Comparing the Regulation of the Profession

Representing DASLS, Lucy Ferrat (Trainee solicitor at Stephens Scown LLP) and Benjamin Thomson (Solicitor at OTB Eveling) attended the International Twin Bars’ Meeting hosted by the Rennes Bar Association on 7-8 June 2019. The conference also welcomed lawyers from Erlangen, Gdańsk, Bilbao, Verona and Leuven. It was an opportunity for the participants to make new acquaintances and to renew relationships built over the last 30 years since the Twin Bars’ Association began in 1989.   The conference related to the comparison of how our profession is regulated across the participating Bars, relying on a case study in two parts to bring the topic to life. Part...

Most Important Features of Limited Liability Partnerships by Sponsor Francis Clark

LLPs have become a common structure for law firms. For those that are still operating as a traditional legal partnership the following covers some key basic aspects of an LLP structure.   The key advantage of an LLP compared with a traditional partnership is that the members of the LLP are able to limit their personal liability if something goes wrong with the business, in much the same way as shareholders in a company have always been able to do. Of course anyone lending money to the LLP such as a bank may still require personal guarantees from the members, as they frequently do with directors/shareholders in a company.   Where business owners have wanted...

Rule of law, human rights and what it is to be a lawyer

By Emma Mitcham, Chair, International Relations Sub-Committee   I found myself in an unseasonably arid Warsaw in mid-September for the intermediate meeting of the Federation des Barreaux d’Europe (FBE). Given the current issues with the erosion of judicial independence in Poland, it was cruelly ironic to be in that city 86% of which was destroyed by the Nazis and the Red Army in 1944. A city where the struggle for independence was waged by Polish insurgents and the civilians embroiled in it. That same quest being quelled by pillage and mass murder. But as the phoenix that lived in the desert for 500 years and consumed itself by fire, so too did Warsaw rise...

Meet Sam Thompson, Chair, Social Sub-Committee

    Why did you join Devon & Somerset Law Society?   It is a great opportunity to meet others within the profession and play an active role within the Society. Having been the Chair of the Social Sub-Committee for a few years now, I see first-hand how playing an active part of the Society really helps with understanding the profession and the different experiences and areas that people deal with on a daily basis.       What is your dream job?   I would love to have a sanctuary for stray dogs to be cared for. A set up similar to the final scene of the film 101 Dalmatians where there is a vast mansion and sprawling grounds!   What has been...

Improving the Home Buying Process by new Sponsor Landmark

  Author: Tony Rollason, Regional Manager   Landmark Information www.landmark.co.uk   Back in November, an article was published on the Law Society Gazette’s website that looked at conveyancing and how it was once again bearing the brunt of the overall conversation relating to delays in the property transaction process.   What caught my eye was a focus on what was referred to as ‘property logbooks’ and how the government is “anticipated” to “back these” in order to help speed up the process1.   This conversation came from the UK Finance's Annual Mortgage Conference where the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Governme...

A huge thank you from Devon Air Ambulance Plus Details of DASLS Immediate Past President Sue Aggett's Walk in support of the President's Charities

Your year of support for Devon Air Ambulance is ending soon, so we want to say a huge thank you for all that you have done and show you what a difference you have made, by sharing the story of one of our younger patients with you. Five-year-old Paige lives with a rare condition, Dravet Syndrome, which means she regularly experiences life-threatening seizures requiring swift medical intervention. It also causes many other issues such as developmental delays, speech and balance issues and increased risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Because of this, her family and teachers must always be alert to her condition as seizures can strike without w...