Following the announcement that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) will be extending the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) by a further year to 30 September 2022, Miller examines the age-old issue of how firms look to protect themselves when the safety net of SIF is eventually gone.
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Insurers use your proposal form submission to determine if your law firm is a good risk. In the current hard market where capacity is reduced, it’s more important than ever to present your firm in the best possible light.
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I hope that you are all keeping safe and well.
The Committee and I would like to extend our warmest of congratulations to the President of the Law Society Stephanie Boyce. Stephanie has become the 177th president of the Law Society of England and Wales, becoming the first Black office-holder and the second in-house solicitor in almost 50 years to do so.
Stephanie will, amongst many key areas, use her platform to focus on good mental health. Working as a law professional can be very stressful, with overwhelming workloads and emotionally challenging cases. On 28th March 2021 the Committee hosted a zoom Health and Wellbeing event to our members. Matthew Richardson barrister of Coram Chambers and Adele Ballantyne Therapist of Eleda Consultancy shared their experiences, insights and solutions for managing workloads, building emotional resilience and tips to help improve overall health and wellbeing.
Increasing diversity, inclusion and social mobility, promoting digital engagement, good mental health and the rule of law and Improving access to justice and technology
Stephanie Boyce has become the 177th president of the Law Society of England and Wales, becoming the first Black office-holder and the second in-house solicitor in almost 50 years to do so.
Lubna Shuja succeeds Stephanie as vice president.
Stephanie takes office at an uncertain time for everyone, but believes conditions are ripe for making real, lasting improvements in the legal sector.
“This is a time of change for solicitors, for their organisations, and for the country. But while solicitors can and do play the role of the trusted adviser, we can also be a force for change,” she believes. “The door is open, and the trail is ready to be blazed.”
The family law team at HCR is celebrating promotions – James Osborne becomes a partner in the Worcester team and is joined by several others moving up the ladder – Shereen Chohan (Birmingham), Fiona Davies (Cheltenham) and Lauren Nash (Hereford) become senior associates, while James Shorrock (Cheltenham) becomes an associate.
The team, now 61-strong across the firm’s nine offices, has been in the forefront of taking divorce online – because of its size and the number of consent orders it files, HCR was asked to take part in the pilot scheme to enable people to apply for and process their divorce online, cutting waiting times. The pilot was run by the Courts and Tribunal Service for the Ministry of Justice as part of the wider process of taking divorce online.
Kevin Harris-James said: “I’m delighted that James is now a partner and I congratulate all those promoted; it is very rewarding to see people progress as they are doing.”
As the UK is instructed once more to work from home, new research published by Harrison Clark Rickerbys (HCR) highlights the need for employers to ensure flexible working policies are fit to deal with the challenges of homeworking in lockdown.
HCR’s research shows the proportion of people who said that they felt homeworking had a negative effect on their wellbeing increased significantly from just 3% pre-Covid, to almost one in five (17%) during the first lockdown.
One of the benefits of homeworking has been the absence of daily commuting, with nearly a fifth (19%) saying that it’s what they liked most about working from home during the first lockdown.
However, almost a third (30%) of people surveyed said they worked longer hours from home than they did pre-Covid. At the same time, the percentage of people who felt they were less effective working from home than in the office doubled, to almost one in five (18%).
Read moreHCR Law calls on employers to address homeworking pitfalls
A Worcester legal firm has donated £1,000 to support the work of the Worcester Foodbank as it continues to support thousands of people and families across the city.
Through its Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee, mfg Solicitors, which has offices on The Tything, has donated the four-figure sum to help ensure the much-loved Foodbank can upgrade its IT equipment and keep providing a range of services which have been impacted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Launched in 2012, the Lowesmoor-based Foodbank’s mission is to end hunger and food poverty in Worcester.
Read moreCity law firm donates £1,000 to support Worcester Foodbank
The extension of temporary measures to protect businesses and their directors during the coronavirus pandemic has been welcomed by corporate lawyer Sam Pedley.
