This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. It is a topic that we take seriously around here, so we have collectively decided to take a mental health break from putting out a full edition of Si’s Matters this week, and instead bring you our pick of the top legal-sector news stories.
Oh, and we also want to draw your attention to one of our back issues, the Mental Wellbeing Takeover Edition, guest-edited by my brilliant friend Melanie Pritchard.
Our pick of the week’s top stories
Juniors for justice
As reported in The Law Society Gazette on Thursday, The Junior Lawyers Division is demanding that lessons be learned from the SQE results fiasco this spring, saying that it will take the matter to the Legal Services Board if changes are not implemented to the way that the exam is administered.
New study identifies in-house resource crisis
The Lawyer this week featured an article on a major piece of research conducted by alternative legal provider Axiom, which has found that 95% of the 100 general counsels surveyed for the study lack the staff and skills they need to complete everyday tasks. The article argues that this state of affairs “should sound alarm klaxons across the market”.
The problems with probate
On Thursday, the Times ran an opinion piece by Wedlake Bell partner Ann Stanyer, in which she outlines the ways in which probate applicants are having to pay more for a worsening service shaped by ever-bigger delays.
‘Legal aid’ for solicitors?
The Law Society Gazette reported this week that the Law Society Council is considering the different options for providing legal support to solicitors who appear before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. Paul Sharma, Council member for central London, states that “justice demands that members appearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal should have access to legal support to ensure equality of arms”.
Generation game
According to research conducted by LegalCheek, one of the biggest challenges that junior lawyers will find themselves confronted with when they join the profession is the divergence between their own workplace attitudes and those of their older colleagues – one example of this phenomenon is that Gen X apparently prioritises long-term career growth and stability, whereas Gen Z focuses on career advancement and opportunities for skills development.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition.
Thanks,
Si Marshall
