Dear All
 
Covid-19
In these fast moving times and in a hectic week, our staff and elected and appointed members have been working full tilt to represent the interests of the profession and get advice and support to our members as they deal with this unprecedented situation.

Influencing
We are making representations to UK government departments, regulators and agencies. This includes calls with the lord chancellor, the lord chief justice and the secretary of state for business, enterprise and industrial strategy which have taken place this week. We have done all we can to keep the wheels of justice turning, while at the same time addressing concerns on member safety, business continuity and the rule of law.

Some of our latest results include:

• HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has relaxed rules on bringing hand sanitiser in to court. Police guidance has been updated to reflect our concerns
• Welsh government has now included small-to-medium law firms within the criteria for its recently announced £100 million grant scheme for businesses
• Supported by HMCTS we have asked that our  practitioners be “key workers”  because it is we who are keeping the system of justice running. Guidance from the Lord Chancellor is expected imminently.
• A letter from the Attorney-General acknowledging the contribution of the profession and complimenting the Law Society on our leadership

You can see our latest influencing work here. These pages will be regularly updated.

Supporting members
Our work to support members  includes answering a wide range of their practical questions, from “How should firms operate if the MLRO or COLP has coronavirus?” to “Our firm is likely to be in financial distress in the next few weeks due to cash flow. What support is available?”
 
These have been updated on a daily basis as the flow of information from our members has been brought together, prioritised and responded to.
 
We also have a risk and compliance podcast as the start of a series for members.

You can see our latest advice and support here.

We will continue to work on our four priority areas: 

• member safety
• business continuity
• regulatory compliance
• rule of law

Weeks to come
This is just the beginning of our response. We are reaching out to specific groups of members to understand the issues they are facing and identify the short and long term advice and support we can give. I will keep you updated through my regular President’s Update and other available routes. Also please see Twitter,  the Gazette Daily Update and weekly Professional Update for the latest information we are sharing with our members

On to more practical arrangements:

Subscriptions
Redirecting your weekly Gazette Magazine
Many Gazette readers are working remotely as a result of the coronavirus.  If you would like your weeklyprint issue delivered to your home rather than your firm, please contact our subscriptions team (with your SRA number here): 
gazette-subscriptions@lawsociety.org.uk

Face to face events for members 
The Law Society takes the health and safety of our staff, members, clients and other visitors to our offices and events very seriously. In light of the increasing number of people affected by the virus and acknowledging the role we all have to play in limiting its impact, we have taken the decision to cancel all face to face events until the end of July 2020.   

We are extremely grateful for the amount of work and incredible investment staff and members put into organising Law Society events. To ensure this is not wasted we are currently reviewing online alternatives including podcasts, webinars and live events. Your event organiser will be in contact with you soon to discuss the options available.  

Anyone who has already registered and paid to attend an event will be contacted and provided with a full refund. Speakers and sponsors will also be contacted about alternative formats and ways to remain involved.  

We do not know if events will be impacted beyond July 2020 nor how long the current situation will last. We will continue to monitor the situation daily and will keep staff and members informed as more information comes to light.

The Law Society's Hall at 113 Chancery Lane and the Bar and Restaurant
This will be closed until further notice.

See you next week
If ideas about support for our members during these difficult times occur to you, please e-mail Robert.print@lawsociety.org.uk
 
Warm wishes and stay safe.

Simon
 
Simon Davis
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1P

​For your information, the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland put out a statement this afternoon on the running of the courts during the coronavirus pandemic.
 
In the statement, he refers to the steps that are being taken to enable as many hearings as possible to be conducted with some or all of the participants attending by telephone, video-link or online.
 
Subsequent to the statement, HMCTS has just published new guidance on how we will use telephone and video technology to support the justice system during the coronavirus outbreak.
 
The HMCTS coronavirus GOV.UK guidance page continues to be updated as regularly and quickly as possible and should remain the first port of call for court and tribunals information in regard to the pandemic please.

Last night The Lord Chief Justice announced that jury trials that last three days or less will continue to be listed in England and Wales, in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
 
All cases estimated to last longer than three days listed to start before the end of April 2020 will be adjourned. These cases will be kept under review and the position regarding short trials will be revisited as circumstances develop and in any event next week.
 
The LCJ also advised that as events unfold, decisions will be taken in respect of all cases awaiting trial in the Crown Court.
 
This HMCTS gov.uk coronavirus guidance page will be updated with more detail as soon as possible.
 
HMCTS' social media accounts are also carrying content about this and the outbreak more generally: @hmctsgovuk @judiciaryuk
 

Dear all,

In these difficult times, I am sending this brief update to all our members. I would like to draw your attention to our evolving resources on Coronavirus.

As your professional body, we are taking up issues raised by our members with regulators and government departments where we need further action or guidance from them.

We are also basing our own guidance on issues raised by our members.

Current issues in our Q&A include:

• What protection is there for solicitors working in police stations/prisons/courts?
• What government support is available for sick pay?
• What government support is available for cashflow?
• What should I do if I can’t meet my tax bill?
• Should I allow international travel?
• What is the impact on residential conveyancing transactions?

This is a rapidly evolving situation and we will be updating our web pages with relevant links to the latest health advice to protect you and your clients. We will also add more specific support and guidance as it is developed.

To stay up to date on the impact on the sector and our latest support, please subscribe to our Gazette Daily News Update,  follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our weekly Professional Update.

If you are planning to visit one of our offices or 113 Chancery Lane, please see the latest information. 

The Law Society takes the health and safety of our staff, members, clients and other visitors to our offices and events very seriously. In light of the increasing number of people affected by the virus and acknowledging the role we all have to play in limiting its impact, we have taken the decision to cancel all face to face events until the end of July 2020. 

We are extremely grateful for the amount of work and incredible investment members and staff put into organising Law Society events. To ensure this is not wasted we are currently reviewing online alternatives including podcasts, webinars and live events.   
 
Anyone who has already registered and paid to attend an event will be contacted and provided with a full refund. Speakers and sponsors will also be contacted about alternative formats and ways to remain involved.
 
We do not know if events will be impacted beyond July 2020 nor how long the current situation will last. We will continue to monitor the situation daily and will keep staff and members informed as more information comes to light. 

If you have any questions or issues to raise please contact us.

Simon Davis
President

Dear colleague,
​
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.

The Law Society’s media profile this week

The Guardian, Independent, Daily Mail, Gazette, Sun, BBC Radio 4 and 92 local publications reported on the government’s plans to increase criminal legal aid fees - the ‘accelerated items’ in the Criminal Legal Aid Review. I said: “The offer on the table from the government is woefully inadequate. It cannot hope to provide a solution.” Legal Action Group also quoted me. I argued “many defence lawyers are taking jobs with the CPS” due to the better pay and “that the very existence of criminal defence practitioners is under threat”.
 
Richard Atkinson, co-chair of the criminal law committee, meanwhile wrote two articles about the same subject – one for the Gazette in which he described the Ministry of Justice’s proposals as “crumbs from the table”. The other piece was in the Times (£). The Justice Gap also reported on the same subject.
 
 
Max Winthrop, chair of our employment rights committee, spoke to BBC Northampton (2:13:37), about entitlement to sick pay for employees self-isolating from coronavirus. Max also was on talkRadio (in the 11:00 to 11:30 slot from 10:00), again, on the effects of the coronavirus and also how employment tribunals work following coverage about Priti Patel.
 
The Gazette reported the ‘enhanced’ Domestic Abuse Bill has been introduced to parliament in a bid to end victims being cross examined by their alleged perpetrators in court. I said: “As the bill finally progresses through parliament, we urge the government to put the necessary funding into legal aid, support services, education and wider government policy - giving victims the access to justice they so deserve.”
 
The Gazette featured a look at Gwyneth Bebb, pioneer campaigner for women to be admitted as solicitor, 106 years after the courts told her she was not a ‘person’.
 
The Times (£) diary previewed the #facethefuture campaign – launched by the Law Society and government legal department to celebrate achievements of women in the legal profession.
 
Speaking to the Gazette about the Ministry of Justice’s plans to increase the small claims limit from £1,000 to £2,000 for employers’ liability and public liability claims, our head of justice Richard Miller pointed out that an increase in the limit would mean clients having to fund their medical reports.
 
The Gazette covered the Consumer and Markets Authority concerns about the leasehold housing market. I said: “We want the leasehold system to operate fairly for leaseholders and for it not to cause delays in the home buying and selling process.” Also reported by Inside Conveyancing News.
 
The Western Daily Press carried a report on making a will and references the Law Society's Find A Solicitor service, which can help you find a solicitor near to you. The article is by Matthew Cotton, a solicitor at Humfrys & Symonds.

In an agony aunt column, the Guardian and Yahoo! spoke to Penny Scott, the chair of our family law committee, about DNA testing and why it is illegal to send someone’s DNA to be tested without their permission.

Legal Cheek reported our recommended minimum salary for trainees has increased to £22,121 in London and £19,619 in the rest of the UK. I’m quoted: “I encourage all law firms to adopt this recommendation, pay their trainees a fair minimum salary for their hard work and encourage greater social mobility.” Also in Roll on Friday.
 
