The six-month countdown has begun until the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) introduces a new route to qualifying as a solicitor – the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). There will be a gradual transition to the new system, but solicitors need to get up to speed on the changes that are coming. From September 2021, aspiring solicitors […]Read More

The Law Society Awards 2021 are now open for entries with 20 categories to choose from, covering individual, team and firm awards. “After an extraordinary year, it has never been more important to celebrate the outstanding work of our profession,” said Law Society of England and Wales president I. Stephanie Boyce. “Solicitors play a vital […]Read More

News the government is investing £1 million in a voucher scheme to help families resolve legal issues outside of court was welcomed by the Law Society of England and Wales. Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said: “We welcome the government’s new family mediation voucher scheme and the continued commitment to helping minimise conflict between […]Read More

The Resolution National Conference is taking place from Monday 17th May – Friday 21st May 2021, taking over the virtual stage to provide practitioners with networking opportunities, workshops and information fron key note speakers. The advantage of having a virtual event, means practitioners can ‘build their own event’ that fits in with the topics they […]Read More

The Law Commission has announced its 14th Programme of Law Reform and is asking for contributions to help shape the priorities for the next three to four years. A statement from the Law Commission reads: “The Law Commission carries out law reform projects with the aim of making the law fair, modern, simple and cost-effective. […]Read More

Attracting new business is always important, and although we’d like to rely on recommendations of happy clients, more often than not people will choose our business as a result of a searching for the service on a search engine, and then contacting for a quote. With this in mind, the position of a wills and […]Read More

The Legal Services Board (LSB) launched a consumer-focussed strategy for legal services in England and Wales, and called for collaboration to reshape legal services to better meet society’s needs. The ambitious ten-year strategy reflects that the significant challenges facing the legal services sector can only be tackled by people and organisations working together to pursue […]Read More

News that English and Welsh solicitors can now requalify in Ireland again without being required to sit any examination under the local Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test was welcomed by the Law Society of England and Wales. From 22 March they can requalify by simply applying for a certificate of admission with the Law Society of […]Read More

Professionals who use the MyHMCTS system are being asked to log on using the Manage Cases interface as opposed to using the old CCD interface. The link for this is here: https://manage-case.platform.hmcts.net/Read More

Having the right support in place can have a huge impact on the well-being of an individual. With mental health and well-being now at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds, it is always nice to see what different avenues are available to those in the legal sector to garner a little extra support. […]Read More

Lubna Shuja has become the Law Society of England and Wales’ vice president raising the prospect for the first time of two consecutive women presidents in the organisation’s history when she steps up to the top job in 2022. With I. Stephanie Boyce now installed as president, it’s also the first time two people of […]Read More

The 23rd March 2021 marks the first anniversary in which the UK went in to a national lockdown to begin its fightback against the coronavirus. It’s a year that many of us would like to forget. There has been lots of uncertainty, juggling working from home, homeschooling and for some taking those tentative steps back […]Read More

HMCTS have vowed to open 60 Nightingale Courts by the end of this month, as they aim to clear the backlog of cases that need to be heard. Five new courtrooms were opened last week in London, Wolverhampton and Liverpool. The new Nightingale Courtrooms are in: Wolverhampton Park Hall Hotel providing 2 courtrooms The Hilton […]Read More

Today is the first anniversary of the day the UK went into lockdown, in a bid to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon has shared his message regarding the recovery of the courts over the past 12 months. On Judiciary.uk, his message reads: “It is almost a year since […]Read More

The Department for Education (DfE) has published information about exception requests to adopt children from countries with special restrictions. The guidance is aimed at prospective adopters and outlines the Department for Education’s process for handling exception requests to adopt children from countries where special restrictions are in place. The information reflects and expands on the […]Read More

The Home Office has re-opened its call for evidence seeking further input from women and girls who have been subject to violence. On the gov.uk website, it states: “We are seeking your views to help inform the development of the government’s next Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. We are particularly keen to hear […]Read More

Dame Rachel de Souza has now begun her term as Children’s Commissioner for England, after taking over from predecessor Anne Longfield. In her role Dame Rachel de Souza speaks up for children and young people so that policymakers and the people who have an impact on their live take their views and interests into account […]Read More

When parents separate, the needs of their children are supposed to be always put front and centre. Sadly, this is not always the case. There may be little the custodial parent can do about an ex-partner’s lack of emotional engagement with their children. There should, however, be a lot they can do about failure to […]Read More

New research from the Legal Services Board provides insights into the challenges people face when comparing and choosing legal services providers. This is partly because they lack the knowledge of what they need or how legal services work, and partly because the information is hard to find, inconsistent or non-existent. Sixty-nine members of the public […]Read More

Changes to Practice Directions 12D, 17A, 36Q and 36R come into force in February 2021, and changes to Practice Directions 10A, 12K, 41B come into force in March 2021. More information is available here.  Read More