If you have or are a consultant solicitor the IR35 will be high on your agenda. We are not experts on this but have come across this resource for expert advice to ensure that you are compliant. Expert advice and insurance against HMRC investigations. This has been recommended to us, so we thought we'd share in case this might be of help.
(Please note we are not endorsing this and you should carry out your own due diligence and seek advice on accounting & tax matters from your accountants.)
For advice about running your law firm, please feel free to contact us. There is a Contact Form below on this screen.
Whilst here, may we invite you to have a look at our services, accessed from the top of this page, or browse or search our other blogs. They tend to be to provide information & assistance to the legal, business & professional services sectors. Mostly about the business of running your business.
The government has decided that the Fast Track will be extended to cases valued up £100,000 and thus that Fixed Recoverable Costs will be extended accordingly. Clin Neg are excluded because they are the subject of a separate review. There are 4 categories of complexity which will determine the level of costs allowed.
In case you missed it, below is a link to the LS Gazette article which sets out some detail with the suggested figures. Also below is a link to the full Impact Assessment and Government Response, should you wish to read it.
It doesn’t say when this will be brought in, but they are at the rules-drafting stage. You’ll need to do some prep and modelling to see how this will impact your business.
Law Society Gazette article: Click here
Original Papers: Click here for access
Should you wish to explore how this might affect your firm finances feel free to contact us for a chat. One of our consultants is an expert in Law Firm Finance and Ingemar is an ex-litigator. [email protected] or 07887 524507
We provide AML training both for businesses in the Legal Sector and for FCA regulated firms.
SRA regulated firms - did you know that Lexcel requires firms to review policies and training EACH year?
The Legal Sector Affinity Group Anti-Money Laundering Guidance states that all employees and agents should receive training at regular and appropriate internals both to update on new developments and to refresh existing knowledge. All new employees should receive AML Training.
The FCA adopts a similar approach and of course the legislation & regulations are the same.
We train on AML. Normally this is remotely done and charged at £200/hr + VAT (+ £50+VAT for prep for each training session). If you are booking just 1 hour the price is £250 + £50 for prep + VAT, to cover question, over-run and to reflect that fact that more than 1 person may attend.
We provide a lot of AML support to businesses in the Legal Sector. Please see below for a summary and links for further information. (Watch this space for assistance coming for certain businesses in the Financial Services sector as well.)
(Sanctions Regime compliance - see separate services for this on our website.)
Sanctions Regime Compliance Training
SRA Accounts Rules Training
COFA Training
GDPR & Data Protection Training
Cyber Security & Fraud prevention Training
Feel free to contact us, ideally by using the 'How can we help you?' form below.
If nothing else, the pandemic has showed the value of good financial awareness and the value of cash in the bank. I think the economic outflow of the pandemic is still to hit us. Those businesses with a strong cash basis and good awareness of their finances will be in a stronger position to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. If you're looking for someone to talk with, we are fortunate to have as one of our consultants an expert in small and mid-tier law firm finance.
(He's already doing forecasting for some of our client firms. (He's also an expert in Benchmarking in the Legal Sector and the SRA Accounts Rules.)
If of interest contact us:
Ingemar on 07887 524507 or [email protected]
The SRA is running rolling programme of checks on all law firm websites to make sure you are complying with our transparency rules.
They will be checking all law firm sites, including those of firms who have previously filled in a self-declaration stating that they are fully compliant. Embarrassing if you have said it is compliant when it's not! When they do find it is not compliant they will tell you and give you a time limit for fixing this and again declaring if it is compliant. This service is just the review. We can also help after an SRA audit, but that will be on an hourly basis.
Here is a link to the SRA Transparency Rules: https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/transparency-rules/
Here is a link to the SRA Guidance, updated in September 2024: https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/guidance/transparency-in-price-and-service/
fill in the web form below
or
or email: [email protected]
What we will doReview your website and produce a report of what you need to do to be compliant. We will also review your Client Care Letter/Engagement/Terms of Business letters and Complaints Policies (one set of each). All work is carried out remotely. |
£500 + VAT
The current thinking is that Legal Aid tenders will become available this autumn (2021). If you want to tender you will need to have the SQM or Lexcel quality mark. SQM is likely to take at least 3 months to obtain and Lexcel 4. Time to get moving.
