The magazine for lawyers in Merseyside and the North West

Transcription

Liverpool Law
The magazine for lawyers in
Merseyside and the North West
October 2015
LLS and Chester and North
Wales Law Society
Family Walk
Liverpool Law Society
Charity Treasure Hunt
This month’s featured charity
Headway Wirral
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Welcome
EDITORIAL 3
Welcome to the October edition of Liverpool Law.
Who'd have thought as the year is coming to a close that Jeremy Corbyn would
be leader of HM Opposition and the papers would be full of whether or not he
should sing the national anthem. There are those who believe he should learn
each word to sing in the faces of the French during the Rugby World Cup and
those who believe it's a question of personal choice.
Either way it's brightened up the political scene and any budding politician
amongst us could do worse than becoming a director of Liverpool Law Society
and getting the opportunity to meet up with local MP's and councillors. If you are
interested come to the AGM or any of our social events this autumn.
Details are in this month’s edition along with lots of other articles and I hope you
enjoy a good read.
Sylvia Shepherd
Editor
editor@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk
Liverpool Law Needs YOU
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individual contributed and not those of the Liverpool Law Society.
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Deadlines for 2015
NOVEMBER EDITION - 19TH OCTOBER DECEMBER EDITION - 16TH NOVEMBER
Diary Dates
08/10/15 From 5.30pm
Liverpool Legal Walk in aid of
the North West Legal Support
Trust - 5 miles around Liverpool
City Centre starting at QEII Law
Courts
14/10/15 6.00pm-8.00pm
Evening Drinks Reception for
Members
University of Liverpool's School of
the Arts Library
13/11/15 6.45pm for 7.30 pm
Annual Dinner
Britannia Adelphi Hotel
24/11/15 5.00pm for 5.30pm
AGM
President’s Mentions
4 FROM THE PRESIDENT
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the October edition everyone,
I would just like to start by saying “Veni Vidi Ascendi”! This, as I am sure all you
Latin buffs out there will know are the words which Julius Caesar might have
uttered if he had been lucky enough to attend our family walk up Moel Famau
on 6 September. For those of you who are not sufficiently “old school” to still
keep a Latin textbook on your desk, this translates (very roughly in case there are
any Latin pedants out there) as “I came, I saw, I climbed”. As you will see from
Mark Evans’ write up elsewhere in this month’s edition there was a fantastic turn
out for this year’s walk and despite it being something of a chilly afternoon, a
great time was had by all.
By the time you read this (no doubt in full trick or treat mode ahead of 31
October) we will have also had our charity treasure hunt. As I write these
mentions, we already have over 20 teams so I am hoping that we will raise a
considerable sum for the charity of the winning team’s choosing.
annual dinner which is due to take place on
Friday 13 November (yes, Friday the 13th!) at
the legendary Adelphi hotel. I am delighted
Looking further forward into October I am delighted to say that we are holding a to say that Michael Mansfield QC has agreed
joint event with Liverpool University on 14 October. This is taking place at the Arts to be our guest speaker and everyone here at
LLS Towers is already looking forward to the
Library at 23 Abercrombie Square and is a joint celebration for the opening of
the new academic and legal years. It is free to all members of the Society – we event. Please do come along, bring your
clients and colleagues and help us to
will get to have a look at the very swanky library and enjoy a glass of wine with
celebrate the best community of lawyers in the
our academic colleagues. I am delighted that Andrew O’Byrne, the Leader of
UK!
the Northern Circuit, has also agreed to attend and say a few words. I am
hopeful that a few of you who will also have attended the employment law
Emlyn Williams
conference that day will come along to have a post-conference “debrief” aka
President
glass of wine.
Of course, the other big event which is looming on the horizon is the Society’s
Charity Spotlight
Headway Wirral
Headway Wirral is affiliated to the National Charity
Headway. Headway is completely free and offers support
to sufferers of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) which means
people who were not born with a brain injury, but who
acquired it during their lifetime, either through illness or
injury.
ABI can be devastating to families, not just individuals,
and we provide support to family members and loved
ones who quite often need our help more than the
person with ABI. We see ourselves as 'the end of the line'
in terms of care. Once a person’s life has been saved
and they have benefited from the services of the NHS
and finally discharged, there is often nowhere for them to
turn to for continued support. That is when Headway will
step in and provide the support they need. Often victims
of ABI become socially isolated and only fifteen per cent
of people with a serious ABI ever work again, so the
families often also have to deal with financial problems.
Immediate family members suffer because, depending
upon the nature of the injury, the person with ABI can
have a complete change of personality, perhaps
becoming aggressive or impatient. Headway seeks to
help families to understand what is going on. Breakdowns
in relationships is very common following ABI.
Headways aim is also to raise awareness of ABI in society.
The numbers of victims of ABI is growing, primarily
because of advances in medicine. People who would
have died twenty years ago are now being saved. In the
majority of cases and ABI sufferer can expect to have a
normal lifespan. Therefore awareness of the prevelance
of ABI in society is important. To this end I have already
completed awareness training with the local police who
are likely to come into contact with ABI sufferers on a day
to day basis. We also seek to reduce incidents of ABI by,
for example, encouraging the wearing of cycling
helmets, particularly by children. One in five of all ABI
cases amongst children is caused by falling off bicycles.
Sponsored by
On Wirral we provide three support groups on Tuesday to
Thursday with around 75 members attending regularly. We
provide counselling, signposting in terms of legal and benefits
advice. We also provide social activities for members including
day trips, quizzes, bingo or just a place to come and chat and
have lunch. We also have a fortnightly dro -in at the local Brain
Injury and Stroke Unit at Clatterbridge Hospital where I speak to
families who are going through very difficult times. Although I
am not a clinician, The Headway Region employ a full time
nurse who specialises in brain injury and who can be made
available to act as a go-between for families and hospital staff.
Headway Wirral receive a small grant from the local authority
which covers around twenty five per cent of our annual running
costs. The remainder of our funding comes from charity events
and commercial and private donations.
The dragon boat event is our biggest fundraising event of the
year. 2015 was our fourth such event and each year has seen it
grow in size, with eighteen teams taking part. The legal
profession are always well represented amongst the
competitors and without the support of local sponsorship from
solicitors we would really struggle to survive financially. This year
the event was opened by the Mayor of Wirral and the prizes
were awarded by former Liverpool and England football
captain, Mark Wright. The event was actually won by the
Merseyside Police for the first time which resulted, as you can
imagine, in some friendly banter! As yet we are not quite sure
how much has been raised as we are still counting the 'Just
Giving' page figures, as well as cash donations. However, we
are optimistic that we can beat our previous record of £8,000.
The event was followed by refreshment and entertainment at
the local sailing club and everyone had a great time. We are
hoping that the event will continue to grow and become a
permanent fixture on the local Callander of events. The Mayor
of Wirral, Counsellor Les Rowlands was quoted in the local press
(Wirral News) as saying "the Headway Wirral Dragonboat festival
helps to raise much needed funds each year and is vital to
them being able to provide support."
NEWS 5
Liverpool Law Society and Chester &
North Wales Law Society Family Walk
Sunday 6th September 2015
It now appears to be an
annual event when our
respective societies meet for
an afternoon walk followed
by a drink/meal at a local
pub. Following the successful
walk last year at Helsby Hill
arranged by Liverpool Law
Society, I volunteered to
arrange a walk on behalf of
my Society in my native North
Wales. This year we went to
the summit of Moel Famau
standing at 1818ft. It was
described in an earlier flyer as
“a long gentle walk, steep in
places”. Unfortunately I live
on a mountain range and am
used to steep inclines
however for those living in the
Cheshire plains this was a new
experience for which I
apologise!
Our two Presidents, Emlyn
Williams and Gerry Rooney
were joined by a party of
family, friends, colleagues
and dogs. With over 40
people attending (of all ages)
I decided to ask for the
assistance of a walk leader
and thank my friend Tony
“Bear Grylls” Jones for all his
help and humour on the day.
To the embarrassment of my
family I wore a fluorescent
yellow jacket at the start and
even had radio contact in
the event of an emergency
with “Bear”.
The walk started in the forest
before we eventually
reached the Jubilee Tower at
the summit. The panoramic
views at the summit were
breathtaking , or was that just
the wind at the top!! It was
nice to relax and enjoy each
others company. For our
descent we walked along a
path with views of the Vale of
Clwyd, Snowdonia and Mid
Wales before finally returning
to base camp. No accidents
to report, sorry to any
Personal Injury Lawyers, and a
thoroughly entertaining
afternoon. We finished off at
the local pub The Druid Inn,
Llanferres, who had earlier
witnessed the passing of the
Tour of Britain Cycle Race, for
a well deserved drink and
some food. Apologies to
Emlyn for the lack of TV, to
watch the Wales match on!!
Thanks to all those who
attended and for your good
company. Diolch yn fawr!
Mark Evans,
Law Society Council Member
Cheshire & North Wales
6 LOCAL NEWS
Your Society
Please consider standing for election
at the 2015 AGM
Your local Law Society
Full members of the Society (as opposed to Associate or
Affiliated members) will shortly be receiving a nomination form
for this year’s AGM. We would like to have a Committee which
is as representative as possible of the wide membership the
Society enjoys. The nomination form must be completed and
returned to the Society’s offices by Friday 23rd October 2015.
Becoming a director and member of General Committee is an
opportunity to shape the future of one of the most active local
Law Societies in England and Wales. You will make professional
contacts and friends, learn from other's best practice and work
shoulder to shoulder with other legal professionals, regardless of
status and seniority.
The General Committee consists of up to 27 members, who
each serve a three-year term. Every year, nine members of the
General Committee retire by rotation at the Annual General
Meeting: up to five of those due to retire may be nominated
by the Committee for re-election, and the others are not
eligible for re-election until the next Annual General Meeting.
Elections will take place at the Society’s Annual General
Meeting to be held at 5.00pm for 5.30pm on Tuesday, 24th
November 2015 at the Society’s offices in the Cotton Exchange
building. If you would like further information about the
Committee please visit
http://www.liverpoollawsociety.org.uk/about-thesociety/committees or email
committees@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk with your query or
request.