Legal Cheek profiled Jonathan Andrews – who is on the Law Society’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee. Jonathan has received much recognition, including junior lawyer of the year in the 2019 Excellence Awards, for promoting the positive characteristics of autism that he believes can help in a legal career.
Do not forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.

Regulation

The future of legal services regulation

On Tuesday 25 February I spoke at the Westminster Legal Policy seminar on the future of legal services in England and Wales. The seminar discussed possible options to increase access to justice and improve consumer experience with the legal services market in the context of the recently published interim Mayson report on the Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation.
 
Other key speakers included Professor Mayson and representatives from regulators (CMA, LSB, SRA, Bar Standards Board, CILEx).

Public Law
 
Family
The Divorce Dissolution and Separation Bill had its Committee Stage in the House of Lords this week. The full transcript of the second reading in the Lords can be found in Hansard here. The Law Society provided a briefing which included suggestions for amendments to key members of the Lords late last week. The report stage of the Bill is scheduled for 17 March.
The Domestic Abuse Bill has its first reading in the House of Commons this week too. We will prepare a parliamentary briefing which we will then circulate to members of the Commons once the date for the second reading has been announced.
 
Justice
 
We held a very successful event for advocates and current and aspiring solicitor judges, with two inspiring and informative speeches and a well-received opportunity for networking.
Richard Miller spoke at an event in Parliament organised by USDAW, which is trying to persuade ministers to exclude employer’s liability and public liability cases from the forthcoming increase in the small claims limit. The Association of British Insurers confirmed that this is not a priority for them. We raised concerns about the access to justice implications of the small claims limit increase, with particular emphasis on the difficulties in obtaining and interpreting medical reports.
 
Speaking Engagements
 
Our CEO Paul Tennant spoke at a lunch for managing partners of Cambridge firms on Tuesday 3 March.
I spoke at GOOD Guys programme panel discussion on gender equality in the solicitor profession in London on Wednesday 4 March. Our deputy vice president (DVP), I. Stephanie Boyce, spoke at another GOOD Guys panel event in Birmingham on Thursday 5 March.
The DVP also took part in a panel as part of a 100 years women in law event at DLA Piper.

Parliamentary

Paul Tennant attended a reception in the House of Lords on Thursday 5 March, on the topic “Good homes for ageing well.”
 
We need your help for the Solicitor Brand Campaign 2020
 
Building upon the success of last year’s campaign, the Law Society Solicitor Brand Campaign 2020 will promote the value of solicitors to members of the public and business owners and decision makers right across England and Wales.
 
This national advertising campaign will include broadcast, outdoor, online and press advertising, raising the profile of the profession and endorsing the use of solicitors above other sources of legal advice.
 
The campaign will feature emotive testimonials from satisfied solicitor clients across consumer and business areas of law, focusing on the solicitor brand values shown below to highlight the good work that solicitors do and the positive outcomes achieved:
 

• experts in your field
• honest and honourable
• client focused
• approachable and accessible
• value for money
• adding value to society

 
The campaign will be brought to life with real client images and testimonials but it’s important that the people featured in the advertising campaign are as representative as possible of society as a whole.
 
We need your help to put us in touch with legal firms you think might be interested in getting involved and who have a diverse client base across England and Wales, with customers from varying ethnic, social and economic backgrounds.
 
If you know of appropriate legal firms who engage with you locally and who might be interested in talking to their clients about being involved in the campaign, please email lawsociety@dtw.co.uk with your name, the region you represent, the name of the legal firm(s) you think would be appropriate and contact details for the relevant person to speak to at the firm.
 
For further information about the campaign please visit the solicitor brand campaign page or email lawsociety@dtw.co.uk and ask for a member of the team to give you a call to discuss the campaign in more detail.
 
Your help will be greatly appreciated!
 
Our International Work:
 
Seizing the India Opportunity Panel Discussion - 03 March 2020
 
The Law Society, in collaboration with ASA and Associates LLP, hosted a panel discussion on 'Seizing the India Opportunity' moderated by Stephen Denyer, our director of strategic relationships. The panel consisted of expert speakers including: Piusha Bose, counsel, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Rupa Lakha, partner, Charles Russell Speechlys LLP, Joywin Mathew, partner, DLA Piper Global Law Firm. 
 
Ajay Sethi, managing partner, ASA & Associates LLP provided a keynote address on the recent economic and political developments in India and their likely impact on the economy. He also discussed how businesses can best meet market challenges and avoid regulatory pitfalls in India. The panel shared their experience within the region and discussed the legal business opportunities and challenges, including recent trends and practical aspects for legal regulation and current/ new opportunities in the market. It was followed by Q&A with the audience. The feedback we received after the event was very positive mentioning particularly that it was a high quality, thought provoking and expertly chaired session. This will eventually help TLS forge new relationships and strengthening the existing ones in the region.

On Tuesday 3 March, Rita Giannini, EU policy adviser spoke at the ERA (Academy of European Law) conference on post-Brexit criminal justice cooperation.

Supporting members at every stage of their career

Judicial appointments: interview training for solicitors - Friday 20 March 2020  
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
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.

Unpausing the conversation on menopause - Tuesday 24 March, 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
Join us on Tuesday 24 March to challenge taboos and erase the stigma around the menopause. We will be joined by a line up of fantastic speakers who will be discussing the menopause from a medical perspective and how the legal landscape is changing in regards to discrimination. Book your place

Lexcel consultant training - Wednesday 25 March 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
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, Monday 6 April 2020, Liverpool - Afternoon session
Location: Liverpool Law Society, 2nd Floor, Helix, Edmund Street, Liverpool, L3 9NY
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.
 
Supporting practice excellence

Competition Section seminar: UK mergers update – Tuesday 10 March 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
This seminar will provide an overview of substantive and procedural developments in UK merger control in 2019-20 and a look ahead to the challenges ahead, providing insight into what’s at the forefront of the CMA’s thinking in what is likely to be a pivotal year in UK merger control.
 
Risk and Compliance annual conference 2020 – Friday 13 March 2020
Location: Etc Venues 155 Bishopsgate, Liverpool Street, London, EC2M 3YD
The conference focuses on mitigating risk in law practices and upcoming changes to the way risk practitioners will be working. For instance, new regulations to make their pricing more transparent to clients, changes to the SRA Handbook, maturing data protection laws, etc.

Cyber security update 2020 – Webinar 25 March 2020 inclusive to LMS

The challenges facing small legal practices – Webinar 27 March 2020 what you need to know - 20% discount to LMS and risk and compliance
 
Property Section Seminar: The 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive, Manchester -Thursday 16 April 2020
Location: CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, 1 The Avenue, Spinningfields, M3 3AP
Join one of three seminars to learn more about the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Our expert speaker, Alison Matthews, director of quality and risk at Shoosmiths, will guide you through what it means for firms, the SRA’s approach to money laundering and the challenges facing firms.
 
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

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

Campaigns Update
Sign up to the Campaigns Update newsletter

Parliamentary report
Sign up to the Parliamentary report newsletter

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,
 
Simon
 
Simon Davis
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1P

Dear colleague,
​
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.

The Law Society’s media profile this week

The Gazette and Yahoo! News reported on Suella Braverman’s appointment as attorney general. I said: “An independent judiciary is fundamental to the rule of law and underpins the UK’s reputation for fairness and impartiality. I look forward to working with the lord chancellor and attorney-general with these principles front and foremost.”
 
The BBC and Dundee Messenger covered the human cost of ‘no-fault’ evictions. I said section 21 is "one of the leading causes of family homelessness in the UK".

The FT (£), Valor International and Business Mayor reported city firms have ditched dress codes and using ‘Dear Sir(s)’ to create a more inclusive workplace. Immediate past Law Society president Christina Blacklaws said: “Making changes to the way we address each other and what we are allowed to wear to work are relatively easy and make a huge and positive impact on inclusion and law firm culture.”
 
Following the government’s announcement of a new ‘points-based’ immigration system after Brexit, Zeena Luchowa on our immigration law committee, spoke to Channel 5 News about the new system.  

Natasha Williams, a member of our immigration law committee, also discussed her concerns about the new legislation with BBC Radio Tees (from 1:03:57). 
 
New Statesman covered the Technology and Law Public Policy Commission’s report into algorithmic systems in the criminal justice system, which also recommended measures for oversight, registration and risk mitigation in the justice system.
 
The Gazette, Legal Futures, Today’s Conveyancer and Today’s Will & Probate reported on our opposition to the planned 20% rise in the Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO) budget due to our concern about its overall performance.
 
Legal Support Network, Legal Futures and Modern Law Magazine reported that Insight Legal Software has become one of the Law Society’s strategic partners. I said: “Their in-depth knowledge of the legal profession allows our members to benefit from their award-winning legal accounts, case management and practice management solutions.”
 
The Gazette covered the launch of our 2020 Diversity Access Scheme (DAS). I said: “I encourage any aspiring solicitor who is facing particular challenges on their way to qualification to consider applying for a place on the scheme.”

The New Law Journal covered the Law Society Group gender pay gap report which shows there is a 10.6% mean gap. A spokesperson said: “There is still much more to be done. The Law Society and SRA have targeted action plans in place to address this challenge and the Group is committed to being a fully inclusive workplace.”

