The updated Peer Review Quality Guides and Criteria Sheets for Crime, Family, Immigration & Asylum, Mental Health, and Housing are now available here Peer Review Quality Guide Crime 2026 (1) Crime Peer Review Criteria Sheet 2026
News
Student outdoor clerking scheme extends to De Montfort University, Leicester
A Student Outdoor Clerk Scheme (SOCS), which began at the University of Kent and is now being developed nationwide, is being established at De Montfort University in Leicester. Richard Atkinson, former President of the Law Society has said: "My firm has used SOCS...
PLEASE SIGN UP: Frontier Survey into bureaucracy
The Law Society has commissioned Frontier Economics to research the costs imposed by the burden of legal aid billing processes and supervision requirements and how these processes affect providers' willingness to take on legal aid work. The research aims to gather...
Letter to legal profession bodies – DAPO national rollout – August 2026
Letter from the MOJ: By email to: Law Society, Resolution, Family Law Bar Association, Legal Aid Practitioners Group, Bar Council, Law Centres Network, Criminal Bar Association Criminal Law Solicitors' Association, Cilex, London Criminal Courts Solicitors'...
Ministry of Justice Public Appointment Vacancies on the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee – Request for assistance
The Ministry of Justice are recruiting new members to the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, and they are seeking to appoint one solicitor member and one barrister member to the Committee for a four-year term. This is a unique opportunity to contribute directly to the...
National Listing Framework – e-learning webinar 9 September
The Law Society has organised about the soon to be in force National Criminal Listing Framework, to be held on-line on 9 September: The new National Listings Framework: Criminal Practice Direction on Listing and updated LCJ’s Guidance on Remote Hearings (Wednesday 9...
Burnham indicates he may scrap Jury trial reforms
Andy Burnham hints at dumping jury trial curbs | Law Gazette The CLSA welcomes the indication from Andy Burnham that “his instincts are not to reduce jury trials.” We hope that his review of the proposals will include removing the suggested restrictions on right to...
Fast Track Court ID Cards
We hereby give you advance notice of information we have received from HMCTS, who run the Professional Users Access Scheme HMCTS will soon deactivate ‘Fast Track Court ID Cards’ that have been inactive for six months. They will contact card holders shortly with...
Crown Court Case Readiness Research
The Ministry of Justice are currently conducting research into case readiness in the Crown Court, with the aim of understanding where friction occurs in the process and how the experience can be improved for practitioners. As part of this work, the MOJ have developed...
Early Guilty Pleas Research
CLSA members are invited to assist with research being carried out by HMCTS into how current processes support or hinder timely and informed plea decisions. Full details can be found here We encourage members to engage with this work. We will all have frustrations...