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Managing Partners’ Dinner
Liverpool Law Society held our first Managing Partners’ dinner
on 9th September. The purpose of the evening was to thank
Managing Partners of member firms for their ongoing support
of the society, and also to discuss – amongst more wideranging conversation – what more they would like from the
society in terms of support for their firms and the Liverpool legal
profession more generally.
We were extremely grateful to Royal Bank of Scotland for their
sponsorship of the evening, which enabled us to provide an
excellent meal at 60 Hope Street for our guests, who were
joined by the President, Emlyn Williams, myself, Past President
Alistair Fletcher, and CEO Sarah Poblete. We were delighted to
see a good turnout from member firms of all shapes and sizes,
from our largest commercial member firms to sole practitioners;
and from firms who already have very strong involvement in
the society, to those who wanted to know more, and may
even have been somewhat sceptical! Whilst Chatham House
rules were observed throughout the evening, I am sure no-one
who was there would mind me saying that it was interesting to
note what issues were relevant to us all, no matter our size,
work type or structure. The dialogues were very useful and
gave us some great ideas to bring back to general committee
for future planning. We were extremely pleased that the
overwhelming view of those present about the society was a
very positive one. Discussions were not limited to those
concerning Liverpool Law Society and there were a number of
other matters which also cropped up in conversation, making it
a great opportunity for us all to get to know one another better
– especially those of us who retired to the pub for a nightcap
to conclude the evening!
It was a very enjoyable and useful event and something which
we would hope to repeat, sponsorship permitting! Thank you
to all of those who did attend* and thank you again to RBS for
their generosity in supporting the event.
*Invitations were sent directly to everyone who was identified
as a Managing Partner in the society’s records – if you feel you
should have been invited and didn’t receive an emailed
invitation then please contact the society’s office to check
that your details are correct.
Alison Lobb
Morecrofts
Vice President
Merseyside Christian Lawyers
We extend a warm invitation to all, to join us for our
informal meetings at the Liverpool Law Society, Cotton
Exchange between 1 & 2pm on:
Thursday, 22nd October 2015
Thursday, 5th November 2015
Thursday, 10th December 2015
What our custo
ome
mers say:
"I reco
om
mmend u
un
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he S
Seeaso
on Tiick
ckket w
wh
hich
ch providees
exceellent vval
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ncouraagees parttiiciipation and lleearrning wh
which
beenefi
fits tth
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ndividu
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m and clliients"
s
With over 60 members Atlantic Chambers is able to offer a wide
range of expertise within our specialist practice groups.
Naomi Pinder, Solicitor, Jackson & Canter.
³The season ttiickket w
was
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To see full details, terms & conditions or to apply, visit:
www.liverpoollawsociety.org.uk
Civil Litigation including Clinical Negligence,
Family, Chancery & Commercial, Crime,
Employment, Proceeds of Crime & Public Law
4-6 Cook Street, Liverpool L2 9QU
T 0151 236 4421 F 0151 236 1559
DX: 14176 Liverpool 1.
E-mail: info@atlanticchambers.co.uk
CRIMINAL LAW 7
Criminal Law Update
Nick Cockrell of Linsklills Solicitors outlines the changes to the
Criminal Procedure Rules
On the 10th anniversary of the Criminal Procedure Rules, the
Rule Committee has made a raft of changes for 2015. You will
be delighted to know that you will no longer have the
frustration of turning to the helpful Part which will undoubtedly
have the answer to your procedural query... only to find a
blank section. In amongst the rearrangement of rules (to finally
omit those blank sections), the new abbreviation, service of
documents, jury directions and re-trials (to name but a few),
you won’t be surprised to learn that one of the main changes
relates to Case Management.
I wonder how many “Criminal Law Updates” over the past
decade have covered changes to Case Management. I
suspect there have been quite a few and here is another to
add to the list.
In line with the new CrimPR (no longer “CPR”, please), October
2015 will see the start of the latest innovation for making the
Criminal Justice System more efficient. Better Case
Management (“BCM”) is based on the overarching principles
of Sir Brian Leveson’s report “Review of Efficiency in Criminal
Proceedings” though it is possibly unfair to label it as an
innovation as the intention is to build on the “success” of
Transforming Summary Justice.
The principal aims will be familiar to many: robust case
management, reduced hearings, maximum participation, full
engagement, and efficient compliance with the CrimPR.
The national implementation starts on 5th October with the
coming into force of the Criminal Procedure Rules 2015 and
the Case Management Practice Directions (Part 3 Case
Management) 2015 (“CMPD”). As one of the eight “early
adopters” of the scheme, Liverpool will be responsible for
testing out and refining the changes under the judicial lead of
His Honour Judge Goldstone QC. The new Plea and Trial
Preparation Hearing (PTPH) forms will need to be completed
and compatibility with the Crown Court Digital Case System
will be reviewed.
There will undoubtedly be changes along the way, but
nevertheless it is anticipated that all remaining courts will start
operating BCM in early January 2016.
Some of you may have been fortunate enough to attend the
BCM Roadshow in July that was chaired by Lord Justice Gross.
If (like me) you missed your invitation, then you can watch the
40 minute video on the internet where you can learn the views
of the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales, the CPS
and the police. Regular updates will also be provided in Lord
Justice Gross’ BCM Newsletter which you should probably keep
an eye out for.
In a nutshell, BCM will introduce two main case management
initiatives:
1. A uniforn national Early Guilty Plea scheme (in the Crown
Court); and
2. Crown Court disclosure in document heavy cases
All cases sent from the magistrates’ court will now be listed for
a PTPH within 28 days. On the Northern Circuit this will be 21
days (so much for uniformity...) At the PTPH, there will either be
a guilty plea (and ideally sentence) or a not guilty plea with
robust case management for trial. By that stage, the parties
would have already complied with their duty to engage about
the case in an effort to achieve early resolution.
If a guilty plea is entered, the court will be expected to move,
where possible to sentence with stand down pre-sentence
reports if available. I expect that the system will dovetail with
the efficient Early Guilty Plea scheme that we have at present.
For straightforward contested cases, the PTPH will be the only
hearing at the Crown Court before the trial. For more complex
cases, or those where the judge decides that it is in the
interests of justice, a further hearing will be listed. I expect that
these hearings will be rare.
In respect of Crown Court disclosure in document heavy
cases, the pilot scheme that has operated in four other areas
will be adopted nationwide. It is reliant on the CPS conducting
a detailed review of such cases and serving a “Notification
Form” in advance of the PTPH. Disclosure will be regularly
reviewed by updating a “Disclosure Management Document”.
The changes to case management will be supported by other
changes to the CrimPR such as increased obligations on Expert
Witnesses to comply with court directions (now Part 19, as
opposed to 33).
In accordance with the pleas of Lord Justice Gross, I am sure
that all practitioners in Liverpool (prosecution and defence) will
do their best to embrace the changes and engage positively
with the proposals. After all, we led the way nationally in terms
of the Early Guilty Plea pilot scheme, and we appear to be
ahead of many areas in terms of efficiency. If nothing else, we
will no doubt all be keen to avoid attendance at the new
“Compliance Courts” (CMPD 3A.26)!
I expect, however, that defence practitioners will be a little
sceptical about the prospects for success and, indeed, how
that success will be measured. Any success will no doubt be
reliant on the adoption of some of the important themes in Sir
Brian Leveson’s report such as early case ownership and direct
engagement between the parties.
It will also be interesting to see how the prosecution copes with
the increased obligation to serve details of its case (CrimPR
Part 8 - in place of 10) and in turn the court’s response to any
failures to comply. In addition to this, defence advocates will
no doubt continue to be robust in protecting their clients’
interests and upholding the presumption of innocence and the
burden of proof.
In this regard, it is sometimes felt that the pressure placed on
the defence to comply with case management is
disproportionate to the relaxed attitude shown towards the
prosecution. It may be, therefore, that the success of BCM will
be dependent on strong and consistent judicial case
management that is fair to all parties involved.
There are many other changes to the Criminal Procedure Rules
and if you previously haven’t been very good at keeping upto-date with the amendments, now is probably the time to sit
down, print them off and read through them.
If you do that, the eagle eyed among you will notice that
there is a significant change to the overriding objective: the
omission of the word “new”. That’s right... After 10 years, as
well as disposing of those blank sections, the Rule Committee
has finally decided that the CrimPR are so woven into the
fabric of our work that they no longer merit novelty status.
10 years? Time flies when you’re having fun...
Nick Cockrell
Linskills Solicitors
8 NEWS
Charity Treasure Hunt
On 16 September 2015, Liverpool Law Society hosted a Charity
Treasure Hunt, which was well attended by Law Society
members from all over the region. After a reception at
Weightmans’ offices in Liverpool, the teams were provided with
question sheets and they set off to find the answers. The
questions were cleverly put together by Fred Benson, and they
tasked the teams with cryptic clues, that prompted them to
walk around the City Centre to find the answers.
Such was the competition between the teams that there was a
tie breaker between 6 teams for the winning spot. Teams from
Bermans, Bennett Williams, Morecrofts (x2), Weightmans and
DWF took part in the tie breaker and Bermans were the
winners, their designated charity, Macmillan Cancer Support,
being set to receive over £1000.00 that was raised on the night.
Gaynor Williams, Partner at Bennett Williams Solicitors said: “The
Charity Treasure Hunt was a huge success, it made the teams
more determined to find the answers, knowing that the winning
team would receive the funds for their charity. We chose
Friends of Birkenhead Kennels as our designated charity, they
are a small charity that work tirelessly to keep stray dogs off our
streets and find them homes. Although we did not win the
prize, we thoroughly enjoyed the evening and we look forward
to the next one”.
Bermans, the winning team with the President
Gaynor Williams
Bennett Williams Solicitors
Private Child Law Confference 2015
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FEATURE 9
Want to buy a law firm?
