The Bar Pro Bono Unit has announced that it is undergoing a number of reforms to modernise its service for the 21^st Century and from today (22 October, the first day of Pro Bono Week) has changed its name to ‘Advocate’.

Judges have condemned the government’s treatment of immigration detainees in a report that is highly critical of inflexible Home Office rules and target-obsessed officials. 

The Bars of the UK and Ireland have doubled down on their commitment to the cab bank rule ahead of the Four Jurisdictions Conference in Belfast. 

The number of in-house lawyers will have grown much further by 2020, while technological advances could mean a legal profession with fewer solicitors and more paralegals and computers, a landmark report by the Law Society has predicted.

Disparity in the justice system between outcomes for defendants who are BAME and defendants who are white is being compounded by a lack of data needed to analyse the problem, The Centre for Justice Foundation has reported. 

I’m interested in a career in criminal law, but I’m not sure how I’d feel defending a client who I knew was guilty of a serious crime such as murder. Should I consider a different area of law?

Close to 60% of women lawyers have experienced inappropriate gender-based comments from male colleagues or know other women who have, according to research by the First 100 Years Project.

Concern over reliance on generative AI has escalated after fake case-law citations were used in an Intellectual Property Office appeal ruling. The litigant in person (LiP) admitted to using ChatGPT to help draft his case, with Phillip Johnson (the appointed person overseeing the appeal) highlighting various mistakes with the LiP’s argument.

The winners of National Accident Helpline’s Future Legal Mind competition have been announced as Syed Adil from the University of Aberdeen and Matthew Johnson from Oxford Brookes University.

On Monday 13 January, the government published an AI Opportunities Action Plan, which has been welcomed by Law Society President Richard Atkinson. Atkinson said that the plan “demonstrates the UK's commitment to invest in AI and digital infrastructures, but above all in people and talent”.  

Leading education and assessment provider Kaplan has been approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency to be the End Point Assessment organisation for solicitor apprenticeships. A rigorous application process took place to review Kaplan’s experience, expertise and capacity to perform the role prior to its approval.

The government has announced a £12.5 million funding boost for the family court pilot scheme ‘Pathfinder’, which has been welcomed by the Law Society of England and Wales. 

Mishcon de Reya LLP is rolling out Legora, a leading collaborative AI platform for its lawyers, making it available for all fee earners across all practice areas at the firm. 

The government has defeated an opposition attempt to reverse reforms to the way that criminal defence barristers are paid for legal aid work, with barristers vowing to step up their strike action in response.

Students and law schools have been honoured for their exceptional contributions to pro bono at the 10^th LawWorks & Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards.

Sam Townend KC, the new chair of the Bar Council, has called the “need for significant investment” in the criminal and family justice systems “urgent”.