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An expert’s report under CPR must conclude with the Expert’s Declaration stating that the expert knows his duty to the court and has complied with that duty.  There must then be a Statement of Truth, which used to say:

• I confirm that I have made clear which facts and matters referred to in this report are within my own knowledge and which are not.  Those that are within my own knowledge I confirm to be true.  The opinions I have expressed represent my true and complete professional opinions on the matters to which they refer.

Read moreCan your expert truly sign the Statement of Truth?

360 Wellbeing Centre, Chatsworth Road is the destination deluxe when it comes to health and wellbeing in Derbyshire. A hint of Belgravia and a team of experts both medical and complementary, the centre does not disappoint.

 As soon as you get beyond the door a sense of calm ensues with stunning décor and artistry created by local artist Sally Ginger. 360 wellbeing Centre would not look out of place in the borough of Chelsea.

However, Managing Director, Samantha Woodcroft explains, it’s not been easy.

“ We had our grand opening just a month before lockdown and had so much planned, including a huge wellbeing event at the Chesterfield Proact stadium for which we had already sold 250 tickets.

Read more360 Wellbeing Centre

Join  over 1,350 legal professionals & take part by DEC 31 deadline

Legal mental health charity LawCare is urging legal professionals to take part in their ground-breaking research study ‘Life in the Law’ to determine the impact of work culture and working practices on the wellbeing of legal professionals.  Anyone working in the legal industry, including those in training and support staff, can complete the anonymous online questionnaire across the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man until December 31st. The results, which will be announced next year, will help LawCare improve the support available to legal professionals and drive change in the profession, as well as forming the basis for an academic paper. 

Read moreFour Weeks To Go…..Make Your Voice Heard & Tell Your Story

Geodesys offers free of charge SDLT service as the market bounces back

As the property market resumes following the gradual lifting of lockdown measures, figures from HM Revenue and Customs have shown that property sales rose by and incredible 15.6% in August accompanied by a significant increase in house prices⁽¹⁾.

Although experts are predicting that the boom is not sustainable, current sales are also being boosted by the Stamp Duty holiday introduced by the Chancellor in July.  This sees the stamp duty threshold increased to £500,000 until the end of March 2021.  Although first time buyers were already exempt from SDLT on property purchases up to £300,000, the recent additional reduction of SDLT, has been designed to stimulate the overall market and is certainly playing a role in supporting house sales.

Read moreGeodesys offers free of charge SDLT service

Job Title:                              Family Law Solicitor

Reporting to:                      Head of Family Law

Department:                       Family

Location:                              Derby

Read moreJob Advert CartwrightKing

Job Opportunity: Charles Newton & Co Solicitors are a well established and respected family run practice at Eastwood, Nottingham with CQS status and are looking to recruit a Conveyancing Solicitor (or Legal Executive or Licensed Conveyancer) for our busy residential conveyancing department. This position is a full time role.

The caseload will involve: freehold and leasehold conveyancing, sales, purchases, remortgages, transfers of equity, Right to Buy, Shared Ownership Schemes and lease extensions.

Read moreJob Opportunity: Charles Newton & Co Solicitors

Due to expansion we invite applications for the following positions:

Wills and Probate Solicitor with over 2 years’ experience.  The candidate must have a familiarity in dealing with large and complex estate administration as well as being able to provide IHT advice.  The candidate must be able to work on their own initiative with minimal supervision.

Read moreJob Advert Alexander and Co

 John Espley, CEO of LEAP UK, the legal practice management software provider, puts forward the case that the pandemic has created an opportunity for law firms to improve their systems by becoming more agile and therefore offering a better service to their clients.

At the start of the pandemic many law firms were still over reliant on old and traditional systems and methodologies, relying on paper-based systems and face to face contact.

COVID created an immediate need for new software solutions to ensure business continuity for law firms, which required a smooth transition and the right tools for staff to work efficiently. Many firms have used any downtime created by lockdown to turn to new ways or working. Investing in new technology and training staff in new procedures that will help overcome the challenges that have arisen coming in and out of lockdown.   

Read moreThe need for digital transformation is a necessity

By Julian Bryan, Managing Director, Quill

Showing clear signs of recovery in the sector, legal activity in September bounced back to an average of 19% more than pre-Covid levels, according to the legal matters benchmarking tool, Quilldex.

At its lowest point, Quilldex reported overall cases dipped by 36% in April 2020, but this has now rebounded to 19% in September 2020, buoyed by family law (25%), private client law (36%), conveyancing (49%) and employment law (49%). Let’s take a deeper look into these areas of rebound.

Read moreCovid-19’s impact: Practice areas by work type