The Gazette reported the Law Society's immediate past president Christina Blacklaws was one of several signatories who signed a letter calling for wider action over a judge’s comments on rape.

The co-chair of our criminal law committee, Ian Kelcey, also spoke to LBC about the story and laws around consent.

Legal Futures reports on the Legal Services Board (LSB)’s push for regulators to have more independence. The Law Society said this is “a potential to be a destabilising factor at a time when the sector is going through a period of unprecedented change and uncertainty.”
 
Legal Futures reported that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) could be faced with a cash shortage if the new anti-money laundering (AML) rules expand to include firms offering tax advice.

Netanya Clixby, a member of our LGBT+ lawyers’ division, wrote a comment piece for the Gazette on a decade of the Equality Act. She said: “The act has been a great step forward in the protection of vulnerable communities, but there is room for improvement.”
 
Masood Ahmed, a member of our civil procedure rule committee, provided a helpful legal update in the Gazette about interim payment on account of costs in personal injury and high-value negligence claims. 

Do not forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.

Regulation
 
Response to the Legal Service Board (LSB) Consultation
The Law Society responded to the Legal Services Board’s (LSB) consultation on its 2020/21 Business Plan. We are broadly supportive of the proposed work plan, but urge the LSB to focus the vast majority of its resources on discharging its core statutory function laid out under the Legal Services Act (LSA) 2007 and hold front line regulators to account to ensure that high standards of regulation are maintained, rather than diverting resources to work which is outside of its core regulatory remit. 

Response to the Office of Legal Complaints (OLC) Corporate Strategy
On Friday 14 February, we submitted our response to the Office of Legal Complaints (OLC) corporate strategy 2020-23. The strategy revealed three new strategic objectives and proposed a substantial increase (20%) to the Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO) current budget. It said that this would be used to fund more operational staff, invest in feedback to the profession and for IT costs/ inflation. Whilst feedback to members to prevent complaints arising is supported, there is a lack of detail about the level of additional resources and their deployment. Funding such a budget would undoubtedly impact on practising certificate fees and we are unable to support the increase at the level sought.

SRA Accounts Rules
Representatives of the regulatory processes committee (RPC) met with the SRA to discuss issues raised by members about the SRA Accounts Rules 2019. The meeting was productive and a number of matters have been clarified or have been taken away for further consideration by the SRA. The SRA indicated that it will consider issuing further guidance to the profession on some of the issues discussed and we hope to share information with members in due course.

Private Law
 
Tax
On Thursday 13 February, members of the capital taxes sub-committee met with HM Revenue & Customs and HM Treasury to discuss the current technical consultation on the Fifth Money Laundering Directive and the Trust Registration Service.
 
On Wednesday 19 February, members of the tax law committee met with HM Revenue & Customs to discuss the implementation of the EU directive known as DAC 6 in the UK, which imposes reporting requirements on lawyers and others involved in certain cross-border arrangements.
 
Justice

Justice week 2020
Championed by the Law Society, the Bar Council and CILEx, Justice Week aims to boost the profile of justice and the rule of law, placing them at the centre stage of public and political debate. Taking place from Monday 24 to Friday 28 February, Justice Week 2020 will focus on young people’s experiences and understanding of the justice system in England and Wales. To see the full list of Justice Week activities, please visit Justice Week 2020

As part of Justice Week, the Law Society is assembling a 'hacking justice' team to help fix our crippled justice system. If you are a solicitor, barrister, programmer, student, professor or passionate about increasing access to justice, we need you! Prior to the start date you will be sent a brief, including the defined user group, user characteristics and problem statements. Sign Up Here
 
Speaking engagements
 
CEO Paul Tennant met with permanent secretary to the Ministry of Justice Richard Heaton on Wednesday 19 February.
 
On Tuesday 18 February, deputy vice president I. Stephanie Boyce spoke at “An evening with the deputy vice president of the Law Society,” and at a member event with the Buckinghamshire, Berkshire & Oxfordshire Law Society.
 
Parliamentary
 
On Wednesday last week (12 February) the Law Society was mentioned three times during a House of Lords debate on algorithmic decision-making in the public sector by peers citing findings from our report on algorithms in the criminal justice system. Lord Clement-Jones referenced the concerns raised in the Law Society’s report and highlighted our recommendations on oversight, registration and mitigation of risks in the justice system. Lord Taylor of Warwick (non-affiliated) stated that he was “most worried about the Law Society’s concerns”, highlighting the risk of unconscious bias affecting the outcomes of data-based predictive policing tools and leading to discriminatory outcomes for BAME communities. Lord Stunell (Lib Dem) meanwhile noted that the Law Society, among other organisations, had concluded that it is difficult to know the full extent of the use of AI in the public sector.
 
Last Thursday (13 February) the solicitor general responded to questions in the House of Commons on behalf of the government’s law officers. In response to a question on the public’s understanding of the law, the solicitor general Michael Ellis QC MP noted events which will take place as part of the forthcoming Justice Week (24-28 February). Later in the session, Stuart C. McDonald MP (SNP) said that public understanding of the law is vital for the rule of law, and noted remarks made by myself on the importance of judicial review, and called for the government to stop attacking judges.
 
Join our LGBT+ lawyers division committee
 
We are looking for enthusiastic, passionate members of the legal profession with an interest in LGBT+ issues, or who are a part of the LGBT+ community, to join the committee. Submit your application by Friday 28 February. Apply here

Our international work:
 
I led a business development mission to Tokyo on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 February 2020 together with the Dai Ichi Tokyo Bar Association. The programme included visits to the national regulatory body: the Japan Federation of Bar Association (JFBA); the Tokyo and Japan Chambers of Commerce; and law firms Yuasa and Hara,  Nagashima, Ohno & Tsunematsu and Atsumi & Sakai. The delegation also met with Supreme Court Justice Kohichi Kusano and participated in a joint seminar with the Dai Ichi Tokyo Bar Association, where our delegates spoke on international arbitration, artificial intelligence and immigration law.
 
The visit also provided a good opportunity to engage with the British Embassy and members on the ground in light of Japan and UK beginning to negotiate a new bilateral agreement using the existing EU agreement as a base, looking for opportunities to enhance areas of mutual interest. On Monday morning, I chaired a roundtable with member firms in Tokyo, hosted by the British Embassy, to identify the key asks of the legal services sector. This was then discussed directly with Japanese counterparts and will form the basis of the Law Society’s submission to government for these discussions.
 
During the meetings, we also received a useful update on proposed amendments to the Act on Special Measures concerning the Handling of Legal Services by Foreign Lawyers (foreign lawyers Act) that will substantially lessen procedural burdens for foreign registered lawyers and international arbitration in Japan. We strongly welcome the news that the bill amending the foreign lawyers Act is expected to pass the Diet later this year.
 
This week I am also attending the European Presidents’ Conference in Vienna where I met with all European Bar leaders, including from other UK jurisdictions and legal professions. The topic for the 48th Conference is ‘Democracy and Rule of Law – Keeping up the pressure’. This was an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relationships and to share information about our work at the European level.
 
On Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 February the Brussels office participated in the PBSC Brussels programme. Marcus Corry, EU policy advisor participated in the delegation and met with French Permanent Representation, Business Europe, European Services Forum, City of London Corporation, Trade Commissioner, Phil Hogan’s Cabinet, UK Mission, UK Taskforce of the European Council.

On Wednesday 19 February Rita Giannini, EU policy adviser was speaking at an event: democracy drinks on Brexit and the rule of law

Supporting members at every stage of their career
 
Fighting for Your Rights Hackathon -Tuesday 25 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
On the 25 February 2020, The Law Society is assembling a hacking justice team to help fix our crippled justice system in partnership with Access to Justice Foundation.
 
Solicitor Judges and Advocacy Networking Drinks 2020 - Thursday 27 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
Join us for The Law Society's annual solicitor judges and advocacy networking drinks 2020; an excellent opportunity to meet solicitor advocates and solicitor judges
  
Unpausing the conversation on menopause - Tuesday 24 March, 2020
Join us on Tuesday 24 March to challenge taboos and erase the stigma around the menopause. We will be joined by a line of fantastic speakers who will be discussing the menopause from a medical perspective and how the legal landscape is changing in regards to discrimination. Book your place
 
Supporting practice excellence

Capital markets in the 21st century 2020 - Friday 28 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
We are delighted to announce that the sixth Law Society and American Bar Association capital markets conference will take place on 28 February 2020.

Money Matters and Misconceptions for Women in Law -Tuesday 03 March 2020, London
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
In collaboration with the Law Society, our strategic partner and specialist provider of financial planning advice, Wesleyan Financial Services, are hosting a series of free to attend seminars. Hear key speakers from within the legal profession talk about the importance of making your money work as hard as you are.
 
Law Management Section People in Practice Conference 2020 - Wednesday 04 March 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
We are delighted to announce that registration is now open for the 2019 law management section people in practice conference on Wednesday 4 March 2020 at the Law Society in London.

Money Matters and Misconceptions for Women in Law - Birmingham - Wednesday 04 March 2020
Location: Wesleyan Assurance Society, Colmore Circus, Birmingham B4 6AR
In collaboration with the Law Society, our strategic partner and specialist provider of financial planning advice, Wesleyan Financial Services, are hosting a series of free to attend seminars. Hear key speakers from within the legal profession talk about the importance of making your money work as hard as you are.
 