“My definition of an intellectual is someone who can listen to the
William Tell Overture without thinking of The Lone Ranger.” Billy
Connolly
The Lone Ranger’s friend, Tonto, knew a bit about targeting.
Tonto: Nice shot.
The Lone Ranger: That was supposed to be a warning.
Tonto: In that case, not so good.
We are sometimes asked by people looking to acquire a law
firm target if there is a silver bullet that will ensure a successful
acquisition, given that most acquisitions fail to deliver the full
benefits sought by the acquirer. The honest answer would have
to be ‘get lucky’ because there is undoubtedly an element of
luck involved in identifying the right target, negotiating the right
deal, paying the right price and delivering the right on-going
performance.
Having said that, if you are planning a law firm acquisition, here
are a few things we think you could do to improve your luck:
1. HAVE A CLEAR REASON TO BUY In our last article, we outlined
seven reasons why successful acquirers buy businesses. In brief,
these were (1) benefiting from a target’s improved productivity
(2) taking out a competitor (3) achieving rapid diversification (4)
boosting market share (5) leap-frogging R&D (6) capturing early
stage innovations and (7) bagging a bargain. If the reason for
your proposed acquisition is one of these, you already have a
better than average prospect of success.
2. PLAN AND KEEP PLANNING It is, of course, possible to overplan. I know this having once spent a fortnight on safari trying to
get a perfectly focused wild animal photo and ending up with
200 shots of vegetation. Proper planning and financial
forecasting will, however, enable you to anticipate issues and
decide, in advance, how you will tackle them. It’s a form of
before-the-event insurance.
3. DON’T BE A LONE RANGER Acquisitions are hugely time
consuming and energy sapping so it’s advisable to create a
small internal team to manage the project. This team will need
some input from finance, HR, IT and marketing personnel but in a
way that does not distract them from their normal day to day
responsibilities. The internal team should engage specialist
lawyers, accountants and insurance brokers with experience of
handling law firm transactions. The right external advisory team
will help you get the deal structure right, guide you through
every step of the process and avoid you wasting time and
money.
4. BUY YOURSELF THINKING TIME The rapidly changing legal
sector is not a place for slow-coaches but we are aware of quite
a number of recent law firm deals that were done in haste and
where the acquirer is now repenting at leisure. A good team of
advisers will help buy you valuable time to think clearly and
make the right judgment calls.
5. DON’T OVERPAY This sounds easy, but no-one really knows
what a law firm is worth. Valuation, however scientifically carried
out, remains a bit of an art. The use of a specialist work-inprogress valuer and an M&A accountant can give you and your
funders a high level of confidence that you are in the right ballpark but prepare yourself for a bit of horse trading.
6. RETAIN THE OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS Some acquirers put
huge effort into the acquisition itself but underestimate how
much time and effort it takes to properly integrate a target postacquisition. Sellers can sometimes be a little less charming once
they’ve banked the cheque so it’s vital to allocate plenty of
energy and resource to operational integration once the ink has
dried on the sale and purchase agreement.
7. CULTURE BEATS A VULTURE It is not really possible to asset-strip a
law firm as value evaporates if the loyalty of its staff and clients is
lost. Acquisitions work best when there is a mutually beneficial
cultural fit and this remains the number one criteria for a
successful law firm investment.
8. WIN-WIN OR NO DEAL Every deal has its own momentum and
it’s very easy to get swept up in the paper-chase and feel there
is no going back. Every successful deal provides some element
of win for both parties. If it looks like this cannot be achieved for
you, be ready and able to walk away, however late in the day
it may be. As a good friend of mine once said, better an empty
house than a bad tenant.
O’Connors LLP is a Liverpool and London-based law firm that
advises law firms, chambers and other providers of legal
services on start-ups, structures, regulation, funding, mergers,
acquisitions and disposals, contractual arrangements with third
parties and insurance. For further information, please contact
Nigel Wallis, Pamela Rafiq or Mark O’Connor at O’Connors LLP
via www.oconnorsllp.co.uk.
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Founding Fathers
10 FEATURE
Julian Linskill was born in
London, but his parents relocated to Liverpool when he
was a child and he describes
himself as an “adopted son of
Liverpool”.
Julian studied law at Liverpool
University and after
graduation spent a couple of
years as a tour guide in
London. He then joined
Joseph Norton and Co
Solicitors in Liverpool as an
Articled Clerk. Julian says
“Joseph Norton was a former
Lord Mayor of Liverpool and
an excellent advocate.”
When Julian qualified as a
solicitor in 1975 he stayed with
the firm for a short time
before moving abroad where
he met and married his wife.
Returning to the UK he joined
Malcolm Ross Solicitors, but in
1978 he decided that he had
the skills and ambition to set
up on his own, and so Linskills
was born.
Julian started out with just a
secretary and conducted the
interview whilst half way up a
ladder as he painted the
outside of his office. Julian
began by specialising mainly
in crime work, but as the firm
expanded they also added
legal services in welfare rights,
personal injury, civil litigation
and domestic conveyancing.
In 2000 the firm moved to
Castle Street in the city
centre.
However, Julian’s reputation
as one of Liverpool leading
criminal defence solicitors
can not be overstated. He
has defended well over 100
murder cases, many of them
successfully. One of his most
notorious cases was that of
Mitchell Quy who murdered
and then dismembered his
wife, leaving her body parts
on the beach at Southport.
After a long police
investigation Quy was
eventually charged and
admitted her murder. Julian
adds “This was my most
famous case, but not
necessarily my finest hour.”
Julian also represented Kerry
Katona on a drugs charge, he
says “this is the only time that
one of my clients has been
asked for an autograph whilst
being charged!”
Julian is a Higher Court
Advocate and argues cases
in the magistrates’ court,
Crown Court and Court of
Appeal. He is also a
Specialist Criminal Lawyer and
a member of the Serious
Fraud Panel.
However Julian is very
concerned at the relentless
attacks by the goverment on
the profession. He adds “I feel
there is a more sinister desire
by government to weaken
the defence establishment.
We are also being hampered
by the lack of fees. This is not
about how much we earn,
but about being able to
devote time and resources to
our clients. We are the only
profession that haven’t seen a
fee increase since 1996 and
2016 will see even more cuts.”
Despite being Senior Partner
of the firm, Julian says that he
is still takes a very “hands on”
approach and subsequently
has little time for interests
outside of the law. “ The law is
a very demanding mistress
and I have very little spare
time. However I do like to
take a walk in the park, take
my wife out for dinner and
have a passion for travelling.
Our daughter has recently
moved to Australia and we
have been to visit a number
of times which have been
hugely enjoyable.”
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example, Tax and VAT payments, removing the need to rely on
costly, fixed term repayment loans from secondary funders.
Disbursement funding (‘DCF’)
VFS funds the ongoing disbursements incurred on PI, Clinical
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v
Probate
- How to do the work profitably
How do you best ensure the profitability of your probate work?
“ firms appear to not know the gross profit
”
Surprisingly, most law
margin of their probate department. Let me put that differently. Of
the 140 firms who use our probate software (Isokon), the majority
declined to answer our questions about their profit margin for this
area of work.
We were not able to assess whether they did not actually know the
answer to the question (which appeared to be case) or whether they
were simply being discreet. Or possibly they were too embarrassed to
reveal their relatively low profit margin. The irony is that the firms that
were
all revealed that their gross
“ willing to discuss their profitability,
”
profit margin is consistently in excess of 70%.
The key question is: how have these high margin firms managed to
achieve this level of profitability. What distinguishes them from the
low margin firms. In the one instance in which the firm was willing to
discuss their success openly, the formula appeared to be relatively
straightforward. Profitability is a mixture of effective software
combined with judicious organisation. Let us examine that in more
detail, since both parts are equally important.
Profitability is a mixture of effective
software combined with judicious
organisation.
The software is an accounting database designed specifically for
probate (and trust) work with the ability to easily record the variety of
financial data of the deceased estate, including such items as
business and agricultural relief, ISAS and PEPS, net or gross taxation
of domestic and foreign equities, including double taxation
agreements, separating capital and income, post probate
adjustments, and abatement of assets, in instances where the estate
is more than just a bank account and a house.
The software includes a case management component that consists
of a workflow with task management, a log of events, and a
mailmerge facility that enable a range of standard letters to extract
data from the accounting database. The latter enables a range of
letters and emails to be produced and sent to banks, building
societies, funeral directors, utility companies, executors, beneficiaries,
and other related parties. Letters to these parties can be produced at
the proverbial click of a mouse, and often more than one letter at a
time, each of which can be billed at the rate of one unit of time for
each individual output.
It is axiomatic that having the software technology available does not
inevitably result in the level of profitability achieved by the firm in
question. To repeat the key question, how does our example
customer consistently achieve a gross profit margin in excess of 70%.
Isokon
The department is headed by a partner who holds morning meetings
with the four team leaders. The tasks for the day are examined and
discussed, as shown in the software case management component,
the text on the screen in front of them, to ensure that the team
leaders understand the nature of each task, even though most tasks
are fairly straightforward. Where a complex task requires the
professional skill of the partner in charge, she might allocate a
complex task to herself by a simple switch in the software.
Once satisfied, the team leaders head off to their respective teams
consisting of three, four or five paralegals or former secretaries, all of
whom have received a thorough training in the use of the software.
Towards the end of the working day, the partner in charge looks at
the log of tasks in the software to ensure that all tasks have been
completed. This method of organisation is simple, straightforward
and effective.
An important adjunct to ensure success is training. To quote Charles
Christian the doyen of legal technology in his chapter on ‘Computer
and Technology Issues’ in the Probate Practitioner’s Handbook: “…
computer systems are just tools whose value derives from how they
are used. It therefore follows that if people are not trained in how to
use them properly, the firm will not see a satisfactory return on its IT
investments.”
The second component of success is organisational discipline. To
quote Charles Christian again: “… it helps to have a senior member of
the firm in overall charge of the implementation, so that they can
compel the fee earners to attend [the training]” and axiomatically to
actually use the software. The extreme converse of our profitable firm
is where practitioners are permitted to go their own way and revert
back to a more manual method of doing the work. Working as a
cohesive team is fundamental to success and profitability in this area
of work
For further information please contact: Gregory van Dyk Watson, Managing Director of Isokon Limited.
