Morning, Thursday, 3rd April 2025
Online
This conference will examine the way forward for professional ethics in the legal sector, including the role of regulation and workplace culture, and the impact of AI.
It will be an opportunity for key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss recent regulatory proposals, including the upcoming consultation by the Legal Services Board on policies related to the ethical responsibilities of in-house counsel, litigation conduct, non-disclosure agreements, and strategic lawsuits against public participation.
Attendees will consider challenges for ensuring ethical use of AI in legal practice, discussing strategies to balance innovation with maintaining ethical standards, alongside the role of regulation in upholding public trust and preventing misuse. We expect discussion on issues emerging from the Law Society's continued work on ethical aspects of AI, considering how to address concerns such as bias, maintaining client confidentiality, and transparency in AI-driven decisions - and looking ahead to further guidance from the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Further sessions discuss latest thinking and best practice in the development of ethical culture within legal practices, including responding to the challenges of sustaining standards amidst rapid technological advancements. Priorities for legal ethics education and cross-sector collaboration will be discussed, particularly the involvement of wider business-focused regulatory frameworks.
Delegates will look at the Bar Council’s recent research on bullying, harassment and discrimination at the Bar, and the way forward for improving the legal sector’s workplace culture, as well as how these developments impact the legal profession's ethical standards and public trust. Areas for discussion include implications of the SRA's updated rules regarding transparency in misconduct reporting, and Fieldfisher’s Bar Standards Board Enforcement Review published in April, as well as the work of the Bar Tribunal and Adjudication Service in holding barristers to account for professional misconduct.
Attendees will also consider broader challenges, including diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, the independence of legal practice in politically sensitive cases, and the role of lawyers in corporate governance, ESG issues and the implementation of EDI policy.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- upcoming regulatory consultations: implications of the LSB's policies - ethical responsibilities of in-house counsel - strategies for addressing NDAs and SLAPPs
- ethical use of AI: balancing innovation with ethical standards - ensuring transparency in AI-driven decisions - protecting client confidentiality and maintaining public trust
- AI regulation in legal practice: anticipated guidance from the Law Society and SRA - fostering responsible AI adoption - preventing misuse and bias in AI tools
- developing ethical culture: sustaining ethics amidst technological change - importance of legal ethics education - cross-sector collaboration with regulators such as the FCA
- transparency and misconduct reporting: impact of SRA's new rules - enhancing public trust - improving communication in disciplinary actions
- disciplinary procedures review: outcomes of the BSB Enforcement Review - streamlining complaint handling - increasing consistency and efficiency
- diversity and inclusion: promoting equality in the legal profession - addressing barriers at senior levels - strategies for active inclusion
- independence of legal practice: safeguarding against external pressures - navigating politically sensitive cases - maintaining professional independence
- mental health and wellbeing: potential SRA policies - implementing support structures in firms - aligning with wider wellbeing initiatives
- lawyers in corporate governance: role in advising on ethics - increasing scrutiny by the FCA - ensuring adherence to ethical standards
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