Section 106s and planning conditions (Planning law update 2020) - Webinar 04 March 2020 inclusive to Property

Sexual misconduct in law firms - Webinar 04 March 2020 20% discount to risk and compliance
 
Money Matters and Misconceptions for Women in Law - Manchester – Thursday 05 March 2020
Location: DLA Piper, 1 St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 3DE
In collaboration with the Law Society, our strategic partner and specialist provider of financial planning advice, Wesleyan Financial Services, are hosting a series of free to attend seminars. Hear key speakers from within the legal profession talk about the importance of making your money work as hard as you are.
 
New SRA Handbook compliance updates – what’s new for in-house lawyers? -Thursday 05 March 2020,  Birmingham
Location: Pinsent Masons, 55 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2FG
The new SRA handbook published later this year brings changes for in-house lawyers. Gain clarity and get an understanding of what these updates mean for you practically. Come with any questions you may have and join us for an interactive session.

Private Client Section: cross border conference 2020 - The new international landscape - Friday 06 March 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
The 2020 cross border conference 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

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

Campaigns Update
Sign up to the Campaigns Update newsletter

Parliamentary report
Sign up to the Parliamentary report newsletter

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,
 
Simon
 
Simon Davis
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1P

Dear colleague,
​
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.

Council

Following our Council meeting last week, the usual council report is being circulated to local law societies and the Gazette. Council considered a paper with specific proposals about a maximum term length for Council membership. This was not approved. Almost half of Council members have served 4 years or fewer, 23 members have served 12 or more years. Consideration of various aspects of Law Society governance will continue to be reviewed by the Council Membership Committee and Council.

The Law Society’s media profile this week
 
The Evening Standard, Southern Daily Echo and the Western Mail all quoted my response to the appointment of Suella Braverman as attorney general and the reappointment of Robert Buckland as justice secretary in the reshuffle. I said: “We look forward to working with them to ensure that the rule of law is upheld in this country, that justice is available to all and that our strengths as a jurisdiction are maintained: an independent judiciary, a talented legal profession and laws which uphold business and human rights.”

Meanwhile iNews reported suggestions by the attorney general that supreme court judges could be interviewed by politicians. I said: “Justices of the Supreme Court are rightly subjected to a rigorous appointments process and are successful because of their merit, probity and outstanding knowledge of the law. We expect them to interpret and apply the law without fear or favour and this can only be achieved if they are free from political interference."
 
The Guardian and The Gazette provided insight into the importance of judicial review, following a Court of Appeal ruling stopping the government from deporting some individuals to Jamaica. I said: “Judicial Review is a vital part of the checks and balances necessary to protect people from powerful institutions. It underpins the rule of law.”
 
The Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill went through the House of Commons yesterday, meaning prisoners who would have been automatically been released half-way through a sentence will now have to spend two-thirds in prison before they are referred to the Parole Board.
 
Richard Atkinson, co-chair of our criminal law committee, warned of the dangers of applying legislation retrospectively on BBC Radio 4 PM (13:38) and BBC Wales (1:16:30).

Meanwhile, I told the Gazette earlier this week: “Applying this bill retrospectively will change the rules for many prisoners mid-sentence, meaning that time on licence will actually be spent in prisons. More prisoners will choose to appeal their sentences, placing an additional burden on our already overstretched justice system.”
 
Business desires ‘bolder’ legislation on human rights and environment according to a survey released by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law – covered by the Times. (£). Sue Willman, chair of our human rights committee, described the proposals as a “strengthening of tort law to change the burden of proof so companies would have to show they had taken steps to prevent human rights harms”.
  
Dr Marina Brilman, of our international team, spoke to Polish news programme Fakty TVN about changes to the judiciary which could undermine its independence.
 
Jonathan Radcliffe, a partner at Reed Smith, was on talkRadio (in the 12:30 to 1:00pm slot from 07:02) discussing recent inventions and how to register your intellectual property. 
  
The Gazette, Today’s Wills and Probate, the Justice Gap, Today’s Conveyancer,  and Family Law Week all cover Law Society calls for the government to follow through on their promises in the LASPO review made a year ago.

I said: “One year on from the LASPO review, the government must follow through on their commitment to reassess the availability of legal aid and give the public the access to justice they so clearly support. Our legal needs survey with the Legal Services Board shows a huge 92% of adults support legal aid. The Ministry of Justice’s recognition of these problems in their post-implementation review of LASPO was welcome”. 

Law Society head of justice Richard Miller was interviewed by the International Bar Association on the crisis in our justice system. He said: “Since LASPO, nothing is covered by legal aid unless it’s specifically listed in the Act. The system is now very constrained, the service that’s left is very fragmented and it can’t really work towards a holistic solution for the individual.”
 
Gary Rycroft, a member of our digital assets working group, spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live (1:10:16) about compulsory purchase orders for the HS2 route.
 
Legal Business cited our UK-EU future partnership – legal services sector report, which found that Britain could take a £3.5bn hit from a no-deal Brexit.
 
Legal Futures reported on our legal aid deserts campaign, where our analysis found that 79% of local authorities in England and Wales do not have a single community care legal aid provider. View our heat map.
 
Our updated TA6 conveyancing forms on Japanese Knotweed were covered in House Ladder, Property Industry Eye, Today’s Conveyancer. The Negotiator, Mortgage Introducer, Mortgage Solutions, Inside Conveyancing and Estate Agent Today. I said: “We have updated the form following a recommendation that we review this question by the House of Commons Select Committee on Japanese knotweed. The changes reflect the increased scientific knowledge about this species. Other sections, including flood risk, have also been updated.”
 
Workplace Insight, Legal Futures and Tech Register continued coverage of the Technology and Law Public Policy Commission’s report into algorithmic systems in the criminal justice system.
 
Inside Conveyancing and Roofing Today report on the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched a new professional statement – Code for Leasing Business Premises – which will be mandatory for all UK RICS members to follow.
 
Property Week also cited RICS’ plans to launch a review of valuation practices to ensure surveyors remain ‘relevant and trusted’.
 
The Gazette covered our response to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s three-year strategy, where it has proposed becoming involved in raising public awareness of legal services, looking in more detail at unmet legal need and investigating consumer concerns.
 
The Law Society said: “The SRA should therefore focus on its core regulatory function of ensuring high, professional standards of competence rather than diverting too high a proportion of its resource to other strands of work.”
 
Legal Cheek reported that research by legal recruiter Douglas Scott has found 30% of trainees across England and Wales are paid below the Law Society’s recommended minimum salary.
 
Ahead of Justice Week 2020, Educator UK and Legal Action Group outline some of the events.
 
The Times (£) reported that recorders may be facing disqualification for not spending enough in court. Ian Kelcey, the co-chair of our criminal law committee, said there was a “massive underuse” at certain courts.

The FT (£) looked at the proposed increase to intestacy rates for spouses whose partners die without a will. “This increase is very welcome but many people are unaware that under intestacy laws, unmarried partners and close friends cannot inherit,” I said. 

Do not forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.

Justice
 
We held the first Means Test Focus Group for practitioners to talk to Ministry of Justice officials about their and their clients’ experiences with the means test in Newcastle on Wednesday 05 February.
 
On Thursday we attended a Quality of Youth Court Advocacy Working Group meeting. These meetings are hosted at the Ministry of Justice but are profession-led and chaired by Kate Aubrey-Johnson, until recently of Just For Kids Law.
 
Justice Week 2020
Championed by the Law Society, the Bar Council and CILEx, Justice Week aims to boost the profile of justice and the rule of law, placing them at the centre stage of public and political debate. Taking place from Monday 24 to Friday 28 February, Justice Week 2020 will focus on young people’s experiences and understanding of the justice system in England and Wales. To see the full list of Justice Week activities, please visit Justice Week 2020

As part of Justice Week, the Law Society is assembling a 'Hacking Justice' team to help fix our crippled justice system. If you are a solicitor, barrister, programmer, student, professor or passionate about increasing access to justice, we need you! Prior to the start date you will be sent a brief, including the defined user group, user characteristics and problem statements. Sign Up Here

Family
The Divorce Dissolution and Separation Bill had its second reading in the House of Lords this week. The full transcript of the second reading in the Lords can be read on Hansard here. The Law Society received 10 positive mentions and there was expressions of support from the Lords for some of our suggested improvements to the Bill.  Our briefing was quoted by Baroness Burt of Solihull (Lib Dem), and referenced by Lord Marks of Henley, Lib Dem Lords spokesperson on justice, and shadow attorney general Baroness Chakrabarti. 
 
Speaking engagements

The deputy vice president spoke at a careers event for the Law Society’s In-House Division on Tuesday 11 February, and at the OECD’s Friends of Gender Equality meeting on Friday 14 February.
 
I spoke at a British Italian Conservatives event on Brexit and the Law, alongside Alberto Costa MP, the architect of various citizens’ rights measures in early 2019. Council Member Maria Memoli also spoke, and together myself and Maria outlined the importance of legal services to the UK economy and to the proper functioning of the rule of law, as well as key civil judicial co-operation measures that will be necessary in the future relationship. 
 