Mr Pedley, a partner at Midlands law firm mfg Solicitors, said businesses had been given vital “breathing space” with the extension of two insolvency measures until 30 June 2021.
Measures brought in last summer as part of the UK Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 provided temporary protections during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read moreCoronavirus insolvency rules extension gives businesses “breathing space”
A Kidderminster law firm has donated £1,000 to support the work of the town’s Foodbank as it continues to support thousands of people and families across the Wyre Forest.
Birmingham Road-based mfg Solicitors has donated the four-figure sum through its Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee to support the Kidderminster Foodbank as it provides a growing number of emergency food packages to families and individuals in Kidderminster and the surrounding area.
In addition to the donation, staff at the firm regularly donate food items that are needed by the charity, most recently over Christmas with staff collecting and raising further funds to support the cause.
Read moreKidderminster law firm donates £1,000 to support town’s Foodbank
Midlands legal firm mfg Solicitors has strengthened its commercial litigation offering with the appointment of a new consultant solicitor.
Widely respected dispute resolution specialist James Ng has joined mfg and will play a key role in leading the firm’s growth in Birmingham and the wider region.
Based at mfg’s St Paul’s Square offices in central Birmingham, he will handle a variety of corporate, commercial and property matters, whilst also developing the firm’s litigation offering in the automotive, engineering and franchising sectors.
An accredited international commercial mediator who spent part of his 22-year career in the Far East, James will also offer an expert dispute resolution and risk management service for firms doing business in China and East Asia.
Read moreLaw firm grows commercial litigation team with appointment of consultant
QualitySolicitors Parkinson Wright announces plans to reorganise the commercial department for its continued growth.
The firm continues to grow their successful corporate and commercial department. As a result, Jeremy Redfern, Partner and Head of Commercial is transferring the role to Douglas Godwin, Partner.
Douglas joined the firm in 2014. Prior to qualifying as a Solicitor in 2002, he was a farm and estate manager and has considerable experience in agricultural and commercial property including planning, land development, building construction, environmental, and rural related matters. Douglas also works on behalf of local charities, for Parish Councils and not for profit organisations.
Businesses given a further lifeline with the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme should use the time to plan carefully for life after furlough.
Employment lawyer Sally Morris said firms had been given a boost by Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget, which saw the furlough scheme extended by five months, until the end of September – with employers expected to contribute from July onwards.
Although people were expecting large parts of the economy to be open again by the summer, it will take time for businesses to bring everyone back to work, while many will still have to make difficult decisions about redundancies that were put on hold by the furlough scheme.
Ms Morris, partner and head of employment at Midlands law firm mfg Solicitors, said: “Mr Sunak’s announcement will be welcomed by many businesses in the same way previous extensions to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme were, especially for those contemplating the possibility of commencing redundancy consultations.
Read moreUse extended furlough scheme to plan for ‘new normal’, urges lawyer
The only Awards to recognise the very best local lawyers across Worcestershire are back, with a prestigious black tie Awards dinner at Grafton Manor scheduled for September.
Entries for the 2021 Worcestershire Law Society (WLS) Awards are now open, with eight categories that recognise solicitors, paralegals, barristers and administrators, working in private practice or in-house across the county.
The Awards’ only category to recognise a law firm’s team is the coveted Residential Property Team of the Year Award, which this year is sponsored by bespoke property search firm Index West Midlands.
The firm works with many of Worcestershire’s law firms, providing conveyancing searches, such as environmental risk factors, utility and telecommunications reports, to the county’s commercial, and residential property lawyers, real estate and agriculture/rural affairs lawyers.
Read moreWorcestershire lawyers set for glory as top awards return
BERNEL LIMITED V CANAL AND RIVER TRUST [2021] EWHC 16 (Ch)
THE DECISION
His Honour Judge Cawson QC found that the Claimant was not a riparian owner with the benefit of riparian rights nor had it acquired an easement by way of prescription under the doctrine of lost modern grant (20 years’ user). Therefore the Judge found that the Claimant was not entitled to the declaratory relief it sought to allow the Claimant to drain surface water and treated sewage effluent from its site onto feeder land owned by the Defendant.