Email: gregory@isokon.com or call 020 7482 6555. Alternatively visit www.isokon.com
Isokon was founded by Gregory van Dyk Watson in 1999. The company has invested 44,000 man hours in
development of the product over the last 16 years. The company is currently the leading supplier of software
for Probate and Private Client work. It is used by 36% of law firms who do private client work. It is used by
more than 2,000 individual users. Isokon is used for the most complex estates, as well as basic estates. Isokon
is based on an accounting database engine with an integrated Isokon case management component.
Alternatively visit
www.isokon.com
12 LOCAL NEWS
Hill Dickinson appointed to the National
Procurement Service for Wales framework
International law firm, Hill
Dickinson, has been
appointed to the National
Procurement Service for Wales
framework to supply legal
services to healthcare and
public sector organisations
providing adult social services
across North and Mid Wales.
The law firm’s specialist health
and social care team has
been appointed on a 4 year
agreement and will provide
legal services to framework
members from its offices in
Liverpool and Manchester.
The National Procurement
Service for Wales (NPS) has
been set up to enable the
Welsh public sector to
collaborate more closely in
procuring goods and services.
The NPS brings together public
sector purchasing power of
over £1bn, representing 20%
to 30% of the Welsh annual
expenditure in common and
repetitive spend.
Andrew Craggs, Partner and
Head of Health at Hill
Dickinson, said: “We are
extremely pleased to have
been appointed to the adult
social services lot under the
National Procurement Service
for Wales framework. The
framework will enable its
members to access leading
legal support through a
competitively procured
framework agreement.
“We have continued to
expand our geographic reach
and this appointment to the
National Procurement Service
for Wales framework will allow
us to offer our legal services to
a wider range of healthcare
and public sector
organisations across North and
Mid Wales.”
Cassell Moore celebrates
“Accredited Mediator’ status
Cassell Moore is celebrating after James Molloy, a trainee
solicitor at the firm, became an accredited mediator. James
successfully completed his training with Clear ADR, one of the
largest providers of mediation services in the UK.
James is now trained to assist in resolving disputes between two
or more conflicting parties in order to negotiate a settlement,
which is pertinent to all practice areas at Cassell Moore. More
specifically, James will be able to utilise this accreditation to
assist with ‘Civil and Commercial’ disputes. This covers business
and employment disputes and also disputes between landlord
and tenants.
James Molloy said: “Being able to facilitate a discussion that
enables conflicting parties to reach an amicable agreement
requires skill. I was therefore really keen to undertake this
specialist training in order to enhance my professional
development and add value in my role at Cassell Moore.”
Stephen Morris, Cassell Moore Managing Director, added:
“Mediation is an important tool for any legal professional and
we’re incredibly proud of James for achieving this
accreditation.”
Keynote speakers announced
for North West Housing
Conference 2015
Organisers of the North West Housing Conference 2015, law firm
Brabners and accountants Mitchell Charlesworth, have
announced the keynote speakers at this year’s event which
takes place on Thursday 15 October 2015 at Liverpool’s BT
Convention Centre.
Leading figures from the housing sector will give their expert
views on the wide-ranging changes being faced by social
housing providers, with keynote speakers confirmed as Gill
Payne, Director of Policy and External Affairs, National Housing
Federation; Colette McKune MBE, Deputy Group Chief
Executive, ForViva; Deborah McLaughlin, Chief Executive,
Manchester Place; and Carol Rogers MBE, Director of
Education and Visitors, National Museums Liverpool. The event
will be chaired by Derek Long, Director, arc4.
The conference will review the latest developments in policy
and strategy and explore the economic realities facing the
sector following the Summer Budget and the forthcoming
Comprehensive Spending Review in November.
Current and emerging housing issues will be explored through a
programme of keynote presentations and practical workshops
presented by housing specialists. Topics include improving the
links between health provision and housing, catering for an
ageing population and empowering communities.
The annual conference, which is aimed at registered providers,
housing professionals, local authorities and other related
businesses, is returning following the resounding success of last
year’s event which saw more than 180 delegates and 22
exhibitors attend from across the UK.
Brabners and Mitchell Charlesworth are hosting the conference
with support from a project group made up of ForViva,
Liverpool Mutual Homes, Riverside, Symphony Housing Group,
The Regenda Group and Your Housing Group – and additional
sponsorship from Procure Plus.
The North West Housing Conference, now in its thirteenth year,
will take place at Liverpool’s BT Convention Centre, Kings Dock,
Liverpool Waterfront on Thursday 15 October 2015.
For more information about booking a place as a delegate,
please contact Reta Madgin at Brabners on 0151 600 3401 or
events@brabners.com.
Twitter: @NWHousingConf (#NWHC2015)
www.northwesthousingconference.co.uk
Conference For Legal Cashiers & Managers 2015
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14 CHARITY & CSR
Jackson Canter helps to cure legal concerns
with launch of clinic
QualitySolicitors Jackson Canter – the North West-based legal
expert – has launched a legal clinic at the Royal Liverpool
University Hospital aimed at benefiting patients, staff and the
hospital’s charitable fund, R Charity.
The clinic will offer patients and staff the opportunity to handle
their legal affairs at a time and in a place that is convenient
for them. Its primary aim is to demonstrate the benefits and
importance of having a Will in place and will encourage
patients – particularly those with life threatening or limiting
conditions – to consider making one.
Naomi Pinder, head of wills and probate at Jackson Canter,
said: “Alarmingly, over 50 per cent of the UK’s adult population
don’t have a Will or a Will which is out of date, leaving them at
risk of their wishes being unfulfilled after death.
“People have a real fear of losing control of their financial,
health and care affairs – especially those who are left in a
vulnerable position by illness. It’s human nature to put things
like this off until it’s too late, but we’re here to help with that.”
Jackson Canter’s wills and probate specialists will be on hand
each week from Monday to Thursday between 10am and 4pm
each day to handle queries and deliver advice. Services such
as simple will writing and initial consultations will be offered free
of charge, while other legal services will be available for a fee.
Visitors to the clinic will also be invited to make a small
donation to R Charity in lieu of the professional fee they would
typically pay.
Ged Carter, head of fundraising for the Trust, commented:
“Jackson Canter’s legal clinic is an innovative demonstration
of the firm’s support for the community. Offering an ongoing
free will-writing service is an amazing gift to our patients and
Conveyancing - Hot Mortg
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Naomi Pinder and John Bradfield-Kay
staff. This is a really convenient service for our patients and
their families and we hope to see them using the Legal Clinic
over the coming months. As a Trust, we’re extremely grateful
for all backing received and any donations made via the
Clinic will be hugely appreciated.”
The Legal Clinic will launch on 14 September and can be
found at the mezzanine level of the main entrance of the
Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
For more information about Jackson Canter or R Charity, visit
www.jacksoncanter.co.uk, or
http://www.rlbuht.nhs.uk/Fundraising/
Success for DLA in the Peel Dragon
Boat Race
A north west team from DLA Piper took part in the fourth
Liverpool Waters Annual Dragon Boat Race and won! The
team worked really hard getting the best time from three
heats, which over 25 teams took part in and then winning the
final race, against the three teams with the fastest times.
Liverpool Waters is an ambitious 30 year vision for the Mersey
Waters Enterprise Zone and one of the city region's most
important regeneration and investment opportunities. The
event raised several thousand pounds for Peel's north west
charities, Once Upon a Smile and Christies.
A photo of the winning team is shown, which also includes the
NHS team with DLA Piper on the day.
Guest Speaker: Michael Mansfield QC
A great night of food, drink, music and dancing
Dress code: Black Tie
7KLVHYHQWLVNLQGO\VSRQVRUHGE\
16 PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS
Parliamentary Affairs
Current Bills
Any member interested in the effects of a
particular Bill is invited to seek further
information from
http://services.parliament.uk/bills
If you consider a relevant sub-committee
of Liverpool Law Society should be
reviewing a particular bills then please let
us have your comments by sending an
email to
committees@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk or
contact Jeremy Myers before the meeting
with local MPs on 23 October.
