The government has set out the expected consequences of a no-deal Brexit on the legal profession, as well as the wider economy in a report published on Tuesday.

The Government Legal Department (GLD) has warned that its lawyers face serious capacity challenges as they work on Brexit, which will be additional to the full range of legal services that they already provide in all areas of government.

The Government Legal Department (GLD) has announced in its Business Plan that it wants over 25% of senior employees to be from ethnic minority backgrounds, by 31 March 2022.

According to new research undertaken by the Bar Council, government legal panels are “disproportionately White”. 

What next for seafarers? 

A new £650 million commercial ‘legal services marketplace’ serving the public sector is being planned by the government. 

Crime solicitors have lost their appeal against the government's plans to cut the number of duty solicitors' contracts by two thirds – a decision which the Law Society has said could lead to vulnerable people being denied access to justice.

Ministers are expected to introduce new legislation to the House of Commons after the summer recess, with the aim of reducing the use of short prison sentences and toughening community punishment.

Communities secretary Sajid Javid has promised new legislation to outlaw unfair and abusive practices within the leasehold system, including a ban on leaseholds for almost all new-build houses. 

The government plans to build 14 new Nightingale courts to tackle outstanding court cases caused by the pandemic, according to a statement from Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland.

The Ministry of Justice has published new proposals to ensure that barristers and other advocates receive fair pay when they work on publicly funded criminal cases.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed that it still intends to stop allowing soldiers injured while serving in the armed forces to pursue complaints through the courts, following speculation that the plans may have been dropped over the summer. 

The government has rejected the Legal Service Board's recommendation that the interests of the public would be best served by making will writing subject to regulation

The government has rejected calls from lawyers and firms to lower employment tribunal fees, which have caused a huge drop in the number of employment tribunal cases being brought since their introduction in 2013. 

The government’s plans for how an extra £15 million into the criminal justice system will be spent have been revealed, with critics claiming that junior barristers stand to lose out to their senior colleagues.

The government has announced its ‘triple lock’ plan, which enables students to either accept the grade they receive, create an appeal to get a valid mock result, or sit their exams in autumn.

The UK government is due to announce millions in extra funding for lawyers to represent asylum seekers in order to clear a backlog of appeals.

Access to legal aid in civil disputes looks set to be widened slightly thanks to an offer by the Ministry of Justice to provide greater flexibility over the scope of provision.