Closure of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund. The Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) will stop accepting new claims after 30 September 2021.
Currently, SIF provides ongoing cover to firms once their mandatory six-year run-off period has elapsed. The closure means that solicitors may be personally liable for losses from any future claims that are made against firms that have been closed for more than six years.
It’s important that you understand what this means for you in order to protect yourself against potential future claims. This is a short summary – links to full details are available at the end.
The global pandemic is changing the way people approach end-of-life planning and inspiring more people to write charitable gifts into their Will than ever before, but myths around how it works can impede that growth, according to the charity consortium, Remember A Charity.
Growth of gifts in wills
In 2020, many legal firms recorded an uplift in wills, with the Law Society reporting a ‘striking shift’ – that 7% of UK adults had written a will during the first lockdown. But the crisis prompted another notable shift; heightened awareness of the critical role of charities in our communities, inspiring the public to use their will to give back.
Read moreOne in five people writing wills now include a charity
Employers across Worcestershireare being encouraged to support Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s vital lifesaving work by signing up to its easy payroll giving scheme during its Air30 30th anniversary year.
Payroll giving is a simple and tax-efficient way for employees to donate regularly to Midlands Air Ambulance Charity through their salary, whilst employers can enhance their corporate social responsibility by offering the scheme. With the reduction in fundraising income due to the pandemic, this is the ideal scheme for those wanting to make a big difference, with a simple monthly commitment.
For those looking to make Midlands Air Ambulance their charity of choice, the donations raised through payroll giving goes towards the company’s donation, and the administrative costs related are tax deductible.
Employees can choose to donate as much or as little as they like, and as the donation is made prior to tax, HMRC will increase the amount donated at no extra cost. For example, a £10 donation will cost the employee just £8, and HMRC add in the difference.
A True Story – A Telephone Call Received in 2021
The phone rang and the lady making the phone call introduced herself as in her 70’s with an older brother and sister-in- law who wanted to stay in their own home but were finding it difficult to do so. The reason being that both now needed care support and so were currently unable to live on their own.
As an interim measure the couple, aged 84 and 90 had moved into a care home because of their current situation.
Having no children of their own, the sister had almost been given the responsibility to get her relatives safely home. Her ‘job’ was complicated in that she lived in another County and due to the pandemic could not even visit them.
Reclaim your lunchbreak and recharge in nature this Mental Health Awareness Week
Many of us have lost our connection with nature, spending most of our time indoors, at home, in an office or in a car. Sometimes even having lunchbreak seems luxurious – most of us bolt food down at our desks so as not to miss a minute of the working day.
However as humans we aren’t meant to spend so much time indoors. Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers spending most of their time outdoors amongst trees, by water, studying plants and animals, in all seasons and weather. Could our health and wellbeing be suffering because we spend less time outdoors? There are many powerful reasons why we should down tools and step outside once a day so this week try and use your lunchbreak to get outside.
Landmark Academy: Helping you reach your Learning & Development goals
An important aspect for any legal professional is maintaining their professional development and learning requirements. For property lawyers, conveyancers, legal executives and trainees in property, an online hub is available that provides free access to a wealth of resources.
The Landmark Academy was launched in 2020 to provide access to free training and development videos, webinars and articles, to meet professional development targets, set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA).
Allie Parsons, Customer Success Consultant for Landmark Information’s Legal team explains how legal professionals can benefit: “Having spent many years visiting law firms to train teams on environmental issues, it became clear that it wasn’t always convenient for those requested to attend – busy days meant they either disrupted their schedule or missed out on updating their knowledge. Add to that the restrictions posed by the pandemic, the Landmark Academy offers a learning solution that suits the way we work today.