Key
O House pending
C Bill currently in the House of Commons
L Bill currently in the House of Lords
RA Bill granted Royal Assent
Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Bill
02.07.2015
Access to Palliative Care Bill [HL]
02.06.2015
Accessible Sports Grounds Bill [HL]
20.07.2015
Advertising of Prostitution (Prohibition) Bill [HL]
03.06.2015
Age of Criminal Responsibility Bill [HL]
03.06.2015
Airports Act 1986 (Amendment) Bill [HL]
22.06.2015
Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill [HL] 02.06.2015
Armed Forces Bill
16.09.2015
Armed Forces Deployment (Royal Prerogative) Bill [HL] 10.06.2015a
Assessment of Government Policies
(Impact on Families) Bill
02.07.2015
14.09.2015
C Assisted Dying (No. 2) Bill
Assisted Dying Bill [HL]
09.06.2015
L
Automatic Electoral Registration Bill [HL]
10.06.2015
L
07.07.2015
C Bat Habitats Regulation Bill
Bat Habitats Regulation Bill [HL]
12.06.2015
L
02.07.2015
C BBC Privatisation Bill
07.07.2015
C Benefit Entitlement (Restriction) Bill
Bread and Flour Regulations (Folic Acid) Bill [HL]
01.07.2015
L
Carers (Leave Entitlement) Bill [HL]
11.06.2015
L
Chancel Repairs Bill [HL]
04.06.2015
L
15.09.2015
C Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Bill [HL]
C Child Victims of Human Trafficking (Central Government
Responsibility) Bill
02.07.2015
Childcare Bill [HL]
07.07.2015
L
28.08.2015
C Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill [HL]
C Civil Enforcement Officers and Traffic Wardens
(Integration of Duties and Powers) (England) Bill
08.09.2015
Cohabitation Rights Bill [HL]
09.06.2015
L
C Compulsory Emergency First Aid Education
(State-funded Secondary Schools) Bill
02.07.2015
Conscientious Objection (Medical Activities) Bill [HL] 09.06.2015
L
14.09.2015
C Constitutional Convention (No. 2) Bill
Constitutional Convention Bill [HL]
20.07.2015
L
07.07.2015
C Convicted Prisoners Voting Bill
Council Tax Valuation Bands Bill [HL]
14.09.2015
L
C Criminal Cases Review Commission (Information) Bill 02.07.2015
Cases Review Commission (Supplementary Powers) Bill 17.07.2015
14.09.2015
C Crown Tenancies Bill
02.07.2015
C Defence Expenditure (NATO Target) Bill
C Department of Energy and Climate Change
(Abolition) Bill
02.07.2015
09.09.2015
C Devolution (London) Bill
Direct Planning (Pilot) Bill [HL]
04.06.2015
L
Divorce (Financial Provision) Bill [HL]
09.06.2015
L
Duchy of Cornwall Bill [HL]
11.06.2015
L
Easter Trading Bill [HL]
22.06.2015
L
10.09.2015
C Education and Adoption Bill
Energy Bill [HL]
15.09.2015
L
16.09.2015
O Enterprise Bill
Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill [HL]
12.06.2015
L
02.07.2015
C EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill
07.07.2015
C European Parliament Elections Bill
European Union (Approvals) Bill [HL]
09.09.2015
L
20.07.2015
RA European Union (Finance) Act 2015
European Union (Information, etc.) Bill [HL]
09.06.2015
L
European Union Citizens (Electoral Rights) Bill [HL]
09.06.2015
L
European Union Referendum Bill
09.09.2015
L
10.09.2015
C Finance Bill
C
L
L
L
L
L
L
O
L
C
C
C
C
L
Food Waste (Reduction) Bill
Football Governance (Supporters’ Participation) Bill
Foreign National Offenders (Exclusion from the UK) Bill
Gambling (Categorisation and Use of B2
Gaming Machines) Bill [HL]
C Health and Safety Executive (Powers) Bill
C Health Services Commissioning
(Equality and Accountability) Bill
C Health Services Commissioning
(Equality and Accountability) (No. 2) Bill
C High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Bill
C Higher Education (Information) Bill
C Highways (Improvement, Traffic Regulation
and Traffic Management) Bill
C Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill
C Hospital Parking Charges (Exemption for Carers) Bill
C House of Lords (Maximum Membership) Bill
C Illegal Immigrants (Criminal Sanctions) Bill
L
International Development (Official Development
Assistance Target) (Amendment) Bill [HL]
L
International Development
(Population Dynamics) Bill [HL]
C Local Area Referendum (Disposal of
School Playing Fields) Bill
C Local Government Finance (Tenure Information) Bill
L
Medical Innovation Bill [HL]
C Mental Health (Independent Advocacy) Bill
L
Mesothelioma (Amendment) Bill [HL]
C National Health Service Bill
C National Insurance Contributions (Rate Ceilings) Bill
L
Natural Environment Bill [HL]
C NHS (Charitable Trusts Etc) Bill
C Off-patent Drugs Bill
C Off-Shore Wind Farm Subsidies (Restriction) Bill
C On-demand Audiovisual Services (Accessibility for
People with Disabilities affecting Hearing
or Sight or both) Bill
L
Online Safety Bill [HL]
C Ovarian Cancer (Information) Bill
C Overseas Voters Bill
C Parks and Playing Fields in Public Ownership
(Protection from Sale) Bill
C Pavement Parking (Protection of Vulnerable
Pedestrians) Bill
C Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
(Statutory Requirement) Bill
L
Planning (Subterranean Development) Bill [HL]
L
Polling Day (Saturday) Bill [HL]
C Prime Minister (Temporary Appointment) Bill
L
Property Boundaries (Resolution of Disputes) Bill [HL]
C Psychoactive Substances Bill [HL]
L
Public Advocate Bill [HL]
C Public Nuisance from Wind Farms
(Mandatory Liability Cover) Bill
C Public Services (Ownership and User Involvement) Bill
C Railways Bill
L
Referendum (Local Authority Governance) Bill [HL]
L
Referendums (Franchise) Bill [HL]
L
Regulation of Health and Social Care
Professions Etc. Bill [HL]
L
Regulation of Political Opinion Polling Bill [HL]
L
Rehabilitation of Offenders Bill [HL]
C Representation of the People (Young Persons’
Enfranchisement and Education) Bill
L
Right to Die at Home Bill [HL]
C Riot Compensation Bill
L
Road Traffic Act 1988 (Alcohol Limits)
(Amendment) Bill [HL]
C Satellite Navigation (Updating Scheme) Bill
C Scotland Bill
L
Student Fees (Qualifying Persons) (England) Bill [HL]
L
Succession to Peerages Bill [HL]
RA Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) Act 2015
C Trade Union Bill
C Transport for London Bill [HL]
C UK Borders Control Bill
L
Veterinary Nurses (Protection of Title) Bill [HL]
L
Welfare of Cats (Breeding and Sale) Bill [HL]
L
Welfare of Women (Fertility Treatments) Bill [HL]
C Welfare Reform and Work Bill
C Working Time Directive (Limitation) Bill
11.09.2015
08.07.2015
02.07.2015
04.06.2015
02.07.2015
10.07.2015
22.07.2015
24.06.2015
02.07.2015
09.07.2015
02.07.2015
02.07.2015
07.07.2015
07.07.2015
11.06.2015
16.06.2015
02.07.2015
02.07.2015
09.06.2015
02.07.2015
03.06.2015
02.07.2015
11.09.2015
10.09.2015
02.07.2015
02.07.2015
09.07.2015
02.07.2015
20.07.2015
02.07.2015
07.07.2015
14.07.2015
02.07.2015
16.07.2015
03.06.2015
10.06.2015
02.07.2015
14.09.2015
27.08.2015
04.06.2015
14.09.2015
02.07.2015
02.07.2015
09.06.2015
10.06.2015
17.06.2015
22.06.2015
12.06.2015
14.09.2015
10.06.2015
02.07.2015
04.06.2015
09.09.2015
07.09.2015
12.06.2015
14.09.2015
21.07.2015
15.09.2015
10.07.2015
07.07.2015
11.06.2015
09.06.2015
11.06.2015
11.09.2015
24.07.2015
FREE Sample
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16 LAW
18
NEWSSOCIETY NEWS
Council Member’s Report
Since my last report there
have been no Council
Meetings. However, things
will be hotting up shortly.
There is a Council Meeting
on 22 September following
which I will be attending a
Civil Justice Committee
meeting on 23 September.
There is a then a
Membership Board Meeting
on 6 October, and a further
Council Meeting on 28
October.
The Council Meeting on 22
September is an important
one because we will be
discussing the much
discussed strategy of the
Law Society in forthcoming
years. This is the initiative
started by Catherine Dixon,
CEO, and I will report back
as soon as I can following
that meeting so that the
items for discussion can be
circulated (probably by
Liverpool Law Society ebulletin), and members can
come back to me with any
views they might have. I
understand that there were
250 responses to the survey
collecting Members views
on the draft strategic aims.
Is that a good response
bearing in mind there are
130,000+ members of our
profession? I leave that for
you to judge. Currently, the
draft of the document is in
‘pink’. This means it is
confidential. I will tell you
more when I can.
Also for discussion at the
council meeting on 22
October will be an update
on Veyo, but the majority of
the discussion will be
focused upon strategy.
Even though there have
been no council meetings,
there has been much going
on at Chancery Lane. You
will be aware of the great
concern relating to court
closures. It is important that
members voice their
opinions in respect of this,
and one way of doing this
locally is by going on the
following website to register
protest at the closure of the St
Helen’s County Court.
https://www.change.org/p/weobject-to-the-recentgovernment-proposal-to-closest-helens-magistrates-courtreconsider-the-proposedclosure-and-keep-local-justicealive?recruiter=298302329&utm_
source=share_petition&utm_me
dium=email&utm_campaign=sh
are_email_responsive
The top ten issues other than
court closures (therefore nine
issues!) are as follows:
• Criminal legal aid –
Government cuts.
• Court fees.
• Criminal court charges.
• Employment Tribunals.
• SRA Consumer Credit.
• Clinical negligence.
• SRA consultation –
protecting client’s financial
interests.
•Compulsory pro bono.
• Legal practice
technologies/VAO.
Of the above, there has been
quite a lot of press coverage
in relation to the SRA proposal
to reduce the minimal level of
insurance for PII. Many of you
will probably have seen the
concerned reaction of the
Society and in particular the
President to this suggestion.
Jonathan has expressed
concern in the Law Society
Gazette ‘that the SRA has
revived most of last year’s
controversial proposed
changes to professional
indemnity insurance but also
introduced new suggestions
which, if implemented,
exacerbate last years
concerns’.
There is genuine concern that
the proposed changes would
erode trust in the profession,
while increasing the risk
exposure for solicitors and their
clients.
The Law Society has also
called for reform of
employment tribunals. A
proposed overhaul of the
employment tribunal
structure, amid mounting
disquiet over the impact of
the fees on potential
claimants, has been made.
The New Law Journal on 14
September 2015 suggested
that the number of disputes
proceeding to tribunal has
dropped by 60% since the
introduction of fees, and
outlined Law Society
proposals for a tiered system
to deal flexibly with claims
depending on the complexity.
Many of you will be aware
that there are proposed
changes to the Solicitors’
route to qualification, and the
Law Society has raised
concerns over these
proposed changes, because
it is suggested the same skills
cannot be picked up during a
short trainee placement as
may be acquired during a
two year training contract.
My own view is that whilst
studying could be shortened
(for example, does it really
take three years to do a law
degree particularly when
lawyers, as opposed to other
students, seem to have
minimum contact hours per
week), I do not believe that
shortening the training
contract would be of any
benefit to anyone (least of all
the consumer public) Skills
and the professionalism
learned during the training
contract period are crucial.
