An occupational hazard of commentary is a tendency to catastrophise. In a digital news landscape of abbreviated attention spans, moderation is long out of fashion. You know the drill by now – crumbling courts; delayed trials; existential threats to the rule of law; legal aid (or the lack of it). The list lengthens.
I do not seek to downplay any of these problems. Some are getting worse. But many lie at the intersection of politics and public sector. Lawyers cannot do a great deal about them other than lobby and protest. Or occasionally sue, as with legal aid and the Law Society.
As we enter 2024 (and without quite emulating Dr Pangloss), I am determined to strike an uncharacteristically optimistic note. The profession more broadly is motoring along nicely. There are more solicitors than ever and yet law firms remain locked in a seemingly never-ending arms race for talent.
A pragmatic flight to quality in higher education saw a record 19,000 people graduate in law last year. What you do is unprecedentedly attractive to aspiring professionals. The law can pay very well indeed and sixth-formers contemplating massive student debts know this.
Meanwhile, prognostications of doom attendant upon Brexit, and then the pandemic, proved to be unwarranted. Thousands of high street firms were set for closure ‘within six months’ when Covid-19 hit, according to one forecast four years ago. It didn’t happen. Yes, there has been consolidation, but there is always consolidation in business.
Meanwhile, the peerless reputation of the UK as a forum for dispute resolution has not been irreparably sullied by our departure from the EU. Brexit has made working life more involved – but lawyers thrive upon complication. Complexity is profitable. Lawyers are adaptable and resolute. We haven’t got Lugano yet, but we are getting Hague 19. Life goes on.
It is within this generally upbeat context that the Gazette this week signposts readers to the big issues and challenges of 2024, as compiled by our writers. For you, the biggest of them will depend on what you do and where. For me, the biggest will be the ramifications of the Post Office Inquiry for conduct and ethics. We shall see.
Happy new year.
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