All Features articles

  • Birmingham-6-released
    Feature

    Look back in anger

    15 March 2024

    It is 50 years since the pub bombings which led to the convictions of the Birmingham Six. Eduardo Reyes revisits episodes that shame the police, lawyers and judges with Chris Mullin, whose campaign exposed a notorious miscarriage of justice.

  • women steps
    Feature

    The longest journey

    8 March 2024

    Far more women than men are entering the legal profession – but many struggle to move up its ranks. Structural reform is needed, hears Maria Shahid.

  • Screenshot 2024-03-07 at 09.21.41
    Feature

    The shape of money

    2024-03-01T00:01:00Z

    In the second of two articles on law firm profitability, Joanna Goodman examines the impact on the bottom line of ownership and structure.

  • Disability access
    Feature

    Opening up on disability

    23 February 2024

    Lawyers take pride in protecting the rights of disabled clients, but the profession’s own record on access is mixed. Are attempts to change that paying off? In the first of two features investigating disability and legal careers, Katharine Freeland reports on the position of trainees and junior lawyers.

  • Bryan Cranston
    Feature

    Breaking America

    23 February 2024

    A legal tech mission to North America included UK start-ups keen to break into the priority markets of Canada and the US.

  • Fiona Cain
    Feature

    Diversity in the Royal Navy and the legal profession

    2024-02-23T15:20:00Z

    Counsel Fiona Cain meets with Commander Ally Pollard, Royal Navy, to discuss their experiences of diversity in the workplace.

  • Paper house illustration
    Feature

    Paper trials: Conveyancing and the Building Safety Act

    16 February 2024

    Solicitors are turning down leasehold instructions, blaming unacceptable professional risks. New Law Society guidance will help but fresh legislation is still needed, hears Maria Shahid.

  • Prison inside
    Feature

    Life in limbo

    2024-02-13T15:47:00Z

    Indeterminate sentences of ‘imprisonment for public protection’ are thoroughly discredited. So is the end of this manifestation of ‘state-sponsored psychological harm’ in sight at last? Catherine Baksi reports.

  • Liverpool homelessness
    Feature

    'Left in the lurch' in Liverpool

    2024-02-09T00:01:00Z

    The city’s housing and homelessness crisis is not just a consequence of austerity. Government at both local and national level is failing in its legal duties to vulnerable people, reports Eduardo Reyes.

  • Humanoid-robot
    Feature

    Generation tech

    2024-02-06T00:01:00Z

    Generative AI is transforming the way lawyers work. But it poses multiple challenges for firms, from procurement to data security. Above all, how much human interaction should AI replace? 

  • Rent protest parliament
    Feature

    Home truths

    2024-01-30T11:25:00Z

    Insecure tenancies and poor living conditions have pushed the plight of the UK’s growing army of renters up the political agenda. But in England ministers continue to fudge and prevaricate on much-needed reform, reports Maria Shahid.

  • University of Law
    Feature

    Star tech: the next generation

    26 January 2024

    The emergence of graduate schemes reflects the enhanced value and status of a career in technology at law firms.

  • Price value scales
    Feature

    Balancing act

    19 January 2024

    Innovate, communicate, and understand your costs. Joanna Goodman reports on how law firms can shore up their profit margins in a softening market.

  • Screenshot 2024-01-15 at 15.26.14
    Feature

    Deal or no deal

    2024-01-15T15:59:00Z

    The number of corporate scalps amassed by US regulators, driven by controversial ‘plea deals’, is envied by other jurisdictions. As Catherine Baksi reports, the UK has had deferred prosecution agreements since 2014 – so why have there been so few?

  • Child peering through glass
    Feature

    Approaching difference

    5 January 2024

    Are neurodivergent children and young people getting a fair hearing in the criminal justice system? Catherine Baksi reports.

  • Prison-guard
    Feature

    Voice of reason

    8 December 2023

    The House of Commons justice committee turns an unflinching eye on the perceived shortcomings of the justice system and government policy. Under the chairmanship of Sir Bob Neill, its influence has grown rapidly.

  • Piggybank maze
    Feature

    Penny wise

    1 December 2023

    The legal profession benefits from a relatively well-defined career structure, but lawyers need to pay close attention to their personal finances as their careers progress.

  • Robot computer
    Feature

    Generative AI – one year on

    1 December 2023

    OpenAI’s ChatGPT showcased the potential for automating legal processes. Just 12 months later the market is evolving rapidly.

  • Judgment cartoon
    Feature

    Judgment days

    2023-11-27T14:49:00Z

    The SRA’s latest power grab could turn the regulator into prosecutor, judge and jury, experts warn. Meanwhile the SDT, whose workload is already shrinking, would shrivel still further, reports Catherine Baksi.

  • Emma Thompson
    Feature

    Unhappy families

    17 November 2023

    While the legal framework laid down by the Children Act 1989 remains robust, multiple operational failings in the justice system are letting children down. Rachel Rothwell reports.