I recently had the pleasure to attend a webinar to discuss the work the Group Transformation Division at Lloyds Banking Group have been doing to support colleague’s mental, physical & emotional wellbeing during this difficult
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Crime Survey for England and Wales showed that there were an estimated 4.6 million fraud offences in the year ending March 2021, a 24% increase compared with 2020 figures.
A major call for evidence has been launched by the Government seeking views on the best ways to settle family, business and other civil disputes away from the court room. The Responses will shape future
The Equity Release Council has published its Q2 2021 equity release market statistics which show that lending is nearing pre-pandemic levels as existing customers return to the market. Statistics show an increase in consumer confidence
Private Equity firm Blixt Group has invested in Essex based Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP solicitors (FJG). It is the first foray into the legal services sector for Blixt for whom FJG will “become a springboard
The Legal Services Board’s (LSB) proposed new rules and guidance for changes to regulatory arrangements are a significant improvement, the Law Society of England and Wales said today. The oversight regulator is seeking views from
The Law Society of England and Wales has published the outcomes from its LawTech, Ethics and the Rule of Law discussion paper, unveiling a set of principles and guidance that would be beneficial for the
The Law Society has issued a press release on behalf of MyHMCTS detailing improvements and changes that will be made to the online probate service, effective from 19 August 2021. The changes are based on
Applicants may be more demanding due to larger sums at stake, but legal professionals must ensure their assessment of a client’s mental capacity is up to the mark Legal professionals may be experiencing more pressure
The fines levied by the SRA on 13 firms in recent weeks continue to demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding around responsibilities when it comes to the money laundering regulations. The firms in question had
I want to ask you a simple question, is there more that the probate sector could be doing to improve the client experience throughout the estate administration process? I believe some improvements could be implemented
Our ‘Technical Corner’ brings you information that will help you to continue to grow and develop in your career. This month’s technical corner article comes from Amy Bell, Director at Teal Compliance If you have
STEP are looking for feedback from practitioners (whether you are a member of STEP or not) so that they can better understand your priorities and focus their offering. This research will allow STEP to continually
Arken.legal, experts in digital estate planning solutions, has introduced a four-day working week for full time employees following a hugely successful nine-month trial. Since October 2020, all full-time employees at the firm have had Fridays
Newly launched clinical tech provider, Comentis, has announced that it closed a pre-launch funding round at £200,000, against a pre-revenue valuation of £2million. Funding has been secured from a number of senior figures from legal
Consumer education, product innovation and property renovation must be among the priorities to support a more sustainable social care sector, experts have warned. The comments were made when a panel met to discuss the findings
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has announced a major shake-up of the Competition and Markets Authority’s powers. The CMA has been instrumental in the drive toward greater pricing transparency for consumers and more recently has intervened
A new digital platform has been launched to help accountants that manage probate cases to streamline inefficient and costly processes with easier estate management and case administration. Exizent is the first ever platform to connect
Professional jobs are on the up, but the lack of diversity is stalling progression in professional services. Hybrid and flexible working could provide an opportunity to change the current status quo in the legal profession,
A major independent study into innovation in the legal sector has revealed that while the majority of law firms are making increasing use of day-to-day technology, the development of bespoke legal technology is largely focussed
The Legal Services Board has published a response to the submissions it received to its discussion paper on quality indicators. Published in February 2021, the paper prompted a wide-ranging debate over what quality means in
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published its annual reports on its operational work during 2019/20. The reports cover areas such as its regulatory role, preventing money laundering, and enforcement. Key facts highlighted within these
Following the release of a consultation on the future of LPA’s the OPG has outlined their vision in a blog on their website. Calling for proactive engagement with the consultation from around the community, the
The ninth edition of the Just Group Care Report titled Social Care – The Policy Vacuum reveals that although people are interested in the debate about social care they don’t actually know how the
A unique new product to help executors and personal representatives who have expenses to pay as part of their duties but don’t have the funds readily available to pay upfront costs has been launched by
Officials from HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) have written to probate practitioners to outline changes to the MyHMCTS digital service. The changes, which aim to streamline and add functionality to MyHMCTS, are due to
Draft plans brought forward have proposed that co-habiting couples with children could become eligible for bereavement support in the event of their spouse’s death. Department for Work and Pensions minister, Baroness Stedman-Scott will set out
When individuals pass away, families and friends of the deceased will be grieving. Unfortunately, there are also a number of tasks that have to be carried out at this difficult time. These include planning the
A new study by will writer and funeral provider Farewill has found that over half (55%) of adults would now opt for an unconventional funeral service when they die. With secularism on the rise, over
The government has confirmed that the legal requirement for social distancing in England will be removed from Monday 19 July 2021, as well as the detail of which other aspects of step 4 on the
The government has launched a consultation examining the mainly paper-based process of creating and registering Lasting Powers of Attorney with a view to using technology reform the process of witnessing, improve access and speed up
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched formal enforcement cases against Amazon and Google in relation to possible breaches of consumer protection law. The CMA has concerns that Amazon and Google have not been