They cannot be replicated at
College prior to commencing
a training contract, and they
are the key to the quality of
our profession, which, despite
the meddling of others in
recent years, has stood the
test of time most successfully.
It is why our profession is the
envy of the world, why the
law industry is such a massive
% of the economy, and why
this country is regarded as a
centre for legal excellence
that is exported around the
world. Shortening the training
period would, in my view, be
fraught with peril. If only
meddling institutions would,
once in a while (and maybe
more than once!), give our
profession credit for doing
things well!
Finally, if the Law Society
Gazette is to be believed,
and despite fears to the
contrary, the number of
practising solicitors has
reached an all time high.
Currently, we are told it is
15,000 up on five years ago.
Figures gathered by the SRA
at the end of July show
133,364 solicitors in practice.
It is suggested this number
has grown every month since
December 2014. I do hope
the figures given by the SRA
are accurate. Sadly, I am
not filled with confidence.
As ever, if there are issues
that concern you relating to
our profession, or that I can
air at Chancery Lane, and I
can help , please get in
touch.
Charlie Jones
Weightmans LLP
Council Member Merseyside
and District
Charlie.jones@weightmans.com
Occupational Disease Conference 2015
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PRIVATE HEALTHCARE 19
Introducing MySpire Corporate
At Spire Liverpool Hospital we understand that
employee sickness can be a large burden on
organisations, CBI statistics show that more than £17
billion* is lost each year through employee sickness,
costing businesses £760 per employee, per year. We
understand the costs involved in providing cover and
similarly the disruption to a business when key
employees are unable to attend work.
Did you know, your staff can benefit from private
healthcare without the need for health insurance?
Introducing MySpire Corporate
MySpire Corporate offers a number of benefits to
employees of local companies accessing self-pay
services at Spire Liverpool Hospital.
5% discount for any fixed price self-pay inpatient, day case and out-patient procedure
carried out at a Spire Healthcare Hospital
Free transport for in-patient treatments when
paying for your own treatment, if required
5% discount for any self-pay physiotherapy
10% discount for any out-patient diagnostics,
tests, imaging and pathology
MySpire Corporate is free of charge to both
employer and employee, and offers users the
opportunity to claim a discount on any self-pay
procedure**, whether or not they have any other
form of cover. While we appreciate many local
businesses have private medical insurance for their
employees, we’re also aware that many do not.
Certain types of cover may be limited and at Spire
Liverpool Hospital we aim to bridge that gap helping
to support your most valuable asset – your people.
Interested in MySpire Corporate?
MySpire Corporate can be rolled out at
organisational level to every employee or can be
offered to staff to register on an individual basis.
For further information please contact Business
Development Manager Janine Melia at
janine.melia@spirehealthcare.com
*ref: CBI Absence and Workplace Health Survey
2011.
**MySpire Corporate discounts are available for selfpaying procedures only terms and conditions apply
please refer to www.spirehealthcare.com/myspire for
more information.
10% discount on cosmetic surgery
MySpire
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yours yet?
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*NEW* Commercial Litigation Conference 2015
Date: Wednesday 2nd December 2015
Time: 9.30am - 4.45pm
CPD: 5.5
Venue: Liverpool Law Society, 2nd Floor, Cotton Exchange, Bixteth Street, Liverpool, L3 9LQ.
Covering:
Chair ~ HHJ Graham Wood QC
Draffting Statements off Case ~ Peter Goodbody
Default: the latest developments ~ Professor Dominic Regan
Drafting Witness Statements ~ Professor Dominic Regan
Costs and Case Management Confferences ~ David Pilling
Building Disputes ~ Jeremy Dable
I have a Judgment but when do I see my money? ~ Tina Kumar
Insolvency ~ Jonathan Barnham
Maximising the Benefits off Mediation~ Mark Whittell
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find out mor
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e: www.scarisbrickhallschool.co.uk
www.scarisbrickhallschool.co.uk | 01704
01704 841151
841151
Beautiful Days
22 REVIEW
My second Festival of the year and my first visit to “Beautiful
Days”, a smaller Festival in Devon organised by the Levellers.
The Festival is held in the grounds of Escot Park, close to Ottery
St Mary and was launched by the band in 2003. They do not
advertise and there is no coprorate sponsorship, but every year
the tickets sell out to this very family-friendly event which is
mainly folk and roots music, with some rock, reggae and rap
thrown in for good measure!
Nahko and
Medicine for the
People
Before I start on the music, I have to mention the weather. For
the whole four days, it rained, and rained and rained. So much
so that our tent flooded - all our clothes were completely
soaked and food was bobbing around. Have you ever tried
drying your underwear on a gas stove, using BBQ tongs? Not
the best start to any day.
Weather aside, the Festival
had some really good bands
performing, and I made quite
a few new discoveries.
Opening the Festival on the
Friday was Kim Churchill. He’s
an Australian folk/roots
musician, who plays the guitar,
sings, beats a drum with his
foot and occasionally plays
the harmonica. Despite the
rain he did manage to get the
crowd dancing.
CC Smugglers
Headlining the Big Top on the
Saturday night was Wilco
Johnson, guitarist with 70’s pub
band Dr Feelgood. Wilco was the
main reason we chose Beautiful
Days and I am very happy that I
have now seen this legendary
musician. Despite the crowds I
managed to squeeze my way to
the front and spent one of the
best hours of my life, jumping up
and down to some of Dr
Feelgood’s classic tracks as well
as Wilco’s newer songs.
The highlight performance of
the weekend was from Nahko
The legendary
Wilco Johnson
There were other great performances from Jack Savoretti, the
Keston Cobblers Club, Mad Caddies and Katzenjammer - an
all girl band from Norway who are so talented - they all play
every instrument, taking it in turns to sing - Amazing!
Sunday’s highlight was CC Smugglers. This new roots band
describe their music as traditional roots music with modern
lyrics and started their career busking on London’s
Underground. If you get the opportunity to see them, go - you
won’t be disappointed!
and Medicine for the People. This was the first UK performance
for this American band. Front man Nahko Bear is part Apache
and much of the music is about nature, protecting the planet
and sustainibility. They formed in 2008 and describe themselves
as a musical collective. They performed in the Big Top, which is
a huge tent and despite the sound of the rain beating down,
they were totally mesmerising and clearly very happy with the
uproarious response from the delighted crowd.
All in all I enjoyed Beautiful Days, some of the music was
excellent and the food which is sourced from local suppliers
was surprisingly good. My husband assures me that the craft
ales from local breweries were also excellent. The downside
was the rain and the mud, which dampened my spirits slightly
and getting back to the tent, which was up a hill, was akin to
“Tough Mudder”.
Anyway, must get back to scouring the classified ads for
second-hand caravans!
Julia Baskerville
Need an expert in medical or
dental negligence?
Refer to us.
City : Allerton : Garston
0151 733 3353
www.gadllp.co.uk
Liverpool Law Society and the University of Liverpool Law School
Invite you to join us for an evening drinks reception at the
University of Liverpool on
Wednesday 14th October 6pm y 8pm
to celebrate the start of the new academic and legal year
Venue: School of the Arts Library room 115, 23 Abercromby Square L69 7ZG
This event is open to all members of Liverpool Law Society and the
Merseyside -XQLRU/DZ\HUVu'LYLVLRQDQGLVIUHHRIcharge
RSVP by registering your attendance here.
For further information please email: slsjmret@liverpool.ac.uk
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Liverpool 0151 236 7191
Preston 01772 254 764
www.orielchambers.co.uk
Media
Round-Up
New for 2015, Liverpool Law hopes
to include information where the
Society and/or members have
been featured in the press,
broadcast and social media, and
some of our favourite tweets...
The LLS 2015 Legal Awards were
featured in Issue 18 of ‘My Planet
Liverpool’ magazine
www.myplanetliverpool.co.uk
Look out for their October 2015 edition
as the history of Liverpool Law Society
will be featured.
Top 10
membership
benefits
The Complete
Compliance Day
y
Liverpool Law Society offers its
members many services and
benefits. Here are our Top 10:
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1.Have your interests represented at
the highest level – both locally &
nationally
2. Raise your profile in the local legal
and business community and make
a difference
3. Take advantage of links with other
professional associations and the
region’s economic bodies
4. Meet your peers, gain knowledge
and expertise, discuss topical issues
and make your voice heard by
joining the Society’s specialist
committees
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Emlyn Williams, the President of
Liverpool Law Society has been
interviewed for ‘Modern Law
Magazine’
5. Interact with senior members of
the judiciary, and civic and business
leaders from the Liverpool City
Region
On Twitter
6. Take up free associate
membership of the Liverpool and
Sefton Chambers of Commerce
x
7. Receive referrals from members of
the public searching for legal
advice who contact the Society’s
office or visit the website
x
LiverpoolLawSociety Members...book
tickets for the Annual Dinner by 30th
Sept and enjoy a discount....guest
speaker Michael Mansfield QC
http://www.liverpoollawsociety.org.uk/
social-events/annual-dinner-2015 …
Matt Smith
Ellesmere Port, England
@LpoolLawSociety Moel Famau walk
with @emlynwilliams68 5 weeks to
@nwlst Liverpool Legal Walk
…https://liverpoollegalwalk2015.everyd
ayhero.com/uk/weightmans-llp …
NWLST
Time runs fast, and so should you for
the #Liverpool #legalwalk in 4 weeks!
Have you been mentioned in the
media, if so please send brief
details to
editor@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk
8. Enjoy reduced prices on training,
business networking and social
events
9. Free subscription and the
opportunity to contribute to
‘Liverpool Law’, the monthly
members’ magazine
10. Free access to the University of
Liverpool Law Library
To apply online for membership, visit
www.liverpoollawsociety.org.uk
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“SAN CARLO HAS THE INGREDIENTS
O T H E R S C A N O N LY D R E A M O F ”
The Observer
Aldo Zilli now part of
the San Carlo team
W W W. S A N C A R L O. C O. U K
41 Castle St, Liverpool, Merseyside, L2 9SH
liverpool@sancarlo.co.uk | T: +44 (0)151 236 0073
@SanCarlo_Group
WINNER OF THIRTY TWO PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS
26 REGULATION
Regulation Update
By the time you read this, the
rugby world cup will be in full
swing. I wonder how many
bust-ups we will see and will
any be as controversial as the
one we saw recently on
Linkedin between a female
barrister and senior (male)
solicitor after comments he
made about her Linkedin
photo? Once again, it brings
to the fore the importance of
raising awareness amongst
staff of the perils of social
media. Is it time to review
your policy?
