THIS ISSUE
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has been given 12 months to improve its safeguarding of risk, intervention and client money, under binding directions issued in response to the Axiom Ince scandal
The regulators of both barristers and solicitors have launched consultations on the way lawyers handle complaints
A higher proportion of legal work will be done in-house in the next five years, more than half (54%) of UK in-house counsel and a third (35%) of lawyers in private practice believe
The Equal Treatment Bench Book (ETBB), a key reference book for judges, has been updated with guidance on emotional support animals
Former criminal defence barrister, Solicitor General, MP and Victim’s Commissioner Dame Vera Baird KC has been appointed interim chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC)
The way judges are selected will change in October, when the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) implements the Judicial Skills and Abilities Framework (JSAF)
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) online portal is still offline following the cyber-attack in April
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams
Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant
Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias
International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner
Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven
Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth
NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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