Can’t do right, for doing wrong.. The new SRA STARS 2019 - by Trevor Hellawell, ExL Practice Development

Well, it is all over now. The Election is won, Brexit is confirmed and the future will be what it will be – AND the SRA has implemented its new Standards & Regulations (STARS), effective from 25 November 2019.   2020 has a much calmer (and resigned) outlook than did 2019.   Along with new – and briefer – Accounts Rules and the obligation to adopt the SRA clickable logo, the STARS have ushered in a novel approach to regulation. I mention here the main things that immediately occur to me, but in future months I will be offering some further, more reflective thoughts on the implications of the new regime.   My top 5 thoughts are:   1     ...

Update from Law Society Council Members Kathryn King and Scott Bowen

Having been appointed as Council Members in July 2019, the first two meetings have already flown by. Council met on the 3rd October 2019 and the 5th December 2019. We hope to bring you up to date with developments over the last few months.   Much of this time has been dominated by the word we shall not mention, beginning with “B” and the General Election. A lot of the usual Law Society work has therefore been on hold awaiting the outcome and strategising so as to be prepared for which Government would be in power.   We now know that we have a Conservative Majority Government and whilst many will be happy about that, this may well make some of the Law S...

Happy new Year from DASLS Office

Happy new Year   It is the morning after! No not that sort of morning after – as I write it’s the morning after the deadline for nominations to be made for the DASLS Legal Awards and we are delighted to announce that we have had significantly more entries than in previous years.  Thank you to everyone who has entered; we look forward to seeing you at Exeter Cathedral on 30th April when the winners will be announced. No doubt there will be another morning after that! Tickets will go on sale once the shortlist has been announced towards the end of January.   Our new recruitment advertising service has started well with good support and our work behind t...

What the reform programme means in the South West by HM Courts & Tribunals Service

Practitioners in Devon and Somerset, indeed across England and Wales, will be aware of HMCTS’s ambitious £1bn programme of court reform. Some have been involved in consultations, developing and testing new services and products; for others their work has already been impacted as new technology and modern ways of working are introduced.   Launched in September 2016, the programme is now almost at its half-way stage. We’ve already seen the roll out of several online services covering divorce, probate, civil money claims and social security appeals which have been used by well over 250,000 people. Two new services – immigration and asylum, and public fam...

Future workplace: the changing real estate needs of the professional sector by Sponsor Barclays

The more flexible the better? Why law firms are rethinking office spaces   Paul Jarrett Spacious offices in highly desirable locales have long been de rigueur for London’s top law firms. But new technology and working practices are causing firms to reconsider their office design.   Increasing rents for the capital’s premier postcodes, new ways of working, and satisfying the needs of next generation talent are driving change in the way law firms think about the office spaces they occupy.   The challenge to find the most conducive – and cost efficient – working environment is no longer a binary one; new working practices and technologies are...

news from the Devon & Somerset Junior Lawyers' Division new Committee

As 2019 drew to a close, a new year for the Junior Lawyers' Division got off to a festive start following November's AGM and elections. November saw the election of the new JLD committee; made up of 10 representatives from 8 different law firms based across Devon & Somerset.    The elections were held during the JLD AGM, hosted by Oddfellows in Exeter. It was a well-attended and enjoyable evening.  Whilst a small number of committee members return from last year's committee, it is great to welcome a high number of new committee members.  You can find out more information on this year's committee on the DASLS website. At the first meeting of the new J...