Carey Street
 
I hosted a dinner discussion on ethics in the profession, guests included representatives from Clifford Chance, DAC Beachcroft, Hogan Lovells, and Kingsley Napley.
 
Join our LGBT+ Lawyers Division Committee
 
We’re looking for enthusiastic, passionate members of the legal profession with an interest in LGBT+ issues, or who are a part of the LGBT+ community, to join the committee.
Submit your application by Friday 28 February.
Apply here
 
Our international work:
 
Updates from our Brussels office as follows:

On Monday 10 February Marcus Corry, EU policy advisor attended the UK Mission New Year reception with the British Ambassador Sir Tim Barrow.
On Tuesday 11 February Helena Raulus, head of the Brussels office, attended a meeting with Alan Beattie, FT reporter.

On Thursday 13 February Anna Drozd, EU policy advisor attended together with Pavel Klimov, Chair of Technology Working Group, a European Data Protection Supervisor workshop on Artificial Intelligence.

On Friday 14 February, Helena Raulus chaired the Diversity Awareness Committee hosted by the British Chamber of Commerce.
 
Stephen Denyer and Ben Stevenson were in Austin, Texas for the ABA and NABE midyear conferences, engaging with a wide range of ABA bodies and state bar associations. Key topics of discussion included developments in legal regulation, UK-US trade in legal services, non-lawyer ownership and access to justice. They developed plans for joint events for members with some of our US partners in London and New York later this year. 
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career
 
Fighting for Your Rights Hackathon -Tuesday 25 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
On the 25 February 2020, The Law Society is assembling a Hacking Justice Team to help fix our crippled justice system in partnership with Access to Justice Foundation.
 
Solicitor Judges and Advocacy Networking Drinks 2020 - Thursday 27 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
Join us for The Law Society's annual Solicitor Judges and Advocacy Networking Drinks 2020; an excellent opportunity to meet solicitor advocates and solicitor judges
  
Unpausing the conversation on menopause - Tuesday 24 March, 2020
Join us on Tuesday 24 March to challenge taboos and erase the stigma around the menopause.
We will be joined by a line of fantastic speakers who will be discussing the menopause from a medical perspective and how the legal landscape is changing in regards to discrimination.
Book your place

Supporting Practice excellence

New Accounts Rules – How is it for you so far?-  Webinar 20 February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance
 
Capital markets in the 21st century 2020 - Friday 28 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
We are delighted to announce that the sixth Law Society and American Bar Association capital markets conference will take place on 28 February 2020.
 
Law Management Section People in Practice Conference 2020 - Wednesday 04 March 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
We are delighted to announce that registration is now open for the 2019 Law Management Section People in Practice Conference on Wednesday 4 March 2020 at the Law Society in London.
 
Money Matters and Misconceptions for Women in Law - Birmingham - Wednesday 04 March 2020
Location: Wesleyan Assurance Society, Colmore Circus, Birmingham B4 6AR
In collaboration with the Law Society, our strategic partner and specialist provider of financial planning advice, Wesleyan Financial Services, are hosting a series of free to attend seminars. Hear key speakers from within the legal profession talk about the importance of making your money work as hard as you are.

Section 106s and planning conditions (Planning law update 2020) - Webinar 04 March 2020 inclusive to Property

Sexual misconduct in law firms - Webinar 04 March 2020 20% discount to risk and compliance

Money Matters and Misconceptions for Women in Law - Manchester – Thursday 05 March 2020
Location: DLA Piper, 1 St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 3DE
In collaboration with the Law Society, our strategic partner and specialist provider of financial planning advice, Wesleyan Financial Services, are hosting a series of free to attend seminars. Hear key speakers from within the legal profession talk about the importance of making your money work as hard as you are.

Private Client Section: cross border conference 2020 - The new international landscape - Friday 06 March 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
The 2020 Cross border conference 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

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

Campaigns Update
Sign up to the Campaigns Update newsletter

Parliamentary report
Sign up to the Parliamentary report newsletter

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,
 
Simon
 
Simon Davis
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1P

Dear colleague,
​
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.

The Law Society fire

I would like to begin this week's update with a thanks to all of you who sent us goodwill messages in the wake of last weekend's fire at the Law Society. I would also like to thank the many staff who rallied round as news broke, in particular the catering team, Tom Fothergill and Richard Hopkins and to pay tribute to the fire service.

The Law Society’s media profile this week

Despite having their office destroyed, the Gazette journalists were on hand to lead coverage of the fire followed closely by ITV, the Mail Online and 11 other publications. The morning after the blaze, CEO Paul Tennant said: “It is too early to comment on the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage but clearly we are extremely upset that this has happened to this wonderful and historic building.”

Coverage then continued through the week from the BBC, Legal Cheek, Canadian Lawyer, Law.com, Scottish Legal News, Roll on Friday, Australasian Lawyer. Global Legal Post, Legal Business and eight others.
 
On Wednesday, the CEO announced the Law Society’s doors were once again open – reported in the Gazette.
 
He said: “Today, just three days after the fire, our teams are back in 113, our doors are open and planned events and meetings are going ahead which is a testament to our staff and everyone who works with the Society.” Read the press release here.
 
The government this week announced the consultation for its review of pre-charge bail, following a high-profile campaign by the Law Society for reform – reported in the Guardian and Gazette.
 
Richard Miller, our head of justice, said: “Reform to pre-charge bail, though necessary, is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. If we want swift, fair and efficient justice we must invest in every aspect of our ailing criminal justice system. Otherwise, more crime may fall through the cracks of investigation and prosecution.”
 
I wrote a piece for the Times (£) about the impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) a year on from the launch of its review.
 
“The legislation has had a devastating impact on access to justice… If people cannot get the help and funding they need to enforce their rights, then effectively those rights do not exist.”
 
The Times (£) explored the government’s plans for reforms to judicial review.  I said: “Any proposals to change this system must be developed through consultation and subject to full scrutiny to ensure that ordinary people do not lose out because of a rush to reform.”
 
Following the terror attack by Sudesh Amman on Streatham High Road, The Times, The Press and Journal, BBC, The Telegraph, News Explored, The Dundee Messenger, Swindon Advertiser, Press and Journal, Financial Times (£), Metro, Daily Mail, The Week, Birmingham Live, Mirror and the Amed Post reported our position on government plans to introduce emergency legislation to make terror offenders serve longer in prison.
 
I said: “If the rules for some prisoners are now changed mid-sentence so that time on licence is actually spent in prison, there is greater chance those prisoners will want to appeal their sentences – further clogging up an already overloaded system.”
 
Helena Raulus, head of our Brussels office, spoke to the Press & Journal and 139 other local publications about how Brexit will affect immigration. She urged people to start researching immigration laws and allow plenty of time for long-term visa applications.

Helena was also interviewed by German broadcaster ARD along with Guy Verhofstadt.

Our vice president David Greene talked to the New Law Journal about the impact Brexit will have on litigation. He said: “The uncertainty of the outcome has been the most damaging aspect of Brexit. That uncertainty still exists because it remains to be seen what can be achieved in a very short transition period.”
 
Ian Kelcey, co-chair of our criminal law committee, appeared on a number of BBC outlets on Thursday talking about witnesses risking “self-incrimination” when giving evidence to the Grenfell inquiry. He was on BBC News Channel, BBC Radio LDN and BBC Radio Newcastle.
 
The FT (£) looked at the proposed increase to intestacy rates for spouses whose partners die without a will. “This increase is very welcome but many people are unaware that under intestacy laws, unmarried partners and close friends cannot inherit,” I said. 
 
Gary Rycroft, chair of our digital assets working group, was on BBC Radio 4’s Money Box Live (from 19.30) talking about the need to update a will when marrying.
 
The Gazette explores judicial diversity in the wake of JUSTICE’s report I said: “We work closely with stakeholders including the Judicial Appointments Commission and the judiciary as well as with our members, to understand better the challenges faced by aspiring solicitor judges, and to support solicitors in preparation for the application process.” The Times (£) covered the same issue.
 
The Guardian and Yahoo! News reported on gender equality in the profession. More than half of respondents to our 2018 women in the law survey reported progress over the last five years. Former president Christina Blacklaws said: “With the increasing challenges to women’s rights across the globe, the position of women in law is as important as ever.” Read more on women in the law and our research here.
 
Law 360 continued coverage of our legal needs survey. The findings reveal that 64% of respondents have experienced a legal problem in the last four years and 57% did not personally pay for the service. I said: “This survey shows near unequivocal support for legal aid but as people do not understand which issues are covered or if they are eligible, many who should have publicly funded legal advice simply will not get it.”

The Telegraph reported judges will sit for extra days in a bid to ease court delays. They cited our research that on average a day of court time costs £2,692.

Polly Sweeney, co-chair of our mental health and disability committee, is cited in Wigan Today in a story about deprivation of liberty applications.

Do not forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.

Public Law

Immigration
The Law Commission has published its report on the Simplification of the Immigration Rules, concurring with many recommendations made by the Law Society as highlighted in this blog post. The urgent need for reform was recognised, with many real-life experiences of our members being referenced in the final report.
 
