You may be astonished to learn that one of the difficulties the Law Society experiences in trying to help solicitors is that it finds it difficult to obtain all the details it would like about the members of the profession. This is because the SRA not the Law Society collects the necessary information under the current system. Moreover the SRA is not particularly interested in the same information and there have been considerable difficulties arising from their reluctance to hand over such information as they have.
Obituary: Stephen Savage 1952 – 2020
It is with great sadness that we must announce the sudden passing of our dear colleague, Stephen Savage.
DDLS Annual Quiz
DDLS Annual Quiz 23rd January 2020 Sponsored by
Severn Trent Searches
After the floods of November it was a huge relief that the weather forecast for the week of the Quiz was relatively fair. No floods and no snow.
Derby University Law Students Dinner
Write up on Derby University Law Students Dinner
Photo is Sue Jennings, Head of Law, with some of our 3rd year LLB students.
Miller enhances its UK Professions team with hire of dedicated Risk & Compliance specialist
70 Mark Lane
London
EC3R 7NQ
T: +44 20 7488 2345
www.miller- insurance.com
Read moreMiller enhances its UK Professions team with hire of dedicated Risk & Compliance specialist
2020 Vision. What your legal tech should look like in 2020
John Espley, LEAP UK CEO, gives a snapshot of what you should be looking for from legal software to maximise your practice’s productivity in 2020 and beyond.
If a customer wanted to see a lawyer ten years ago, then they would have had to call the firm’s office, talk to a receptionist and wait to have an appointment at the lawyer’s convenience. The customer would have no idea how much the lawyer would charge them and the whole process was overshadowed by fear and doubt – not the best start for any business transaction or relationship.
Read more2020 Vision. What your legal tech should look like in 2020
Press Release
December 2019
Implementing self-service technology for your clients with a web portal
Clients are precious, after all, they pay the bills. And yet, despite their importance, so much effort goes into finding new clients as opposed to looking after existing ones. A happy client not only provides repeat business but is a great source of referrals and this is exactly why SME firms across the UK are turning to online portals to engage, interact and collaborate with clients.
President’s Bulletin 16th October 2019
Hello,
We are rapidly heading towards the end of the year and the Christmas season is almost upon us. In the meantime we still wait for news as to how this country will leave the E.U. on October 31st 2019 – possibly…
Editorial Bulletin November 2019
As the need for the editorial comes around every 8 weeks or so I seem to be constantly either seeing the children back to school or having them start yet another holiday. It is now half term. I have calculated that they go to school just 36 weeks of the year!!
In the Community
In the Community
Derby and District Law Society sponsored the Debating Award at the Enterprise for Education Awards Event 2019. DDLS are keen to continue to support the initiative of the Derby City Schools Competition which is now entering its third successful year.
The following is taken from a letter of thanks from Arshad Iqbal of E4E
Words of Wisdom 2019
Some benefits of using a local Conveyancer
The modern trend is for Estate agents to try and persuade their clients to use their own pet conveyancers – often a factory type outlet miles away from the town in which the property is located; clients too will often go on line to find the cheapest quote, rather than look to their local firms.
When I began in practice in the mid 1980’s there were two firms in the town where I worked, and two estate agents – all four being long established in one form or another; some clients – no doubt wary of small town gossip – took their conveyancing to the big city. By the turn of the century there were four law firms and five or six estate agents. Local knowledge was being diluted…
CRIMINAL COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF MEETING – 19/09/19
Present
Nick Wright, Andy Cash, Dave Gittins, Andy Oldroyd, Simon Stevens (members) Nattelie Mullings from the LAA, Laura Martin from CPS, Nicola Agalanya from the LAA and Glyn Plant from HMCTS.
GOVERNMENT U-TURN ON PROBATE FEES WELCOMED BY CHARITY BODIES
MONDAY 14 OCTOBER 2019, LONDON: After lobbying Government to abandon plans for a new probate fee regime that could threaten legacy giving, Remember A Charity and the Institute of Fundraising are pleased to welcome this weekend’s announcement that the proposed changes are to be scrapped.
