National Cyber Security Strategy

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Chancellor Philip Hammond released plans for a £1.9 billion cyber security Government strategy.

Key areas that all firms should be aware of include:

  • Vulnerabilities
  • Roles and responsibilities of businesses and organisations
  • The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
  • Defend – plans to defend UK organisations
  • Deter – plans to enhance deterrence
  • Develop – plans to strengthen skills, training and technology

It is the responsibility as a business within a particularly vulnerable sector to keep abreast of developments and to be aware of the strategy, as well as ways you can implement any changes effectively.

To read the full National Cyber Security Strategy document, please click here.

SQE consultation opens round 2 from SRA

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Paul Philip, SRA Chief Executive, said: “We think there is a strong case for the SQE and this consultation spells it out in more detail. We have taken on board a wide range of views and gathered more evidence, and I would like to thank the many organisations that have helped us to refine and develop our proposals.

“Ultimately, we want to make sure that the solicitors of the future have the high standards and skills needed to compete both domestically and in a global market. And we know that, internationally, an entrance examination is common practice in other major jurisdictions, from New York to New Zealand. We believe the SQE will enable us to be sure that all solicitors have the competences required to do the job.

“I would encourage everyone to let us have their views about the proposals set out in the consultation and to take the opportunity to influence the future qualification requirements for solicitors.”

At the same time as publishing its latest consultation on the SQE, the SRA is publishing a summary and analysis of responses from the first consultation, together with copies of the individual responses it received.

The consultation runs until 9 January 2017 and can be found online at: www.sra.org.uk/consultations

Bar Standards Board let equality and diversity data slip

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Bar regulators have allowed equality and diversity initiatives to slip and have been told to act immediately to restore them, the watchdog’s independent observer has said.

Isobel Leaviss, who has the role of providing independent oversight of the Bar Standards Board, said that she was “surprised” not to have found publicly available equality and diversity data for various professional conduct elements at the regulator.

Up to date recording and monitoring of equality and diversity data for the committee and board members at the BSB responsible for professional conduct “was not in place,” said Leaviss in a reportreleased on Friday.

She went on to say that “equality and diversity induction training for new members appeared to have lapsed”. Leaviss called on the regulator to remedy both shortfalls.

The BSB said that it had accepted the observer’s recommendations. Vanessa Davies, the board’s director, welcomed the report’s findings, saying that Leaviss’s “contributions ensure our complaints-handling process continues to be refined and improved, particularly in the context of being a risk-based regulator”.

Middlesex Law Society Continuing Competence program

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Audit Compliance Ltd have in association with Middlesex Law Society launched the Continuing Competence programme which starts at Middlesex University Hebron Campus on Thursday 20th and Tuesday 25th October and at the University of West London on Thursday 27th October

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Booking Form and details of Compliance Workshops

at the Middlesex University Hendon Campus 20 & 25th Evenings and University of West London Ealing Daytime 27th October 2016

Click to download

Continuing Competence Program continuing-competence-mls-letter-290916

Booking Form  continuing-competence-booking-form-220916-final

Middlesex University, Hendon Campus 20th and 25th October 2016 mls-compliance-workshop-20th-and-25th-october-2016-final

University of West London, St Mary’s Road, Ealing Law School 27th October 2016 mls-compliance-workshop-27th-october-2016-final

To become a member of  Middlesex Law Society  mlsmembershipform01102016

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Disbursements often missed

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In a recent survey with Today’s Conveyancer, Scott Bozinis, CEO of InfoTrack :“The results demonstrate that with over 60% of conveyancers receiving multiple invoices for any given matter, it is possible to miss disbursements. It is clear that accessing multiple websites for a single matter makes it difficult to keep on top of billing. A consolidation of the process is required to simplify the day-to-day conveyancing tasks in order to maximise revenue and time. The key to combatting these missed disbursements is through the use of technology which reduces the number of websites that need to be visited, relieving administration and bookkeeping headaches. InfoTrack technology enables conveyancers to improve the process by consolidating all the key tasks into a single platform, including electronic AP1 and SDLT forms, Contract Packs and Conveyancing Searches. Using our technology means firms receive a single, combined monthly bill making the bookkeeping of disbursements, such as AML checks and indemnities, simple.”

