Joint solicitor-barrister services bill expected soon
Speaking at Dublin International Dispute Week yesterday (15 June) justice minister Helen McEntee said that the bill to allow barristers and solicitors to jointly provide legal services will be published shortly.
The general scheme for the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 was first published in June 2021 and governs the introduction of new legal partnerships such as to address gaps in the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 over the planned introduction of such partnerships.
The minister also said that said a decision on numbers of judges required will be made after the report of the Judicial Resources Planning Group is delivered.
JAC enactment
The minister also said she was committed to the enactment this year of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill.
McEntee also said she wants to widen professional legal education “so that we can recruit our future lawyers from as wide a pool as possible”.