Wills and inheritance
Law Society President Lubna Shuja is one of the experts featuring in a new Channel 5 series called Inheritance Wars. The first episode was shown last night (17 September).
Surge in prisoners on remand
Deputy Vice President of the Law Society, Richard Atkinson, speaks to the Independent about the growing backlog in the criminal court system, as the number of remands soar to a record high.
Richard said: “If you’re going to shove more into the pipe, you’d better make the pipe a bit bigger. You need more resources, but we’ve had decades of cuts in court numbers, in investment in remaining court buildings, in legal aid.”
Yahoo! UK, MSN UK, US Times Post, Press Room and several other regional and international outlets also report.
Spiralling court backlogs
Lexis Nexis (£) continues coverage on the rising Crown court backlogs, shown in recent figures published by the Ministry of Justice. In July 2022, there were 59,361 outstanding Crown Court cases, increasing to 64,015 in July this year.
President of the Law Society Lubna Shuja said: “The terrible backlogs in our criminal courts continue to spiral out of control.
“The fact that the backlogs continue to get worse, not better, is very alarming. Even the government’s own unambitious target of reducing the Crown Court backlog to 53,000 by March 2025 now looks like wishful thinking.
“The figures demonstrate another year of failure in tackling the backlogs. Efforts to tackle crime and keep communities safe will fail if these backlogs aren’t addressed.”
Impact of legal aid deserts on asylum system
BNN Breaking reveals the Law Society’s concerns about the lack of legal aid providers for immigration work, and the impact that underfunding in legal aid has had on the immigration and asylum system.
The piece also reveals our reaction that the government’s proposed fee increase for legal aid in immigration, under the Illegal Migration Act, would do little to address the capacity crisis.
Role of technology in the profession
Guardian reports conversations on the role of technology and AI in the legal profession at a conference held by the Law Society, as a Court of Appeal judge admits to using ChatGPT to write part of a judgment.
Tributes to Elizabeth Cruickshank
Gazette reports that current and former Law Society presidents have led tributes to Elizabeth Cruickshank, whose death was announced last week. Elizabeth chaired the Association of Women’s Solicitors.
President of the Law Society Lubna Shuja said: “Elizabeth was a pivotal voice in writing about the lives and experiences of women solicitors. Her books Women in the Law and Sisters in Law focused on the outstanding contributions women solicitors, barristers and judges have made to our profession.
“We all stand on their shoulders, and Elizabeth made sure they were not forgotten.”
Also worth a read:
- Recent exodus of Home Office senior officials overseeing immigration and asylum cases – Times (£)
- Public Law Project raises concerns about legal aid for immigration - Guardian
- Delays to reform of England rental market – Financial Times (£)
- Historic walkout of junior doctors and consultants – Independent
- Increase in prison deaths highlights concerning gaps in the care of prisoners - Guardian