Heather Cameron, Marketing and Communications Manager at Today’s Conveyancer, stated: “It is clear from these results that in an already demanding role, dealing with many third parties all at once and errors like missing charging disbursements are as a result of insufficient processes in many instances. The fact that almost 74% of those surveyed feel undervalued by their client’s reveals just how high a client’s expectation really is on their conveyancer.

“We know the SRA in their most recent Risk Outlook, made it clear that they are looking to firms to innovate their processes through their use of IT to deliver a more streamlined approach to legal services; with the right IT practices, errors like this will diminish.”

Middlesex Law Society Continuing Competence 2017

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in association with

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To become a member of  Middlesex Law Society MLS Membership Form

MLS Continuing Competence Program 2017 Education Committee Letter

 

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A successful workshop was held at Middlesex University on Thursday 20th October 2016. Amy Bell was the main speaker supported by Michael Garson, our Council Member and The Law Society Treasurer. The Middlesex Law Society will be holding additional events in 2017 further details please contact Paul.Wilkinson@auditcompliance.co.uk

 

LSB unhappy that IBA says ‘creeping government control’

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The Legal Services Board has hit back at the International Bar Association for citing it as an example of creeping government control of the legal profession. 

International Bar Association task force said the LSB, set up under the Legal Services Act, was an example of ‘external involvement in the regulatory scheme’.  ‘Where there is some executive control over the regulatory process the risk of infringements on lawyers’ professional independence is greater.’

The LSB has called for the statement to be removed from the report.

LSB’s chief executive, Neil Buckley says the references to the board are ‘inaccurate’, specifically the implication that it is controlled by the government. 

Buckley states: ‘No decision made by the LSB and its executive has ever been at the “control”, behest of or subject to any improper influence whatsoever by the government.’

BSB demands barristers “speak fluent english”

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The Bar Standards Board list of “threshold standard competences” 36-page document sets out “the minimum level or standard to which the competences should be performed on day one of practice”.

Barristers, says the “professional statement” document, “will have an effective command of the language and be able to use it appropriately, accurately and fluently so as to handle complex and detailed argumentation”. 

Barristers should “use correct and appropriate vocabulary, English grammar, spelling and punctuation in all communications”. And the board requires that barristers must “speak fluent English”.

Dixon says AI not taken over yet!

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Law Society chief executive Catherine Dixon said that the market is ‘clearly embracing AI in its work’ with 22 major firms publicly acknowledging its use. ‘These are mostly large commercial firms but we believe this will soon spread,’ she said.

As for the question of whether AI would make whole swathes of the profession redundant, Dixon noted that academic studies are contradictory. ‘The picture is more complicated than sometimes painted in the media. The profession will re-invent itself as it has so often in the past,’ she said.

MORI pole by TLS about SRA changes showed “considerable disquiet”.

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The survey which was conducted by Ipsos MORI, showed “considerable disquiet among those members of the public”.

Catherine Dixon, the society’s chief executive, said: “Changes to the rules governing solicitors are liable to be met with widespread opposition among the public. We urge the SRA to think again as their proposals will undermine public confidence in the solicitor profession and cause confusion for clients.”

A spokesman for the regulator said that the SRA would “be interested to see the detail of this survey. What the headline figures show is that the public is unaware that there is already a large alternative legal market not subject to regulation over and above normal consumer law. That market is providing consumers with a choice of services at what might be, for some people, an affordable cost.

“Our proposals are designed to enhance the quality of services that people can access in that market, by allowing solicitors to work outside law firms. We are already very clear that solicitors and firms must make sure their clients are aware of what protections they have should things go wrong and that requirement will continue.”