Concern over ‘unrealistic’ conveyancing expectations ahead of stamp duty deadline
By Moidipa Fouzder >> (18 December 2020) The Law Society is urging people wanting to buy or sell a home during the temporary stamp duty holiday to have realistic expectations about completing before the 31 March deadline. In July, chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak announced he was cutting stamp duty for residential properties in […]
Pre-recorded evidence now an option across England and Wales
By Jemma Slingo >> (23 November 2020) Vulnerable individuals now have the option to pre-record evidence in all Crown courts across England and Wales in the latest government move to relieve pressure on victims of crime. From today, vulnerable alleged victims and witnesses such as children or people with disabilities will be able to pre-record cross-examination […]
Lockdown II: Law firm offices allowed to open and clients can visit
By John Hyde >> (6 November 2020) The government has confirmed that solicitors can meet clients in their firms if this is necessary during the second lockdown. The Law Society said it has met with officials from various government departments this week and secured agreement on interpretation of the rules that law firm offices are […]
Conveyancing guidance on witness-free electronic signatures imminent
By Monidipa Fouzder >> (5 October 2020) HM Land Registry has revealed it is close to publishing draft guidance on a more sophisticated form of electronic signature that will not require a witness in a conveyancing transaction. However, witnessed electronic signatures are here to stay for at least another couple of years. Land Registry began […]
HMCTS to introduce evening sessions in magistrates’ court
By Monidipa Fouzder >> (24 September 2020) HM Courts & Tribunals Service has revealed that it will introduce evening courts to bring down the backlog of cases in the magistrates’ court. In a webinar discussing HMCTS’s crime recovery plan yesterday, deputy director Jason Latham said HMCTS was in the ‘final stages’ of identifying how to […]
PRESS RELEASE
MT UK OPENS ITS NEW CITY OFFICE UNDER THE “NEW NORMAL” London: 21 September 2020 – MT UK Solicitors (MT UK) announces the opening of its new city office under the “New Normal” situation at 6 Gate Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Holborn, London, WC2A 3HP. MT UK’s city office has been formally declared open for […]
Judge blasts MoJ’s ‘systemic failure’ over Crown court backlog
By Catherine Baksi >> (9 September 2020) Crown court judge has accused the government of ‘systemic failure’ for not conducting trials in a reasonable time. Judge Keith Raynor, at Woolwich Crown Court, refused to further extend the custody time limit for a teenager who had been held in prison waiting for his trial for 321 days. […]
Don’t break quarantine to go to court – Law Society
By Jemma Slingo >> (21 August 2020) Lawyers should not be permitted to break quarantine to go to court, the Law Society warned today, saying the waiver ‘puts lives at risk’. Earlier this week the Bar Council announced that ‘after significant lobbying’ the goverment has confirmed that barristers, solicitors and other court users returning from […]
Solicitor super-exam to cost £3,980
By Jemma Slingo >> (30 July 2020) Students will pay £3,980 to sit the new Solicitors Qualifying Exam, the regulator has announced, in a drive to make entry to the profession more accessible. SQE1 – a multiple choice legal knowledge test – will cost £1,558, while SQE 2 will cost £2,422 for written and oral […]
Family backlog ‘may not return to pre-Covid levels until 2023’
By Monidipa Fouzder >> (11 December 2020) HM Courts & Tribunals Service estimates that private law family cases may not return to pre-Covid levels for another three years, documents published by the judiciary have revealed. The Family Justice Board issued a statement yesterday summarising priority actions to alleviate ‘immediate pressures’ and begin longer-term reform. Reports […]