So, as I don’t want to get into
any trouble, I will refrain from
talking about muscly men
playing rugby, and focus
instead on what’s been
happening on the regulatory
“pitch”.
LeO and ADR – confusion
reigns!
The Office for Legal
Complaints (OLC) has
withdrawn its application to
be a certified ADR entity
under EU regulation. The
announcement is a U-turn
from its previous position and
the reason given is that the
LeO is unwilling to seek
certification without a full
consultation (which it has
now issued). The EU Directive
could have serious
implications for law firms – for
example the OLC in the
consultation says that the
regulations do not allow ADR
providers to operate rules
allowing them to refuse to
deal with cases ‘based on
the timing of the act or
omission’. This potentially
could mean that consumers
would have an unlimited time
to bring a complaint.
But before you get your
hopes up that the decision to
withdraw the application is
the end of the LeO – its not!
The LeO will continue as the
independent body which
handles complaints about
lawyers and CMCs. However,
until it is certified, the LeO will
not be able to meet the
requirements of the new
European Directive on ADR.
As per guidance issued by
the Law Society, solicitors will
still have to comply with the
government regulations
notwithstanding the position
of the LeO. New
requirements apply from 1
October 2015 in relation to
the information solicitors are
required to provide to clients
at the end of a solicitor's
internal complaints process.
Under the directive, law firms
will have to signpost
consumers to an ‘ADR entity’
competent to handle any
complaint. This is in addition
to the requirement under the
Legal Services Act 2007 to
signpost the Legal
Ombudsman Scheme.
So if you haven’t already,
check out the Law Society’s
guidance and their
suggested wording to use at
the end of your internal
complaints process. Also, if
you have any comments on
the OLC’s consultation,
please contact me –
responses need to be in by
2nd November.
More red tape cut!
You may remember a few
months ago, the SRA
launched a consultation
suggesting a number of
changes aimed at cutting
red tape. The SRA Board has
now approved a raft of
changes focussing on eight
separate areas of the
Handbook which the SRA
hopes will reduce duplication
in administration for many,
and improve regulation. The
changes include:
• simplifying compliance
officer approval for small
firms;
• including an
apprenticeship qualification
under the Training
Regulations
;
• operational changes and
improvements for ABS
authorisation; and
• simplifying candidate
declaration and notification
processes.
These will now need Legal
Services Board approval
before being adopted as
part of the SRA Handbook.
Client Account Alternatives
One issue which the SRA
included as part of the
consultation I mentioned
above but which hasn’t yet
been approved is in relation
to the use of a third party
managed account as an
alternative to the client
account. The SRA has
deferred a decision on this
until next year. Expect
another consultation!
the SRA’s consultation on
client financial protection
which looked at Professional
indemnity insurance and the
Compensation Fund. The
Law Society has criticised the
SRA’s proposals as flawed
and it remains to be seen
what, if any, changes result
from the consultation.
Consumer credit regulation –
resolved at last?!
After a year of confusion
over whether solicitors would
need to apply to the FCA to
carry out consumer credit
activities, the SRA has finally
agreed to oversee these
activities, including things
such as allowing clients to
pay in instalments, as long as
the activities are central to
the legal services the solicitor
provides.
Watch out for SRA guidance
on carrying out consumer
credit activities which is set to
be published in the Autumn.
That’s it from me until next
month – Come on England!
(oh ok – and Wales, Scotland
and Ireland too!)
Michelle Garlick
Weightmans LLP
Financial Protection
And talking of consultations,
the responses are now in to
Critical Issues In Noise Induced Deafness Cases
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S Code
Date
Time
Speaker
October 2015
CPD
S3670
5th
10 - 1.15
Mental Capacity Act Update
Helen Clarke
3
S3635
6th
9.30 - 4.45
Advising The Suspect At
The Police Station - Advanced Techniques
Colin Beaumont
6
S3744
7th
2.00 - 3.00
Challenges in DNA & CCTV
Dr Scott Bader & Professor
Allan Jamieson
1
S3745
7th
3.15 - 4.15
The Expert, the Jury and the Criminal Trial
Dr Rhonda Wheate
1
S3723
7th
12.30 - 2.00
How To Generate Leads Through Online Marketing
Phil Birss
1.5
S3751
7th
9.30 - 11.00
Feeling Left Out? ... Capacity, Estoppel and 1975 Act
Claims 3 Topics of Interest to Those who want to
Challenge Wills and other Transfers of Land
Matthew Hall
1.5
S3544
9th
9.30 - 12.45
Anti Money Laundering
Jo Morris
3
S3545
9th
1.30 - 4.45
The Essential Guide To Data Protection & Information
Security For Law Firm Personnel
Jo Morris
3
S3648
12th
9.30 - 12.45
The Duty Solicitor At The Police Station
Colin Beaumont
3
S3655
12th
1.30 - 4.45
The Duty Solicitor At The Magistrates Court
Colin Beaumont
3
S3665
14th
9.30 - 4.45
The Employment Law Confference
Various
5.5
S3517
16th
1.30 - 4.45
Company Law Update
Chris Beanland
3
S3546
16th
9.30 - 4.45
The Complete Compliance Day
Jo Morris
6
S3591
16th
9.30 - 12.45
PI: A Liability Update
Nicky Carter
3
S3661
19th
1.30 - 4.45
Criminal Law Update
Antony Edwards
3
S3510
20th
1.30 - 4.45
Landlord & Tennant Act 1954 Part II
Paul Butt
3
S3728
20th
9.30 - 12.45
Critical Issues in Noise Induced Deafness Cases
Steve Cornforth &
Paul Currie
3
S3662
21st
1.00 - 4.30
Private Child Law Confference 2015
Various
3
S3490
23rd
9.30 - 12.45
Conveyancing - Hot Mortgage Issues
Richard Snape
3
S3491
23rd
1.30 - 4.45
Help To Buy & Affordable Housing
Richard Snape
3
S3595
27th
12.30 - 3.45
Psychological Injuries
Nicky Carter
3
S Code
Date
November 2015
Time
Speaker
CPD
S3750
3rd
9.30 - 12.45
Reception To Perfection
Candy Bowman
3
S3651
4th
9.30 - 4.45
The Own Client & Duty Solicitor Crime Contacts
Colin Beaumont
6
S3492
5th
9.30 - 12.45
Restrictive & Positive Covenants In Freehold Land
Richard Snape
3
S3493
5th
1.30 - 4.45
Conveyancers Guide To Access & Services
Richard Snape
3
S3727
10th
3.30 - 4.45
A view from Liverpool Family Courts: Update on the latest
developments in Children Cases
Judge Margaret De
Haas QC
1.5
S3663
11th
9.30 - 12.45
'Strategy' Conference in conjunction with
Professional Liverpool
Various
3
S3761
11th
1.30 - 4.45
Contentious Probate Claims:
Civil Procedure & Chancery Practice
Carl Islam
3
S3752
17th
9.30 - 12.45
Commercial Property For The Advisor
Mark Tighe & Ian White
3
S3547
18th
9.30 - 4.45
Conference For Legal Finance Professionals 2015
Various
5.5
S3518
20th
1.30 - 4.45
Contract & Commercial Update
Chris Beanland
3
www.facebook.com/LiverpoolLawSociety
www.linkedin.com/company/liverpool-law-society
@LpoolLawSociety
28 MJLD
News from the MJLD
Upcoming Events
The MJLD Committee have been busy
preparing an exciting calendar of events for
the next few months. To ensure you don’t miss
out on these events, please add your details
to our mailing list via our website:
www.merseysidejld.org.uk
Drinks and Nibbles
24th September 2015 at Fazenda, Exchange
Flags.
The event is kindly sponsored by Wesleyan
and will include a raffle in aid of our
nominated charity, Zoe’s Place, with a
chance to win a champagne meal for 2 at
Fazenda!
We look forward to welcoming you there for
complementary traditional Brazilian nibbles
and a free drink on arrival.
Keep an eye out on our website for full
details, or email Rachael McClean at
rlm@morecrofts.co.uk to register your interest.
Evening of Wine Tasting
Thursday 12th November 2015 at La Vina,
North John Street – after the success of our
gin tasting event last year, we’ve decided to
try our hand at wine tasting.
Full details to follow on the website and by
email to registered MJLD members.
Christmas Quiz
A Christmas quiz is planned for early
December 2015 so put on your best
Christmas jumper and get into the festive
spirit with MJLD!
Join our Club!
Pre-Halloween Trip to Shiverpool
Thursday 22nd October 2015
The event is kindly sponsored by Anakin Seal,
for 40 of our members to attend a night of
chilling entertainment for just £5 per person!
The event is sure to be a sell-out so keep your
eyes peeled for our invitation email, out soon.
Do you enjoy playing sports and want to play
as part of a team?
The MJLD would like to invite its members to
get in touch with details of their sport of
choice to create a range of sporting teams
to participate in local events, leagues and
charity events.
Exclusive Small/Medium Firms Event
Event planning is underway for an evening
exclusively for our members from
small/medium firms in early October 2015. The
event will promote team building and
networking between employees of similar
sized firms and places are strictly limited!
Whether you enjoy football, netball or
something more adventurous, we would love
to hear from you!
We are also looking to establish the first MJLD
Pool and Darts league to enable members to
meet and network with a competitive twist.
