Barristers’ wigs are an ‘outdated’ symbol of ‘poshness’ top QC says February 16, 2022 One of Britain’s top QCs has said the UK should stop forcing barristers to wear wigs after claiming they are a symbol of “poshness” that have “no place” in the UK’s modern legal system. In an article in Mail+ Leslie Thomas QC, one of the UK’s most high-profile barristers, said wigs have hindered the Bar’s [...]
Criminal barristers to hold strike ballot after being told to ‘be patient’ by Dominic Raab February 16, 2022 Criminal barristers will vote on whether to strike at the end of this month, after Dominic Raab told barristers to “be patient” while waiting for legal aid reform. The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) will hold a strike ballot on 28 February, after the government failed to put forward its plans to reform criminal legal [...]
UK facing shortage of duty solicitors, Law Society says February 15, 2022 The UK is facing a shortage of criminal duty solicitors, as the sector faces a chronic recruitment crisis, the Law Society has warned. Any individual arrested in the UK has the right to seek advice from a duty solicitor, free of charge. However, the number of duty solicitors working in Britain dropped 7 per cent [...]
Pinsent Masons cuts desk space in Edinburgh after moving to new offices February 15, 2022 Pinsent Mason’s has cut the number of desks available to staff in its Edinburgh offices, after moving in to new premises, in a bid to free up space and adapt to the future of hybrid working. The London headquartered law firm is set to cut its desk space by 20 per cent, in seeking to [...]
Eversheds Sutherland matches rivals after upping pay for new lawyers to £95k February 15, 2022 Eversheds Sutherland’s has given newly qualified lawyers in its London offices a 15.8 per cent pay rise after upping their salaries to £95,000 a year. The firm also said it will give lawyers in the rest of its UK offices a 24 per cent pay rise, which will see their salaries increase from £50,000 to [...]
Majority of UK’s biggest law firms are currently hiring new lawyers, as battle for talent rages on February 15, 2022 Most of the UK’s biggest law firms, with annual turnovers of more than £500m, are now actively hiring more lawyers, as they seek to capitalise on booming demand for legal services, according to a poll of more than 200 law firm partners. Polling from privately-owned litigation funder Harbour shows that 60 per cent of law [...]
DWF CEO Sir Nigel Knowles says big pay rises are not a solution to legal sector’s recruitment crisis February 14, 2022 Sir Nigel Knowles, the former Co-CEO and co-chairman of DLA Piper, has said that offering young lawyers huge pay rises will not fix the legal sector’s recruitment crisis. In a letter to the Financial Times, Knowles said “offering more and more money to young people is only a sticking plaster” as he argued law firms [...]
Small London law firm seeks to compete with Magic Circle by appointing its own ‘fertility officer’ February 14, 2022 A small family law firm, with offices in Clapham, Hammersmith, and Islington, has become the first UK company to appoint its own “fertility officer,” as it seeks to compete with larger rivals that have begun offering highly expensive fertility benefits. London law firm Burgess Mee has named surrogacy law specialist, Natalie Sutherland, as its first [...]
Squire Patton Boggs ups pay for freshly trained lawyers to £95k a year February 14, 2022 Ohio headquartered law firm Squire Patton Boggs has given newly qualified lawyers in its London offices a £10,000 pay rise after upping their salaries to £95,000. A spokesperson for the firm told City A.M. that Squire Patton Boggs has also given NQ lawyers in its Manchester, Leeds, and Birmingham offices a £5,000 pay rise, which [...]
Major recruiter hits back at SRA after watchdog says it will crack down on workplace bullies February 13, 2022 The managing director of a major recruitment company has slammed the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for being out of touch, after the watchdog said law firms should stamp out bullying. The SRA said it plans to crack down on law firms that promote toxic workplace cultures, after releasing new guidance calling on the legal sector [...]