JURIST is hiring! Apply online for an executive position in Pittsburgh...


PAPER CHASE NEWSBURST
Serious law. Primary sources. Global perspective.


Tuesday, March 22, 2005

UK to reform regulation of legal profession
Jeannie Shawl at 8:11 AM ET

[JURIST] Britain's Constitutional Affairs Secretary and Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer [official profile] Monday unveiled a British government plan to strip the legal profession of its right to regulate itself, saying that the current system for handling complaints lacks transparency and gives the impression of self-interest. Falconer's proposals follow public consultations held by the UK Department for Constitutional Affairs [official website] in response to concerns that many of the legal professions' rules are unduly restrictive. Responding to public feelings of low confidence in a legal profession that is self-regulated with poor enforcement of rules, Falconer proposed the creation of a Legal Service Board [text of Falconer's speech] that will oversee the legal services sector and will set standards for the profession and check that they are met. The Board, which will have a lay chair and a lay majority, will be appointed based on merit by the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs. Falconer also proposed reforms to the ownership of legal practices that would allow lawyers to create partnerships with non-legal professionals and would also permit external investment in law firms. The Times has more.



Link | e-mail report   | how to subscribe | JURIST news archive | © JURIST

For a one-stop snapshot of the latest legal news that matters, with breaking documents, new legal videos, live law-related webcasts, commentary by expert law professors and more - all updated through the day in real time, with no ads and no registration barriers - visit JURIST's homepage and check back often...


LATEST LEGAL NEWS

 Malawi judges placed under surveillance by state intelligence service
12:09 PM ET, July 19

 Ninth Circuit refutes immigration judge statements made in Ethiopia asylum case
10:17 AM ET, July 19

 European Commission brings new antitrust charges against Intel
3:07 PM ET, July 18

 click for more...

LATEST FORUM

The US and the International Criminal Court Then and Now
FOREIGN
David Scheffer
Northwestern U. Law School

ABOUT

Paper Chase is JURIST's real-time legal news weblog, powered by a team of 20 law student reporters and editors led by law professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. As an educational service, Paper Chase is dedicated to presenting important legal news and materials rapidly, objectively and intelligibly in an accessible, ad-free format.

CONTACT

Paper Chase welcomes comments, tips and URLs from readers. E-mail us at JURIST@law.pitt.edu