Family
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on Wednesday 5 February January. We will continue to monitor to the passage of the Bill and will provide further updates as appropriate.
 
We sent our response to the President of the Family Division’s Working Group on Medical Experts in the Family Courts. The consultation document confirms the nature and extent of the shortages of medical and other health professional is experts, identifies a wide range of causes and proposes solutions.
  
Criminal
We have responded to a Sentencing Council consultation on draft guidelines for the most commonly committed firearms offence. We welcomed the guideline overall, noting that it would enable criminal defence practitioners more accurately to predict likely sentences and advise their clients, and also commented on some aspects of the culpability and harm factors, as well as the suggested aggravating and mitigating factors. We also pointed out some of the difficulties that can arise following the death of a gun certificate holder, where the executor comes into possession of a firearm and may inadvertently commit an offence of possession without a certificate
 
Justice

Across the week, the Policy team started considering the implications of the case of JK v MK, in which an unregulated tech-based legal company presented a consent order to the court on behalf of both parties of a separating couple. It raises issues of conflict of interest, the appropriate use of technology, the limits of the reserved service of acting in litigation, and access to justice.
 
On Monday Richard Miller represented the Law Society at the Solicitor General’s Public Legal Education working group meeting and on Friday observed the Civil Justice Council meeting.
 
Along with Ellie Cronin I attended the Legal Support Advisory Group meeting, overseeing the work arising out of the LASPO Post-Implementation Review.
 
We met with the Access to Justice Foundation, to discuss ideas they have for increasing their funding income, met with PLP to discuss our ongoing work with them on access to justice test cases and attended the HMCTS Strategic Engagement Group meeting.
 
We also met with the Chair and vice Chair of the JLD as part of a series of introductory meetings to discuss how we can work more closely together on policy issues.
 
Justice Week!
Justice Week 2020 will take place from Monday 24th to Friday 28th February. The Law Society, Bar Council, CILEx are working with a wide range of others to boost the public profile of justice and the rule of law. Look out for more information soon.

As part of Justice Week, on Tuesday 25 February, The Law Society is assembling a 'Hacking Justice' team to help fix our crippled justice system. If you are a solicitor, barrister, programmer, student, professor or passionate about increasing access to justice, we need you! Prior to the start date you will be sent a brief, including the defined user group, user characteristics and problem statements. Sign Up Here.

Speaking engagements
 
On Thursday 6 January, deputy vice president I. Stephanie Boyce spoke to students from Canterbury Christchurch University and the University of Kent, at an event on the topic, Inspiring Women in the Law.

Parliamentary 

This week I spoke at the first meeting of the year for the APPG on Legal Aid, and highlighted the Society’s concerns regarding the criminal justice system, legal aid deserts and access to justice. Other speakers at the event, chaired by Karen Buck MP, included former lord chancellor Lord Falconer, chair of the Justice Select Committee Bob Neill MP, and shadow minister for Justice Bambos Charalambous MP.
 
The Law Society was mentioned six times during a parliamentary debate on the use of release under investigation. The debate was led by Bambos Charalambous, and featured contributions from across the political divide. Following the Law Society’s campaigning work on the issue, the Home Office have announced a review and a consultation on pre-charge bail and the use of RUI.
 
That Law Society was mentioned ten times during the second reading for the Divorce Bill in the House of Lords by peers including Lord Marks (Lib Dem justice spokeperson in the Lords) and Baroness Chakrabarti (shadow Attorney General)  and our parliamentary briefing was quoted extensively. We will be contacting peers ahead of the committee stage of the Bill.
 
The UK left the European Union on 31 January and have now entered a transition period governed by the Withdrawal Agreement.  The Law Society has produced guidance explaining how the transition period will affect various areas of law, including citizens’ rights, intellectual property and mutual recognition of qualifications.  

Our international work:
 
This week I attended the annual winter reception at our Brussels Office, welcoming members, European bar leaders and representatives from key European Union institutions. Didier Reynders, lawyer and EU Commissioner for Justice, delivered a keynote address drawing attention to recent threats to rule of law and independence of the judiciary in Poland.

The Brussels Office also arranged the following meetings:
Meeting with Marcus Schmitt of ECLA (European Company Lawyers Association)
Meeting at the British embassy with Alan Campbell, deputy head of mission as well as Mathieu Vanoverberghe (DIT) and Rhian Checkland, deputy head of political and public diplomacy section. 
 
Meeting with Nicola Danti, member of European parliament (inta committee) to discuss future relationship, trade in services
 
Meeting with Lynsey Moore, director, EU division from Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels
 
Meeting with Alistair Robinson, legal counsellor; Hazel Cameron, JHA counsellor and Sujeevan Satheesan, 1st secretary, civil justice & fundamental rights and Tim Barrow at UK mission.
 
Meeting with Kiran Desai, EY Law as well as John Boyce, Slaughter and May to discuss the upcoming FTA negotiations from the Brussels perspective.
 
On Wednesday 05 February the Brussels Office hosted a breakfast meeting with office holders along with John Springford, deputy director of CER (Centre for European Reform).
The Brussels Team also accompanied office holders to meet Eugene McQuaid and Christiaan Smits at Freshfields and also Carsten Zatschler at EFTA Surveillance Authority and the Scottish Government Executive Office. The Brussels Team also accompanied office holders for a lunch meeting with Pascal Kerneis from ESF (European Services Forum).
Supporting members at every stage of their career

In-house Division Seminar: How to get the in-house career you want - Tuesday 11 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
This event is focused on how you can get the in-house career you want.

Resilience and Wellbeing - Building personal resilience to cope with the demands of the solicitors’ profession - Thursday 13 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
In a recent Law Society survey of Junior Lawyers, 55% of women and 42% of men told us they regularly felt unable to cope, with almost two-fifths experiencing a mental health problem. High workload and demanding clients were behind many of the problems, and the resulting stress led to problems with family life and relationships.

Practising as, and dealing with, unregulated businesses and freelance solicitors - Webinar
13 February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance
 
Unpausing the conversation on menopause - Tuesday 24 March, 2020
Join us on Tuesday 24 March to challenge taboos and erase the stigma around the menopause.
We’ll be joined by a line of fantastic speakers who will be discussing the menopause from a medical perspective and how the legal landscape is changing in regards to discrimination.
Book your place

Fighting for Your Rights Hackathon -Tuesday 25 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
On the 25th February 2020, The Law Society is assembling a Hacking Justice Team to help fix our crippled justice system in partnership with Access to Justice Foundation.

Supporting Practice excellence
 
Money Laundering Regulations 2020 - Webinar 11 February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance.

Private Client Section: Older or incapable client double seminars, London - Tuesday 11 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
(See above)

Competition Section Seminar: UNCTAD - contribute to the future International competition enforcement framework, London -Tuesday 11 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
This event will provide an opportunity to learn about the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) future plans for International competition enforcement and its framework. It will provide an opportunity for attendees to feedback on how this might work in practice; helping to shape UNCTAD’s final proposal. It will include a case study of how this might work in practice.

New Accounts Rules – How is it for you so far?-  Webinar 20 February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance

Capital markets in the 21st century 2020 - Friday 28 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
We are delighted to announce that the sixth Law Society and American Bar Association capital markets conference will take place on 28 February 2020.
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

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

Campaigns Update
Sign up to the Campaigns Update newsletter

Parliamentary report
Sign up to the Parliamentary report newsletter

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,
 
Simon
 
Simon Davis
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1P

Dear colleague,

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.

Please help us attract new talent for Law Society Committees
 
If you know anyone, whether a Law Society member or non member, with expertise in the following areas:

• membership organisations and related income generation
• policy formation
• regulation
• digital communications
• membership service

Please encourage them to apply for vacancies on Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee and Membership and Communications Committee.

The closing date is Wednesday 29 January at noon.

Now on to our regular update...

Influencing on behalf of the profession and promoting the profession

The Law Society’s media profile: 
 
The Daily Mail and 93 local news outlets, from Cornwall to Carrick and Whitchurch to Watford covered Law Society research showing more than 37 million people in England and Wales live in a local authority area without a single community care legal aid service, including more than 7.5 million people aged 65 and over.
 
Polly Sweeney, chair of the Law Society mental health and learning disability committee, was quoted in the Dorset Echo and 22 other local news outlets speaking about why there are so many people deprived of their liberty unlawfully.

Legal services contributed nearly £60bn to the UK economy in 2018 while in 2017 legal services exports hit approximately £5bn, according to the latest available figures revealed in an authoritative new report commissioned by the Law Society from KPMG – covered in Legal Futures, the Times Brief, City a.m., Law Society Gazette, Daily Mail, Daily Express and Metro and in 180 other publications up and down the country including the Western Mail, the Wolverhampton Express and Star and the Swindon Advertiser. 
 
I said: “This report shows the value of our sector to UK PLC – that is why we think it is vital our trade negotiators put legal and other professional services at the heart of forthcoming talks on a new deal with Europe.”
 
The Gazette reported the call by the Law Society and the Bar Council on Pakistan to respect lawyers and their work on the Day of the Endangered Lawyer. I said: “We honour the courage and commitment of lawyers around the world who uphold justice, often despite considerable risk to themselves, their colleagues, and their families. The rule of law is essential to preserve democratic values, fundamental freedoms and good governance.”

