Ministry of Justice to move 2,000 jobs out of London by 2030 February 2, 2022 The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is set to move 2,000 jobs out of London by 2030, by setting up seven new regional offices. The plan to open seven new offices in Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, South Tyneside, Cardiff, Ipswich and Brighton, comes as part of government plans to “level up” the country and tackle regional inequality. [...]
Hogan Lovells partner leaves firm to start up rival litigator – taking six of his colleagues with him February 2, 2022 A former Hogan Lovells partner, from the law firm’s Paris office, has poached six of his colleagues to start his own rival litigator. Former Hogan Lovells partner Julien Martinet has left the Anglo-American law firm to establish his own Paris-based company, Swift Litigation, according to Law.com. Martinet’s new team will also be taking Hogan Lovells’ [...]
Law firm partners prefer to work from the office while juniors favour working from home February 2, 2022 Most lawyers are in favour of a hybrid model of working, which would see workers come into their offices for at least one day a week, according to a poll from legal recruitment firm Major, Lindsey & Africa. Meanwhile only 10 per cent would prefer to work entirely remotely. However the figures revealed a split [...]
Paul Hastings joins battle for legal talent with £141,750 salaries for newly qualified lawyers February 2, 2022 Paul Hastings has thrown its hat into the battle for legal talent, after raising salaries paid out to newly qualified lawyers in its London offices to £141,750. The Los Angeles based law firm is set to hike salaries paid out to its newly qualified associates by 7 per cent, from £133,000 to £141,750, according to [...]
UK aims to become global legal services hub using newfound Brexit freedoms February 1, 2022 The government has set out plans to use new Brexit to become a global hub for legal services. In a document called “The benefits of Brexit: how the UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU,” the government argued that new freedoms under Brexit will allow the UK to become a global centre for dispute [...]
Mediation should be first port of call for small claims disputes, CJC says February 1, 2022 Small claims disputes worth less than £500 should be kept out of court and dealt with through mediation, the UK government’s Civil Justice Council (CJC) has said. In a report, the CJC said claimants should be forced to go to a mediation appointment if their claims are for less than £500. County courts are currently [...]
Pupil barrister numbers rebound to pre-pandemic levels February 1, 2022 The number of people training to be barristers has bounced back to pre-lockdown levels, following a lull last year due to the pandemic. New figures from the Bar Standards Board (BSB) show that there are 511 people currently undertaking pupillages, compared the 354 people last year. The 44 per cent increase has seen the number [...]
Diversity at the Bar is ‘gradually improving but more progress is needed’ February 1, 2022 The Bar Standards Board has said that the criminal bar has become more diverse but said that more progress is needed, after new figures showed that the bar is not representative of the wider UK population. Over the past year, the bar has gotten more diverse, according to the BSB figures, which show there are [...]
US law firms return to the office blocked by Omicron variant January 31, 2022 Law firms’ plans to return to offices have been scuppered by the spread of the omicron variant in the US. Several US law firms have postponed plans to return to offices until February, having originally planned for a January return. The delays come as the highly-infectious omicron variant continues to spread through the US, despite [...]
Online hearings are harming junior lawyers, top judge says January 31, 2022 A senior British Judge has warned that virtual hearings are stunting junior lawyers’ development. Chancellor of the High Court Sir Julian Flux warned that “junior barristers and solicitors’ participation is limited to being a tile without picture or sound on a Teams screen.” The top Judge warned that the rise of remote hearings has seen [...]