office’. He also paid tribute to the emphasis I’ve placed on this issue during my presidency saying: “Where [Christina Blacklaws] is making women in leadership in law a key theme of her tenure. That drive for change should inspire others to follow suit”. Coverage in the Gazette, Times (£) & Legal Futures.
 
Deputy vice president David Greene appeared on Ian King Live on Sky News on Wednesday to discuss the impact of Brexit on both the legal sector and people’s lives. A short part of his appearance is available here.
 
The proposed new ‘super-exam’ for aspiring solicitors will cost between £3,000 and £4,500, according to tentative predictions from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), as it finally revealed more details about the proposed overhaul to qualification. Adele Edwin-Lamerton, chair of the JLD, told the Gazette it has concerns about the exam’s affordability. Report in the Gazette. Meanwhile Legal Futures reports two academics have said the SQE will increase inequality in the profession.
 
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:
 
AGFS
We have met with the Ministry of Justice to discuss our response to the AGFS consultation. 
 
Justice
Justice Week launched on 29 October and ran until 2 November. This was a new initiative – a week of events organised by the Law Society, Bar Council & CILEX, to boost the profile of justice and the rule of law. More information on the week is available here. The week also included a photography exhibition in the main foyer at Chancery Lane – ‘Justice in Focus’ – highlighting the importance of access to the justice system for those with difficult legal issues and celebrates the tenacity and resilience of people in times of crisis and the lawyers and advisors who help them. More information and examples of some of the photos in the exhibition are available here. We hosted an ethics event during Justice Week consisting of a panel discussion on the ethical obligations of lawyers during major incidents. 
 
Government economic crime strategy
We participated in a high-level discussion between the private sector (accountancy, banking, estate agents, legal sector) and Home Office and  HM Treasury officials to discuss the launch of the National Economic Crime Centre and the development of the government’s economic crime strategy. The emphasis was on improved collaboration with the private sector.
 
Seminar on appeals to the Court of Appeal Criminal Division
We hosted a well-attended and well-received seminar for criminal law practitioners on new procedures for submitting appeals to the CACD.
 
Court professional access scheme
We had an update from HMCTS officials about the professional access pilot. As at the end of October, 787 lawyers were signed up to the pilot, the overwhelming majority of whom were barristers; there had been 2500 court ‘entries’ since 5 September, with 1600 of those at Southwark, because of a large-scale fraud trial there. The pilot is being extended to five other courts from November, but those courts will only accept electronic ID: no paper applications will be accepted.
 
Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill
We participated in a roundtable to discuss the Bill at the Department of Health.
 
SARs roundtable
We participated in a roundtable to discuss the SARs regime hosted by Linklaters.
 
Parliamentary
On Monday I gave oral evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence.  The session was chaired by Conservative MP Stephen Metcalfe and focused on the next practical steps for ensuring that the UK “remains one of the world’s leading AI proponents.”  I spoke about the ethical implications of AI, and gave an update on the Law Society’s work on technology more generally – including our Technology and Law Policy Commission and the LawTech Delivery Panel.
 
Lord Chancellor David Gauke gave his first speech on diversity in the legal profession at the Spark 21 conference. The lord chancellor specifically praised our ‘Women in Leadership in Law: Toolkit’ as an example of leadership on diversity issues and our work on women in leadership more generally (see Media above). He encouraged people within the profession to contact us for a copy. He also thanked us for our support on judicial diversity, including agreeing to chair and host a joint roundtable for senior partners and law firms to explore what support is needed to encourage more solicitors to apply for judicial office.
 
Campaigns
Our campaigns on early advice, the means test and criminal duty solicitors all received wide coverage in Parliament last week during a debate on legal aid. Conservative and Labour MPs called legal aid for early advice “essential” – including Justice Select Committee chair Bob Neill. The shadow justice minister Gloria de Piero backed our call for a review into the legal aid means test, and a number of MPs highlighted our criminal duty solicitors heat map and called for the government to take action. You can read the full debate here.
 
The government is preparing its response to feedback it received as part of its review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). We are encouraging people to write to the lord chancellor encouraging him to bring back legal aid for early advice. Please take two to minutes to write to him via our online portal.
 
Speeches
I took part in an in-conversation event at the Spark 21 Annual Conference on “levelling the playing field” on Wednesday.
 
Deputy vice president David Greene spoke at a University of Michigan event on securities regulation. He is also spoke at the Law Society’s commercial litigation conference.
 
Chair of the board Robert Bourns spoke at a Westminster Legal Policy Forum event on the impact of changes to the legal training structure.
 
Our influencing work internationally:
On Wednesday, the Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP) and the Brussels office organised a seminar on lobbying and ethics. The event addressed the question of the role of ethics and codes of conduct in the era of increased lobbying regulation. The event was opened by Helena Raulus, head of Brussels office and Wes Himes, SEAP President. Panellists included Vitor Teixeira, Transparency International; Mark Clough QC, Dentons; and Koen Roovers, European Ombudsman.
 
Yesterday, Helena spoke at the Coram Day Conference in London on potential implications of Brexit on Family Law and legal profession. Other speakers included: Withers Worldwide’s Suzanne Kingston; Mark Twomey QC; Kingsley Napley’s Kim Vowden; and Preiskel & Co’s David Allen Green.
 
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.
 
Regulation
We have published our Practice Note on Price and Service Transparency to support firms preparing for new SRA transparency rules. It is now available on our website
 
Justice
In a new podcast, former president Lucy Scott Moncrieff talks about the International Bar Association’s recently published guide to legal aid principles and how the UK is measuring up against them. You can listen to the podcast here. We have published a guide to what is in the scope of the legal aid to support pro bono clinics. The guide is available here. We have also launched our newly developed webpage which will keep members up to date on the HMCTS court reform programme including relevant events, information and guidance.
 
Some of our upcoming events are:
Careers: Preparing 2nd year trainee solicitors for qualification - Career planning tips for trainees approaching qualification, 22 November
This event will provide an opportunity for trainee solicitors, mulling their post-training contract options, to gain insight into the newly qualified (NQ) jobs markets from Husnara Begum, a career coach who specialises in offering guidance to final seat trainees who miss out on internal jobs. 
 
Judicial appointments: interview training for solicitors, 23 November
In view of increasing competition for judicial appointments, this course will equip delegates with the skills to help enhance your application and interview performance. This training course has been developed specifically for solicitor applicants.
2019 will be 100 years since the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act was passed, which paved the way for women to finally practice 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.
 
Supporting practice excellence
 
 
The Technology and Law Policy Commission evidence session, 12 November
Technology in the law is a major force of change. How technology is used in our justice system and its impacts on the Rule of Law and society is a question which is crucial to understand and explore. The Law Society of England and Wales, as part of its flagship programme, will be examining this issue through its Technology and Law Policy Commission and you are invited to participate.

Capital markets in the 21st century, 30 November
The 2018 edition of our popular capital markets event in conjunction with the American Bar Association will provide the latest updates and insight from leading authorities in the capital markets field. 
 
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