All Features articles – Page 7
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FeatureThe longest journey
Far more women than men are entering the legal profession – but many struggle to move up its ranks. Structural reform is needed, hears Maria Shahid.
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FeatureThe shape of money
In the second of two articles on law firm profitability, Joanna Goodman examines the impact on the bottom line of ownership and structure.
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FeatureOpening up on disability
Lawyers take pride in protecting the rights of disabled clients, but the profession’s own record on access is mixed. Are attempts to change that paying off? In the first of two features investigating disability and legal careers, Katharine Freeland reports on the position of trainees and junior lawyers.
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FeatureBreaking America
A legal tech mission to North America included UK start-ups keen to break into the priority markets of Canada and the US.
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FeatureDiversity in the Royal Navy and the legal profession
Counsel Fiona Cain meets with Commander Ally Pollard, Royal Navy, to discuss their experiences of diversity in the workplace.
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FeaturePaper trials: Conveyancing and the Building Safety Act
Solicitors are turning down leasehold instructions, blaming unacceptable professional risks. New Law Society guidance will help but fresh legislation is still needed, hears Maria Shahid.
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FeatureLife in limbo
Indeterminate sentences of ‘imprisonment for public protection’ are thoroughly discredited. So is the end of this manifestation of ‘state-sponsored psychological harm’ in sight at last? Catherine Baksi reports.
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Feature'Left in the lurch' in Liverpool
The city’s housing and homelessness crisis is not just a consequence of austerity. Government at both local and national level is failing in its legal duties to vulnerable people, reports Eduardo Reyes.
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FeatureGeneration tech
Generative AI is transforming the way lawyers work. But it poses multiple challenges for firms, from procurement to data security. Above all, how much human interaction should AI replace?
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FeatureHome truths
Insecure tenancies and poor living conditions have pushed the plight of the UK’s growing army of renters up the political agenda. But in England ministers continue to fudge and prevaricate on much-needed reform, reports Maria Shahid.
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FeatureStar tech: the next generation
The emergence of graduate schemes reflects the enhanced value and status of a career in technology at law firms.
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FeatureBalancing act
Innovate, communicate, and understand your costs. Joanna Goodman reports on how law firms can shore up their profit margins in a softening market.
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FeatureDeal or no deal
The number of corporate scalps amassed by US regulators, driven by controversial ‘plea deals’, is envied by other jurisdictions. As Catherine Baksi reports, the UK has had deferred prosecution agreements since 2014 – so why have there been so few?
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FeatureApproaching difference
Are neurodivergent children and young people getting a fair hearing in the criminal justice system? Catherine Baksi reports.
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FeatureVoice of reason
The House of Commons justice committee turns an unflinching eye on the perceived shortcomings of the justice system and government policy. Under the chairmanship of Sir Bob Neill, its influence has grown rapidly.
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FeaturePenny wise
The legal profession benefits from a relatively well-defined career structure, but lawyers need to pay close attention to their personal finances as their careers progress.
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FeatureGenerative AI – one year on
OpenAI’s ChatGPT showcased the potential for automating legal processes. Just 12 months later the market is evolving rapidly.
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FeatureJudgment days
The SRA’s latest power grab could turn the regulator into prosecutor, judge and jury, experts warn. Meanwhile the SDT, whose workload is already shrinking, would shrivel still further, reports Catherine Baksi.
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FeatureUnhappy families
While the legal framework laid down by the Children Act 1989 remains robust, multiple operational failings in the justice system are letting children down. Rachel Rothwell reports.
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FeatureWatching brief
In the second of two articles on lawyers supporting justice abroad, Eduardo Reyes reports on the work of the 15-year-old Colombia Caravana.