To register your interest in any sporting team,
please contact Chris Lackner, Sports
Representative;
chrislackner@hh-law.co.uk
WLD 29
News from the WLD
I joined the Women’s
Lawyers Division (“WLD”)
of the Merseyside Law
Society as a trainee
solicitor. I sat on the
committee as a general
member before taking on
a number of roles and
this year, eight years on, I
am now Chair. The WLD
has been a fantastic
opportunity to network,
socialise and make
lifelong friends.
If you are interested in
joining WLD please visit
our website to download
a membership form.
WLD
WL
DE
EVENT
VENT P
PLANNER
LANNER
Friday
F
riday 2nd O
October
ctober 2015
Friday
F
riday 30th October
October 2015
www.wldmerseyside.co.uk
The WLD started the year
off with our welcome
event held at the Slug &
Lettuce. The event was
very well attended and it
was lovely to see some
old faces and fantastic to
welcome new members.
We then held our
cocktail-making class in
Gusto which was
sponsored by Wesleyan
for Lawyers. A cocktail
master class was the
perfect way to start off
the weekend after a hard
week at work! The WLD
had a break over the
summer but as autumn
approaches we have a
fantastic schedule of
events planned. Many of
the WLD events are free
or discounted to
members.
Pudding
P
udding C
Club
lub - N
November
ovember 2015
Wine
W
ine tasting
tasting - February
February 2016
20
016
Thee Whitechapel
Th
Whitechapel Centre
Centre fundraiser
fundraiser - Friday
Friday
a 11th M
March
arch 2016
If you are interested in
attending any of our
events please register
your interest at
wldevent@gmail.com
I hope to see you at one
of our next events.
Jennifer Crompton
Slater & Gordon (UK) LLP
WLD Chair
Annual
A
nnual G
General
eneral M
Meeting
eeting - April
April 2016
Almost Irrelevant
30 AND FINALLY...
A humorous look at life in the law....
Competitive constraints
We have previously commented on the fact that law firms
appear to be being run more and more by accountants. It
is increasingly a curse of modern life as a lawyer that the
boundaries of what would have traditionally been legal
work performed by lawyers are being increasingly blurred
with the work performed by other professionals, in
particular accountants. Even government bodies are up to
it now.
The Competition and Markets Authority, the newly
established quango set up by the government to enforce
competition laws, is concerned at the low level of
knowledge of competition law in the business community.
How best to seek to remedy this? Look to the country’s
lawyers to advise businesses on competition law
compliance? No; instead, the CMA has asked the
accountants community to take the lead in raising
competition law awareness amongst businesses. How long
before the independent business law firm becomes a thing
of the past?
But what will happen when clients are able to access their
own virtual lawyer and obtain legal advice from it direct,
cutting out even the likes of Riverview from the whole
process? Be careful what you wish for!
Time for lunch
We are pleased to finish with an interesting tale of past
times from one of Liverpool’s leading legal personalities,
Julian Linskill, recalling his days as a young lawyer:
“I was detailed to attend a case at Central Criminal Courts
(Old Bailey to you) to sit behind Counsel in an allegation of
armed robbery. The case was proceeding smoothly
through the court and had lasted three days. On the 4th
day, the trial continued before the jury with the calling of
the usual witnesses for and against the defendant. Things
were still running smoothly but perhaps rather longer than
expected. At the lunch break, learned counsel for the
defence declared that he was going out to a local wellfrequented tavern to have his lunch. He said he would
return in good time before 2.15 p.m., when the case was
due to continue. 2.15 p.m. came and went, the defendant
was in the dock, the jury had assembled and the judge
was sitting on the bench but of defence counsel there was
no sign. The judge sat for some time tapping his fingers
loudly on the bench, his body language one of clear
frustration. Eventually, some 20 minutes later, defence
counsel rushed into the courtroom, gown flying and wig
slightly askew, his face inflamed and his brow beaded
damply with sweat. After a hurried bow he resumed his
seat only to have the judge say to him “Counsel for the
defence, you have kept this court and indeed the jury
waiting for nearly 20 minutes. Is there an explanation?” I
shall never forget learned counsel for the defence’s
response: “Pudding, your Honour”, and with that he sat
down!”"
The virtual lawyer
Things could get worse for lawyers. We mentioned a few
months ago that Riverview Law, the low-cost commercial
law firm based on the Wirral, had entered into a joint
venture with Liverpool University’s computer science
department in a bid to ascertain whether artificial
intelligence could be applied to legal tasks. Riverview now
reports that it has a 16-strong team working with the
university on this project and, according to Riverview, the
race is on to develop a virtual lawyer – a computer that will
be able to answer legal questions in plain English.
Please feel free to send me your comments, observations
or photographs to ai@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk
At Clayton Legal your talent matters...
...so we go further to connect your legal talent to opportunities nationwide
Associate Solicitor 2-3 PQE- Liverpool Central- £negotiable
A highly successful and established firm are looking to appoint a PI
solicitor with multi track and RTA experience. The successful candidate
will be dealing with mainly Litigated Claimant files.
Contact Simon Scott on email ss@clayton-legal.co.uk
Real Estate Solicitor- 6 Years PQE+ - Liverpool- £negotiable
My client is a Legal 500 Commercial law firm that services an excellent
commercial client base regionally. They have one of the largest Real
Estate departments in the North West and are now looking to appoint 2
Commercial Property Solicitors to handle a caseload of mixed commercial
property matters from highly complex developments to property asset
management.
Contactlegal
Lynn Sedgwick
your
talent ls@clayton-legal.co.uk
to opportunities nationwide
Associate Solicitor minimum 2 Yrs PQE- Merseyside- £negotiable
My client, a Legal 500 firm ...so
are eager
to appoint
a Commercial
Litigation
we
go further
to connect
Solicitor for their Merseyside office. The successful candidate will be
dealing with a mixed caseload
Costs Negotiator – Liverpool – £DOE - Ref: CMS020275'2002
Contact Simon Scott on email ss@clayton-legal.co.uk
A specialist Liverpool City Centre Law Firm is looking to appoint a Costs
Negotiator for their successful in-house Costs team.The successful
Senior Costs Draftsman – Merseyside – £DOE candidate will carry demonstrable experience within a similar role.
Ref: CMS020275'2002
Please contact Natasha Darr nd@clayton-legal.co.uk
Rapidly expanding firm is seeking an extensively experienced Costs
Draftsman with experience in handling Clinical Negligence matters. Those
Law Costs Draftsman – Merseyside - £Negotiable DOE- Ref:
with Commercial experience carry a distinct advantage.
CMS020755'2002
Please contact Natasha Darr nd@clayton-legal.co.uk
An experienced Costs Draftsman who carries at least 18 months
experience of handling a caseload of PI matters, ideally cradle to grave,
MOJ Paralegal –Liverpool – Up to £22k
is required for a highly successful Law Firm. Flexible and remote working
An exceptional Law firm based in Liverpool is looking for a Paralegal with
are offered.
at least 12 months experience of handling a caseload of Pre-litigated RTA
Contact Natasha Darr nd@clayton-legal.co.uk
matters independently. You must have a valuable amount of MOJ Portal
knowledge, dealing with Stages 1-3.
PI Litigator – Southport – Salary negotiable. Ref; CMS021291’2002
Contact Rebecca Owen ro@clayton-legal.co.uk
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced PI Litigator for a
growing Southport based law firm. You will be expected to confidently and
RTA Fee Earner– Southport – Salary up to £26,000. Ref;
autonomously manage a caseload of litigated PI matters including EL/PL
CMS021429’2002
and RTA. Previous use and good knowledge of the Proclaim case
A successful firm based in Southport are currently seeking a talented RTA
management system is advantageous.
Fee Earner to deal with a caseload of 50-60 fast track cases. The cases
Contact Lauren Connors lc@clayton-legal.co.uk
will be passed to the fee-earner immediately after issue and will then be
dealt with from then until trial/settled. Liability will be disputed on the
Credit Hire Fee Earner – Liverpool – Up to £19k
majority of the cases so you must be confident with the Fast Track court
A leading law firm based in Liverpool is looking for an experienced
process and forms and be confident to take cases to trial.
Paralegal to join their Credit Hire team. They are looking for a candidate
Contact Lauren Connors lc@clayton-legal.co.uk
who has at least 12 months experience of handling RTA/Credit Hire
matters. This is an excellent opportunity to join one of the country’s
Residential Conveyancer | Liverpool | Salary up to £30k
leading law firms and gain further valuable experience.
My client, a reputable Law firm based in Liverpool are looking for a
Contact Rebecca Owen ro@clayton-legal.co.uk
Residential Conveyancer to join their team based in Heswall.The
successful candidate will have a minimum of 18 months experience
Residential Conveyancer | Liverpool | Salary up to £18k
working in a legal environment and handling caseloads.
Clayton Legal are currently recruiting for a Residential Conveyancing
Contact Robert Walsh on email rw@clayton-legal.co.uk
Assistant to join a reputable law firm based on the outskirts of Liverpool.
The successful candidate will have at least 6-12 months experience in a
Commercial Property Solicitor- 2 years PQE- Liverpoollegal environment.
salary up to £45,000
Contact Robert Walsh via email at rw@clayton-legal.co.uk
Our Client, a well established Merseyside law firm based outside of
Liverpool are appointing a Commercial Property Solicitor. A broad range
Proclaim Developer – 2+ years experience - Liverpool –
of experience will be considered but specifically the firm seeks a Solicitor
up to £35,000
who has experience of dealing with commercial property leases and
Large multi site law firm are looking for a talented Proclaim Developer to
landlord & tenant matters.This is an excellent opportunity for a
work on their case management system.You must have previous
Commercial Property Solicitor who is looking to take the next step in their
experience working on a Case Management System and be able to lead
career by joining a reputable and busy firm.
the continued enhancement of the Proclaim Software.
Contact Lynn Sedgwick ls@clayton-legal.co.uk
Contact Fiona Turner on ft@clayton-legal.co.uk
v
For more on these and other vacancies please contact Clayton Legal
telephone: ŘřşşŚŚŝšřŚř
email: enquiries@clayton-legal.co.uk
visit our website: www.clayton-legal.co.uk
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The magazine for lawyers in Merseyside and the North West

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