Monidipa Fouzder

6 days ago | lawgazette.co.uk | Monidipa Fouzder

Interview by Monidipa FouzderThis year marks the 20th anniversary of Young Legal Aid Lawyers, which was established to represent the views of students, solicitors and barristers entering the profession who are committed to legal aid. YLAL was the brainchild of solicitor Laura Janes (pictured, below). She turned the concept into a reality with the help of the late Ashley Dias-Patel, a fellow trainee at Alexander and Partners, and barrister Felicity Williams.

1 week ago | lawgazette.co.uk | Monidipa Fouzder

As US President Donald Trump continues to push back against diversity and inclusion policies, the Law Society has unveiled a revised toolkit to help firms hold on to their black, Asian and minority ethnic staff. Dr Sam De Silva, global co-head of the commercial practice group at international firm CMS, and chair of the Society’s ethnic solicitors network, said the new guide is designed to help firms retain and advance minority ethnic diverse talent, and stay ahead in a competitive legal market.

1 week ago | lawgazette.co.uk | Monidipa Fouzder

Lord chancellor Shabana Mahmood has declared that she would continue to ensure no one is treated differently in court because of the colour of their skin or religion, as legislation entered the statute books preventing guidance for judges on pre-sentence reports referring to race and ethnicity. Mahmood introduced the legislation to parliament in April after guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council on the imposition of community and custodial sentences prompted a political outcry.

1 week ago | lawgazette.co.uk | Monidipa Fouzder

The cyber attack on the Legal Aid Agency could push barristers who predominantly do publicly funded work into major debt, the Gazette has learned - after one barrister revealed they have just had to pay a £4,000 VAT bill despite facing significant disruption to their income over the next few weeks. The impact of the cyber attack on barristers, who are self-employed, was revealed during a legal aid update at Legal Action Group’s housing law conference last Friday.

1 week ago | lawgazette.co.uk | Monidipa Fouzder

Work on a ‘material information’ form to speed up the home buying and selling process has been paused, the Law Society confirmed - after the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) unexpectedly withdrew guidance that the form was designed to support. A ‘material information’ form was due to be published alongside the sixth edition of the TA6 form in October.