Give us a shout if you would like to get some help.
Contact for info: Ingemar on 07887 524507 or [email protected]
Before someone can sit an SQE assessment, you will need to create your SQE account. Registration is now open, and you’ll need to follow these steps:
For further information here is the link to the SRA page: https://sqe.sra.org.uk/registering-and-booking
For bookings here is the link: https://sqe.sra.org.uk/registering-and-booking/booking-assessments
If you're an apprentice you must create an SQE account, activate it and log in.
Then you’ll need to fill in your profile - this includes verifying your identity and letting us know about any reasonable adjustments you will need when taking the assessments.
You will need to make sure that your employer or training provider has nominated Kaplan SQE as their End Point Assessment organisation.
If you employ or train an apprentice who plans to take the SQE, you must register your apprentice by emailing the apprenticeship team at [email protected]. You will need to provide them with the name and Unique Learner Number of the apprentice. This will ensure that we record them as an apprentice in their SQE account.
General info about the SQE & QWE: https://hunningsconsultancy.co.uk/the-new-sqe-exam-and-qualification-method/
SQE Exam Dates: https://hunningsconsultancy.co.uk/sqe-dates-of-exams/
SQE Training Providers: https://hunningsconsultancy.co.uk/sqe-training-providers/
We have blogged extensively about QWE and invite you to visit some of the blogs. URLs are listed below.
Should you not have a solicitor who can ‘Confirm’ your QWE then WE CAN HELP.
Here’s a link to how: https://hunningsconsultancy.co.uk/external-qwe-certification-service-2/
For information about the SQE see here: https://hunningsconsultancy.co.uk/the-new-sqe-exam-and-qualification-method/
Feel free to contact Ingemar on: 07887 524507 or [email protected]
9th July 2021 the UK government released 2 new Practice Directions for the process for the appointment of Official Solicitor as litigation friend for:
a) someone lacking capacity to conduct personal welfare proceedings and
b) for the person concerned for property and financial affairs proceedings in the Court of Protection
This contains information and guidance around:
This practice note also contains details of how to contact the Official Solicitor, including out of hours applications relating to urgent medical treatment issues.
Here is a link to where you may download it: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/appointment-of-the-official-solicitor-in-welfare-proceedings-practice-note?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_source=2bf1f0a5-8a23-449b-88ef-dbf6736d78d3&utm_content=daily
This contains information and guidance around:
Here is a link to where you may download it: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/appointment-of-the-official-solicitor-in-property-and-affairs-proceedings-practice-note?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_source=78193e4f-bfa6-47df-9df3-553ea0df5f6b&utm_content=daily
We are not giving legal advice, but as providers of business support to law firms, we thought this information might be of some assistance to some of our clients. For more info about our services please visit our website: www.hunningsconsultancy.co.uk or contact Ingemar at [email protected] or on 07887 524507
I don't know what's going on, but over the last couple of months we've been contacted out of the blue by 3 solicitors firms asking us to carry out a stress test on their compliance - so they are prepared should the SRA want to visit. No advertising. Fortunately we can cover all bases: AML, Solicitors Code of Conduct, SRA Accounts Rules and Data Protection.
Our expert on all things to do with AML and the Solicitors Code of Conduct/Rules. Paul also writes our OPM.
A national expert of the SRA Accounts Rules - an accountant with specific expertise in all things to do with the finances of solicitors. Also involved in preparing benchmarking reports.
Our Data Protection Officer, expert in all things to do with Data Protection, GDPR compliance and interactions with the ICO.
Founder of HCL, solicitor and ex-partner, department head and board member - brings an understanding of how your firm works and a commercial focus as compliance has to work within the environment of the commercial reality of running a business. Ingemar will lead and co-ordinate the projects.
Ingemar on 07887 524507 or [email protected]
Ingemar was recently interviewed for this radio show in which the presenter, Adrian Pryce, has a brief chat with various people in business. Here's a link to the podcast in case of interest. It's about 15 mins long.
