Integrity And Ethics Under The Spotlight In Latest SRA Outlook
Integrity and Ethics have been put under the spotlight in the newly released Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Risk Outlook for 2019/20, citing it as one of their nine challenging key risks which continually needs adhering to in the legal industry. With the legal profession dependent on trust, the SRA treats cases that lack integrity or actual dishonesty […]
Fraser Brown Appoints New Business Development Executive
Fraser Brown Solicitors have appointed a new Business Development Executive in its Lincoln branch. Rachel Pringle, will be responsible for developing and identifying new revenue streams for the business in Lincoln, and will build and strengthen the existing client base. Rachel’s background in banking and finance has been honed over 16 years. She has held many senior roles […]
Experts Discuss Anti-Money Laundering And Conveyancing
Since the 2017 Money Laundering Regulations came into force, conveyancers and key stakeholders in the property sector have struggled to prevent property from being purchased with illicit finance. Over 400 UK properties, worth in excess of £5 billion, have been purchased using suspicious wealth according to a recent report by Transparency International UK. Furthermore, 293 […]
Properties Worth £8 Million Seized In AML Bust
17 properties worth in excess of £8 million have been seized by the National Crime Agency (NCA) following a civil recovery and tax investigation. Four members of the Davies family; Shane, his wife Rhianna, mother Sheila and sister Tracey, surrendered the property assets, including a villa in Tenerife and 16 properties across Somerset after admitting […]
Is The Government On Target for 300,000 New Homes Per Year?
Is the Government on Target for 300,000 New Homes Per Year? A look at the construction and new build sector in 2019. The UK is in the midst of a severe housing crisis with the gulf widening rather than receding each year. Currently, the National Housing Federation estimate that 8.4 million people in England alone are living in […]
Reservation Agreements Update – Will They Become Law?
The proposed implementation of Reservation Agreements has been high on the Government’s agenda in a bid to reduce the risk of fall throughs across England and Wales. According to Rightmove data, one in three property deals in the UK falls through between offer and exchange. The introduction of a legally binding agreement after acceptance of […]
Growing Revenues With Brighter Law
We work on the premise that conveyancers should convert around 70% of their estimates. Less than this, then there is a problem. Do you know who converts the most enquiries or who the top fee earner is in your firm? From experience of ‘crunching the numbers’ we have found that perception is sometimes not the […]
Hundreds Of Flood Warnings Issued As Storms Wreak Havoc Across UK
Severe weather and flooding plagued the UK over the last night, culminating in transport disruption, home evacuations and extensive property damage. At the weather’s peak force, six severe weather warnings, indicating a threat/danger to life, were put in place with all locations situated along the River Don. An Environment Agency (EA) rain gauge showed the […]
VPNs Can Put Privacy And Security At Risk
When working remotely, it’s important to have a virtual private network (VPN) which enables you to link to your workplace and pass information back and to over a secure network. However, experts have warned that not all VPNs are as safe and secure as we’d like to think, with some applications exposing their users to surveillance and cyber attacks. Many free […]
Diversity In Conveyancing: SRA Outlook 2019/20
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have released their Risk Outlook for 2019/20, citing ‘Diversity in the profession’ as one of their nine challenging key risks which continually needs tackling in the legal industry. Promoting diversity in the legal profession has been a difficult task over many decades and despite many campaigns to address the issue, still more needs to be done. In the 2018/19 Risk Outlook it stated: “Our law firm diversity tool shows that entry into […]
Webinar: Cyber Essentials – The Questions That Law Firms Want Answering
And what’s changing in 2020 Even with £millions continuing to be fraudulently redirected, with the associated reputational impact and knock on effect on professional indemnity insurance premiums, most law firms have not implemented even the most basic cyber security measures. After conducting our own research of 100 law firms, we discovered that 82% of those […]
The Law Society’s Assessment Of Proposed Conveyancing Reform
In August 2019, the Law Society published its latest thinking on the Government’s proposals to reform the process of residential conveyancing, based on the results of a consultation paper published in 2017. Most recently, the Government released new guidance on what residential property conveyancing consumers should expect when buying or selling. What are the proposals […]
Landmark Appoints Mark Johnston As Chief Financial Officer
Landmark Information Group, the leading provider of information to the property market and part of Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT), has announced the appointment of Mark Johnston as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Following the retirement of Landmark’s former CFO, David Callcott, Mark has joined the business bringing with him extensive experience in strategy, […]
Construction Sector Optimism Slumps To 6 Year Low
UK construction work fell for the sixth consecutive month, slumping to the lowest output levels since the financial crisis in 2009. According to respondents of the IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Total Activity Index, optimism for the year ahead has reached its weakest levels since 2012. Although the IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Total Activity Index level has risen marginally since […]
Several Non-Solicitors Banned From Working In Legal Profession
There have been several instances recently of non-solicitors being made subject to orders under Section 43 of the Solicitors Act 1974. This means that the persons subject to Section 43 cannot work for law firms regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) without its permission. Sameena Usmani was as administrative assistant at a firm in Buckinghamshire. She […]
Titlesolv Appoint Underwriting Director for Ireland
Titlesolv have appointed Niall Sheridan as Underwriting Director for Ireland. Niall joins Titlesolv’s growing executive team, who consist of Christopher Taylor (Chief Executive Officer), Claire Connolly (Finance Director) and Keith Rawlinson (Underwriting Director for the UK). Christopher Taylor, Chief Executive Officer for Titlesolv said: “Niall’s appointment comes at a time of growth and change for […]
Webinar: Pali & Terrafirma Ground Report – When is it Needed and Why?
Pali, in conjunction with Terrafirma, would like to invite you to join our free webinar on the Terrafirma Ground Report – When is it Needed and Why? Webinar Details When: Tuesday 12th November 2019 Time: 11:00am Duration: Approx 1 hour To register for this webinar please click here In this informative webinar we will be […]
Young Buyers Left In ‘Starter Home’ Wilderness Following Government Failure
A National Audit Office (NAO) report has claimed that plans to build 200,000 affordable homes specifically for first-time buyers has failed in spectacular fashion with no homes being built. Despite the ‘starter homes’ idea and announcement being made in 2014 and heavily backed in David Cameron’s manifesto pledges embedded in the 2015 general election, a catalogue of […]
Fracking Ground To A Standstill As Government Pulls Support
Following a report by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), the Government has called a halt to fracking – shale gas extraction – in England amid fears about earthquakes. The OGA has said it isn’t possible to predict the probability or size of tremors caused by the practice. Prompting Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom to suggest the halt: “may […]
Time Is Running Out To Enter The LPM Practice Excellence Awards
Time is running out to enter the Legal Practice Management (LPM) Practice Excellence Awards 2020. A spokesperson for the LPM Practice Excellence Awards said: “The awards were launched in 2019 to recognise excellence in legal business management. The two core categories – people and efficiency – reflected the achievements and/or best practice of those working […]