The Gazette also covered the launch of the Legally Disabled report which argued ‘radical intervention’ is needed to tackle the bullying and discrimination faced by disabled lawyers. The study also found there was reticence in disclosing disability.
 
I said: “Everyone should feel comfortable bringing their full selves to work and supported in asking for any reasonable adjustments. The legal profession should take into account the research’s findings and strive to create more inclusive work environments.”
 
The Law Society’s Aimey Sherwood wrote for the Gazette on the same subject.  

FT Adviser  discussed the Law Society campaign against increases to probate fees, quoting me: "A hike in probate fees would have been a tax on grief. We campaigned vigorously against the increase on behalf of bereaved families and are relieved the government has listened to reason."
 
Rachel Roche from Roche Legal spoke to BBC Radio Leeds (from 2:08:00) about the centenary of the Act of Parliament that allowed women to qualify and practise as solicitors.
 
Deputy vice president I. Stephanie Boyce wrote a column for the Northern Echo on the centenary. She said: “The legal profession has made great progress in the last hundred years, but there is still a long way to go.”
 
Legal Action Group (LAG) alerts readers to focus groups run by the Law Society so solicitors can contribute their perspectives to the government's review of both the civil and criminal legal aid means tests. Find a Law Society focus group near you.
 
The Telegraph (£) cited my praise for the doctrine of judicial review as a “vital part of the checks and balances necessary to protect people from powerful institutions and underpin the rule of law".
 
The Gazette and Family Law Week covered our welcome of the lord chancellor’s decision to raise the statutory legacy sum. From 6 February 2020 spouses or civil partners with children will be able to inherit £270,000 from intestate estates, up from a cap of £250,000.
 
The Mirror explored why couples might want a ‘petnup’. The Law Society said ‘petnups’ can help “to provide peace of mind”.

Do not forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.

Regulation
 
Meeting of the Public Private Steering Group
Rob Cummings, head of regulatory affairs and economic crime, attended a meeting of the public private steering group which oversees the government’s work on tackling economic crime. This was the first meeting since the general election and officials reiterated the government’s strong focus in this area. The group discussed ways of working, future priorities and also received an update on the work the government is taking forward looking at sustainable resourcing for tackling economic crime.
 
Public Law
 
Alongside publication of the latest quarterly Family Court Statistics (July to September 2019) by the ministry of justice, statisticians from the department asked for feedback about how probate statistics are presented and about introducing a measure relating to timeliness. We have responded to give members’ views, to ensure these continue to meet user needs.

Promoting our profession
Legal services were worth almost £60bn Gross Value Added to the UK economy in 2018 (see Media above)
 
Our newly launched report, commissioned from KPMG, analyses the value of legal services in the UK. This report includes the economic contribution of people employed directly in the sector, as well as in-house lawyers and general counsel in other business sectors, who have not previously been included in analysis on the value of the profession. The report projects that just 1% productivity increase in the legal sector in 2020 could boost UK GDP by between £990m and £1,200m by 2050.
 
As well as serving domestic demand, the legal sector in the UK provides services overseas - with 15% of the sector’s output being exported (based on 2016 data) - and made a positive net contribution of £4.29bn to the value of UK trade in 2017. The report shows the significant value of the profession, both nationally and globally, and solidifies why it is crucial that access to the EU27 for our legal professionals, as well as recognition of their qualifications, is maintained once the post-Brexit transition period finishes at the end of 2020.
 
Read and share the full report: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/research-trends/economic-contribution-legal-services-sector-report/
 
Disabilities Division
A new study undertaken by a research team based at Cardiff Business School, working with the Lawyers with Disabilities Division of the Law Society launched today (see Media above).
The legally disabled? research reveals the everyday barriers that disabled solicitors face in the profession.
 
The study found that 40% of solicitors asked either never or only sometimes tell their employer or prospective employer of their disability. 54% of disabled solicitors thought that their career and promotion prospects were inferior to their non-disabled colleagues. For more of the findings https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/news/stories/new-study-reveals-the-everyday-barriers-facing-disabled-lawyers/
 
Parliamentary

During debate on the Queen’s Speech on Monday, previous chair of the justice select committee Sir Bob Neill MP referred to the Law Society’s calls for the government to accede to the Lugano Convention and the Hague Convention, in order to ensure mutual recognition and enforcement of judgments after Brexit.

Speeches

On Monday 20 January, I spoke at a Politeia Justice Series event on ‘Funding Justice – What Focus, What Priorities? Overcoming obstacles and waste’.

On Wednesday 22 January, I spoke to students at the University of Birmingham on the future of the legal profession, and later gave an update on the Law Society’s activities to members of the Birmingham Law Society Council.

Vice president David Greene gave welcoming remarks at the Day of the Endangered Lawyer on Wednesday 22 January.
 
Meetings
 
On Tuesday 21 January, I met with Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland QC MP.

Our work internationally:

On Wednesday 22 January Paul Wilson, director of public affairs and Stephen Denyer, director of strategic relationships visited the Brussels Office.  

Stephen Denyer and Marcus Corry, EU Policy Adviser met with Matteo Bay from Latham & Watkins LLP and also with Jeroen Smets from KL Gates. Stephen Denyer also met with Elvira Aliende Rodriguez and Sara Ashall from Shearman and Sterling LLP

Paul Wilson and Marcus Corry, EU Policy Adviser, met with Amandine Nsele, City of London Office.

Stephen Denyer and Helena Raulus, head of the Brussels office met with Vassilis Adritidis from DWF.

Paul Wilson and Helena Raulus met with Fergus McReynolds from MakeUK. and also with Alistair Robinson, Legal counsellor, Rory O'Donnell, director of trade and Sujeevan Satheesan, 1st secretary from UKREP.    

The Brussels office hosted a lunch meeting with Paul Wilson and the British Chamber of Commerce to discuss Brexit and the British organisations in Brussels.  

On Thursday 23 January Stephen Denyer and Marcus Corry, EU Policy Adviser met with Gavin Bushell from Baker McKenzie and also met with Francesca Miotto, Andrzej O’Leary and Mark Taylor from Allen and Overy.

Stephen Denyer and Rita Giannini, EU Policy Adviser met with Koen Platteau from Simmons and Simmons and also with Thierry Vierin from Osborne and Clarke.
On 22 January, Dr. Marina Brilman (international human rights adviser of the Law Society) organised the annual public seminar for the Day of the Endangered Lawyer. This year the event focused on Pakistan. Lawyer Saif ul-Malook, legal representative of Asia Bibi in her well-known blasphemy case, spoke at the event, as well as Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa (research associate, Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS). At the seminar, risks faced by lawyers in Pakistan were discussed, as well as the social and cultural context in which blasphemy laws are applied in that country. Vice-president David Greene gave welcoming remarks.

Supporting members at every stage of their career

Judicial appointments: interview training for solicitors - Friday 07 February 2020  
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
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.

In-house Division Seminar: How to get the in-house career you want - Tuesday 11 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
This event is focused on how you can get the in-house career you want.

JLD forum: Helping you to secure a training contract, February 2020, Manchester - Saturday 08 February 2020
Location: The University of Law, 2 New York Street, Manchester, M1 4HJ
The Junior Lawyers Division, in partnership with the Manchester TSG and YSG, is holding a free one-day skills event to assist LPC students and LPC graduates with their search for a training position

Money Laundering Regulations 2020   -   Webinar 11 February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance

Resilience and Wellbeing - Building personal resilience to cope with the demands of the solicitors’ profession - Thursday 13 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
In a recent Law Society survey of Junior Lawyers, 55% of women and 42% of men told us they regularly felt unable to cope, with almost two-fifths experiencing a mental health problem. High workload and demanding clients were behind many of the problems, and the resulting stress led to problems with family life and relationships.

Practising as, and dealing with, unregulated businesses and freelance solicitors - Webinar
13 February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance

Fighting for Your Rights Hackathon -Tuesday 25 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
On the 25th February 2020, The Law Society is assembling a Hacking Justice Team to help fix our crippled justice system in partnership with Access to Justice Foundation.

Supporting Practice excellence

Construction law update 2020 -  Webinar 04 February 2020 inclusive to property
 
Private Client Section: Older or incapable client double seminars, Birmingham - Tuesday 4 February 2020
Location: Birmingham - Venue TBC
Focusing on support for your older or incapable clients, we bring you two of the top speakers in Private Client law to help you to support your clients.

Money Laundering Regulations 2020   -   Webinar 11 February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance.

Private Client Section: Older or incapable client double seminars, London - Tuesday 11 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
(See above)

Competition Section Seminar: UNCTAD - contribute to the future International competition enforcement framework, London -Tuesday 11 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
This event will provide an opportunity to learn about the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) future plans for International competition enforcement and its framework. It will provide an opportunity for attendees to feedback on how this might work in practice; helping to shape UNCTAD’s final proposal. It will include a case study of how this might work in practice.

New Accounts Rules – How is it for you so far?-  Webinar 20 February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance
 
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

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

Campaigns Update
Sign up to the Campaigns Update newsletter

Parliamentary report
Sign up to the Parliamentary report newsletter

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,
 
Simon
 
Simon Davis
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1P

Dear colleague,
​
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.
 