Read moreGOVERNMENT U-TURN ON PROBATE FEES WELCOMED BY CHARITY BODIES
Queen’s Speech 2019: Bar Council reaction
14 October 2019
Richard Atkins QC, Chair of the Bar Council, which represents all barristers in England and Wales, said:
“Today’s Queen’s Speech acknowledged that public confidence needs to be restored in the criminal justice system. I hope that this is an acceptance of what we have long warned, that our criminal justice system can bear no more. For the last decade, the Ministry of Justice has been in dire need of rescue as it has buckled under the strain of greater budget cuts than any other Whitehall department – 40% since 2010.
PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday 11 September 2019
Misunderstanding of Wills Risks Inheritance Failing to Reach Children, Loved Ones and Charities
- Over two-thirds (68%) of Brits don’t have a fully written Will, with almost a third (30%) believing that they only need to have a Will in place if they are very wealthy
- Nearly 2 in 5 respondents (37%) think that if they don’t have a will, their inheritance will go straight to their partner or children
- Remember A Charity in Your Will Week is underway, encouraging everyone to have a Will in place and to consider leaving a gift to charity after family and friends are taken care of
Why Quill ticks all the boxes
By Julian Bryan, Managing Director, Quill
Our recently acquired Cyber Essentials accreditation is yet another tick in the growing list of reasons to use Quill’s software and outsourced support. Carrying the National Cyber Security Centre’s seal of approval with Cyber Essentials certification means our infrastructure is recognised as robust and we’re committed to raising the security bar even higher. Clients now have more incentive to choose their trusted full-service supplier.
poweredbypie Launches Document Portal
PRESS RELEASE
poweredbypie Launches Document Portal to Enable Secure Exchange of Sensitive Client Data
12 September 2019: Search and software providerpoweredbypie has announced the launch of Document Portal, a new solution for solicitors to enable the secure electronic exchange of all documentation within the conveyancing process. By removing the need to ‘print and post’, Document Portal offers a simple, secure solution to speed-up the exchange of documentation between solicitors and clients.
How digitisation is changing the future of home-buying
By Jonny Davey, Product Manager at Geodesys
Data in the 21st century has been described as the oil of the 18th century – an incredibly valuable resource with potential for immense rewards for those who learn how to extract and use it 1. Living in a connected, digital economy means that we are increasingly reliant on data in order to function and evolve, so businesses and consumers alike have a part to play in shaping the role of digital information in our society.
The commercial value of data has already been recognised by the automotive industry, where mobile phone signals and GPS positioning have been used to reveal important information about driver behaviours. Monitoring of parking locations, destinations, mileage and speed, even the frequency of sudden braking feeds huge back-end systems that collate that data and package it to be resold.
Read moreHow digitisation is changing the future of home-buying
EWI Conference 2019
When it comes to supporting the rule of law…
EXPERTS MATTER …
as Lord Neuberger delivers the keynote address at the annual conference of the Expert Witness Institute in October 2019 Elizabeth Robson Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers went along to observe….
Looking back on autumn, lawyers will recall that it isn’t just a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness (although most do enjoy these). With predictable regularity, the falling leaves of autumn not only herald in the new legal year, they also create a really quite inspiring backdrop for fruitful new opportunities to meet, greet, network, contemplate and confer.
What’s magic about mediation?
It often seems that the world of litigation lawyers divides into two camps: those who have never mediated, and those who are passionate advocates for mediation. The third group – lawyers who have tried it and say “never again” – doesn’t exist.
Why? Well, it seems that the blandishments of many senior judges, including Lord Justice Ward (with whom I had the great honour of co-mediating more than once), and the costs penalties for failure to mediate, have still not had the desired effect on some; yet when those laggard lawyers finally take the plunge, they become converts overnight.
So there must be something magic about the mediation process. What is it?