The Law Society’s media profile this week: 

Government plans to accelerate proposed judicial review (JR) reform after the prime minister claimed JR was being used to “conduct politics by another means” were covered in Friday's print edition of the Times (£). I am quoted: “Any proposals to change this system must be developed through consultation and subject to full scrutiny to ensure that ordinary people do not lose out because of a rush to reform.” Also in the Independent and Daily Mail.
 
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) announced plans to allow broadcasting of sentencing remarks in some crown court trials. The Law Society has welcomed the move in the Guardian, Telegraph and Gazette. There is also an explainer on BBC News.
 
I said: “Done sensitively, and with the appropriate reporting restrictions, broadcasting from the courts during some proceedings – such as sentencing – could add significant value and assist in the rule of law being respected.”
 
The Gazette examined the two commissions promised in the Queen’s speech - into criminal justice and the Supreme Court – and cites our concerns about the state of the criminal justice system. I said: “We all want swift, fair and effective justice, but it cannot be delivered on the cheap.”

The Times (£) reported English courts are being used to launder money from Russia. I said: “Solicitors are highly regulated and - in line with their obligations - are all too aware of the dangers posed by international criminal gangs.”

The Gazette reported the announcement of new QCs. I said: “My warmest congratulations to all those solicitors taking silk. My predecessor as president, Rodger Pannone, helped to secure higher rights of audience for solicitors. Glyn Maddocks is a respected member of our human rights committee known for his wide-ranging pro bono work. Their honorary appointments are thoroughly deserved.”
 
Tim O’Sullivan, chair of our EU committee, wrote an opinion piece for the Gazette on the timeline for Brexit trade negotiations. He said prioritising legal services will not “not only benefit the UK economy but it will help clients in the EU who currently benefit from being able to choose law firms from this jurisdiction”.
 
The Gazette also covered the Law Society’s response to the Mayson Review. The article refers to our concern that: “Unintended consequences could well be many small firms leaving the market, the legal sector contracting, and the cost of legal services increasing, leading to further unmet demand.” Also in Legal Futures.
 
Today’s Wills and Probate has our welcome of the lord chancellor’s decision to raise the statutory legacy sum so, from 6 February 2020, spouses or civil partners with children will be able to inherit £270,000 from intestate estates rather than £250,000.
 
The Gazette reported on the simplification of the Immigration Rules under the 1971 Act, following a consultation response by the Law Society. Barry O’Leary, a member of our immigration law committee, said: “We welcome how far they think we should go in terms of redrafting, and acknowledging that the rules need to be suitable for the non-expert user, accurate, clear and consistent.”
 
Legal Futures and Inside Conveyancing cites our recent practice note on flood risk in its analysis of the effect of excessive flooding on travel, the environment, properties, businesses and infrastructure.

The Gazette covers life as a freelance solicitor and cites our top tips for those considering going solo.

The Gazette investigates succession planning for businesses. John Scott, a member of our small firms division, said “when it comes to proper preparation for retirement you cannot really start young enough”.

Do not forget you can read all Law Society press releases by clicking on this link. For live updates follow us on Twitter.

Justice

On Friday 17 January, along with Vice President David Greene and CEO Paul Tennant, I attended a meeting with the new chair of the Bar Council, Amanda Pinto QC, to discuss how the Bar and the Law Society can best work together in the year ahead.

Law Society meeting with Italian Senators
Our policy and international teams met with a small group of Italian senators to discuss reforms to the family courts, particularly the changes already enacted and ongoing in the family court modernisation programme. 
We explained that digitisation of existing processes is an overdue reform and a lot of it is generally working quite well, with members agreeing it is helping with improved case management. However, we highlighted areas to be aware of including the impact of court closures; digital exclusion and the importance of people having access to legal advice; video hearings; and the importance of robust analysis and evaluation of data when undertaking a modernisation programme on this scale.
  
Court broadcasting
Judges’ remarks are to be broadcast from Crown Courts under draft legislation to be laid by government. The Crown Court (Recording and Broadcasting) Order 2020 will permit the sentencing remarks of High Court and senior circuit judges in certain criminal cases to be filmed and broadcast to the public. No other court users – including victims, witnesses, jurors and court staff – will appear on camera. (See Media above).

Regulation

5th Money Laundering Directive – summary of changes 
On Friday 10 January, the EU’s 5th Money Laundering Directive came into force. The Legal Sector Affinity Group, which includes the Law Society and all the legal sector supervisors named in the anti-money laundering regulations, has published a summary of changes to the regulations to help firms comply with the new requirements which can be found here. 
 
Commercial and Technology Law

AI and Law research
We held a joint session with Oxford University where they presented the emerging findings of their AI and law research. Oxford is developing a research agenda that uses machine learning to classify, track and horizon scan skill requirements in the UK legal services sector based on a big data feed.

Brexit
The Brexit law committee met with the lord chancellor and the parliamentary under secretary of state, Chris Philp MP, to discuss the next phase of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, legal services and civil judicial cooperation.
 
Speeches

Our vice president David Greene gave welcoming remarks at the opening of the Law Society Art Group’s 60th Anniversary on Friday 16 January.

Our work internationally:

On Wednesday 15 January Helena Raulus, head of the Brussels office, presented the FCO masterclass on civil and commercial judicial co-operation post-Brexit with David Greene organised by Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

On Friday 17 January Helena Raulus will chair the British Chamber of Commerce lunch event on: “Ensuring gender balance, inclusiveness and diversity”.
 
Supporting members at every stage of their career

Judicial appointments: interview training for solicitors - Friday 07 February 2020  
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
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.

In-house Division Seminar: How to get the in-house career you want - Tuesday 11 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
This event is focused on how you can get the in-house career you want.

JLD forum: Helping you to secure a training contract, February 2020, Manchester - Saturday 08 February 2020
Location: The University of Law, 2 New York Street, Manchester, M1 4HJ
The Junior Lawyers Division, in partnership with the Manchester TSG and YSG, is holding a free one-day skills event to assist LPC students and LPC graduates with their search for a training position

Resilience and Wellbeing - Building personal resilience to cope with the demands of the solicitors’ profession - Thursday 13 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
In a recent Law Society survey of Junior Lawyers, 55% of women and 42% of men told us they regularly felt unable to cope, with almost two-fifths experiencing a mental health problem. High workload and demanding clients were behind many of the problems, and the resulting stress led to problems with family life and relationships.

Fighting for Your Rights Hackathon -Tuesday 25 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
On the 25th February 2020, The Law Society is assembling a Hacking Justice Team to help fix our crippled justice system in partnership with Access to Justice Foundation.

Solicitor Judges and Advocacy Networking Drinks 2020  - Thursday 27 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
Join us for The Law Society's annual Solicitor Judges and Advocacy Networking Drinks 2020; an excellent opportunity to meet solicitor advocates and solicitor judges.
 
Capital markets in the 21st century - Friday 28 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
We are delighted to announce that the sixth Law Society and American Bar Association capital markets conference will take place on 28 February 2020.

Supporting Practice excellence

Day of the Endangered Lawyer 2020 - Wednesday 22 January 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
Every year the Day of the Endangered Lawyer is organised to support lawyers at risk in a particular jurisdiction. In 2020, the focus is on Pakistan. During this seminar, we will hear from one of the speakers about his personal experiences of litigating human rights cases in Pakistan.

Advocacy and the Vulnerable Training, 24 January 2020, London - Afternoon session -Friday 24 January 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
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.
 
Private Client Section: Older or incapable client double seminars, Birmingham - Tuesday 4 February 2020
Location: Birmingham - Venue TBC
Focusing on support for your older or incapable clients, we bring you two of the top speakers in Private Client law to help you to support your clients.

Private Client Section: Older or incapable client double seminars, London - Tuesday 11 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
(See above)

Competition Section Seminar: UNCTAD - contribute to the future International competition enforcement framework, London -Tuesday 11 February 2020
Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL
This event will provide an opportunity to learn about the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) future plans for International competition enforcement and its framework. It will provide an opportunity for attendees to feedback on how this might work in practice; helping to shape UNCTAD’s final proposal. It will include a case study of how this might work in practice.
 
Private Client Section: Older or incapable client double seminars, Manchester -Thursday 13 February 2020
Location: Manchester - Venue TBC
(See above)
 
Webinars

Construction law update 2020 -  04 February 2020 inclusive to property 

Money Laundering Regulations 2020   - 11 February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance

Practising as, and dealing with, unregulated businesses and freelance solicitors -
13 February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance
 
New Accounts Rules – How is it for you so far?-  20-February 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance
 
Section 106s and planning conditions (Planning law update 2020) - 04 March 2020

Sexual misconduct in law firms - 05 March 2020 - 20% discount to risk and compliance 

The challenges facing small legal practices – what you need to know - 27 March 2020  20% discount to risk and compliance and LMS.

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

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

Campaigns Update
Sign up to the Campaigns Update newsletter

Parliamentary report
Sign up to the Parliamentary report newsletter

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,
 
Simon
 
Simon Davis
President
The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London. WC2A 1P