Invitation from the SRA to attend strategy meeting

Dear Colleague,

Driving forward regulatory change: the next three years

We should like to invite you to an event at which we will:

·       ·        provide an overview of our Strategic Plan for 2013-15, focusing on  the SRA’s key regulatory and other objectives for this period

·       ·        update you on our risk-based approach to regulation, including an introduction to the
risk framework and

·       ·        launch our consultation on the SRA’s  ‘Red Tape’ Initiative

Date

14 December 2012

Venue

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Central Square, Birmingham B1 1HH, Conference room Vista One

Who will this event be of interest to?

Partners, risk managers, compliance managers

Programme

10.30 – 11.00 am      Registration and coffee

11-11.10am               Welcome and opening remarks

11.10-12 noon           Presentation on Strategic Plan including Q&As

12 noon – 1pm          Update on the SRA’s risk-based approach to regulation, including Q&As

1pm – 1.45pm           Buffet lunch and networking opportunities

1.45pm – 2.15pm      Launch of the ‘Red Tape’ initiative

2.15pm                      Closing remarks and end

An opportunity not to be missed

This event will feature presentations by the SRA that will provide an insight into our strategic thinking covering the next three years including future challenges and priorities.   The session on our risk-based approach to regulation will provide a clear overview of how we intend delivering risk-based outcomes-focused regulation effectively and efficiently.   A further key priority for the SRA – and one on which we are seeking your input – is how we  ensure that firms and the SRA can maximise the benefits of OFR by removing bureaucratic processes which may have carried through from the old, rules based, approach to regulation but which are no longer necessary.      

This is your opportunity to learn first-hand how the SRA intends driving forward regulatory change over the next three years.  Places are limited to one representative per firm in the first instance and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.  Attendance is free and the event is CPD accredited.

If you would like to make a booking, please complete the booking form here no later than Friday, 7 December.

 

Richard Collins

Executive Director, SRA

 

 

Money Laundering Group Meetings

To all local law societies in the Midlands

 

Here are the details of our Money Laundering Reporting Officer Groups which will be delivered free of charge to members in Q1 2013:

 

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Government consults on Crown Court means testing

https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/crown-court-means-testing/consult_view

Annual Dinner Sells out in Advance

Unprecedented demand has seen tickets for this year’s Annual Dinner sell out a month in advance of the event. Joint Social Secretary Charlotte Clode welcomed the news saying:-

 

“We have sold 22 tables which, together with our two top tables, means we expect over 200 guests made up of local lawyers, accountants, bankers and others within the region’s professional sector. We got 185 guests last year, so it would seem the event continues this year to go from strength to strength.”

 

Law Society Quiz 2012

A total of 26 teams took part in the Law Society Quiz held at the Village Hotel Walsall in September this year. As well as member firms other local professionals entered teams in this popular charity fundraiser. The winners were FBC Manby Bowdler who beat Corporate Recovery specialists Begbies Traynor and No 5 Chambers into second and third respectively. A total of some £500 was raised for The Beacon Centre for the Blind. All in all an excellent result. Thank you to everyone who took part.

 

FBC Manby Bowdler

 

 Begbies Traynor

 

No 5 Chambers

 

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Annual Dinner 2012 - Book early to avoid disappointment!

This year’s Annual Dinner looks set to be a soaring success as demand for tickets is proving to be strong. After Dinner speaker and ex Air Traffic Controller Dave Gunson is sure to be the star attraction. Those already confirmed as attendees include:-

No 5 Chambers

St Philips Chambers

Towler Shaw Roberts

Muras Baker Jones

Wolverhampton University

FBC Manby Bowdler

George Green & Co

Higgs & Sons

Rees Page

 
Book now to avoid disappointment. You will find all the details you need in the earlier posting dated 24^th September.

Criminal Practitioners invited to engage with Victim Support

In a letter to Clive Black, Rhiannon Evans at Victim Support has extended an invitation to local Defence Practitioners to engage with Victim Support.

Rhiannon would be pleased to hear from members of the Wolverhampton Law Society who wish to gain an insight into the work of her organisation.

Here is the text of her letter together with her contact details.

“Dear Mr Black, 

I’m writing to you as the Law Society’s Midlands relationship manager to try to develop relationships with the law society and its members with the Witness Service in the Midlands area. The Witness Service is run by the charity Victim Support and provides a free independent service to all witnesses including defence witnesses and their supporters in every criminal court in the country.  Historically there has been a lack of take up of our support from the defence community but we are heavily committed to trying to change this by raising awareness of our services.  I was wondering if you might be able to assist me in trying to achieve this or could provide me with contacts in order to do this. I’m willing to attend meetings to give presentations or forward information via email if that would be best.

At the start of the year I was asked by Richard Atkinson to give a talk to the national criminal law committee regarding our work and colleagues attended the national conference in May to talk about our services too.  As I work specifically in the West Midlands I thought it would be helpful to get in contact with yourself as the regional law society reps to see how we can raise awareness at a regional level in addition to our national work.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding developing our links. 

Regards

 

Rhiannon”

 

Rhiannon Evans

Senior Service Delivery Manager | T: 0121 543 1730 | Text Relay 18001 0121 543 1730 | M:07530 510376  | E: Rhiannon.Evans@victimsupport.org.uk

Victim Support | Witness Service, Select House, 50 Popes Lane, Oldbury | B69 4PA | Registered charity no. 298028 | Company no.2158780 | Switchboard: 0121 544 4336 | W: www.victimsupport.org.uk | Facebook: www.facebook.com/victimsupport | Twitter: www.twitter.com/victimsupport

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Annual Dinner 2012

 

INVITATION

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 MENU

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RSVP

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Presidents of Local Law Societies PC Renewal

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Wolverhampton County Court Counter Restrictions

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Telford County Court Pilot Scheme

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Letter from Richard Atkinson re QASA

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Law Society Promotion

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Order Form

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Order Form

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Haven seeks Trustee

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Law Society Annual Charity Quiz

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Quiz Invite

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Quiz RSVP

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Court Opening Times 2012

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Black Jack Ball proves a winner!

The Society spiced up its annual summer social event by laying on a Las Vegas themed party. Council Member and Joint Social Secretary Charlotte Clode takes up the story:- 

“The Jubilee weekend kicked off with a Las Vegas themed cocktail party for 90 local professionals who attended Wolverhampton Law Society’s Black Jack Ball on Friday 1 June.

Cocktails, which included concoctions such as the ‘Vegas Bomb’ and ‘Loaded Dice’ courtesy of sponsors No 5 Chambers, flowed throughout the night as groups from local law firms such as Rees Page and Thornes Solicitors gathered alongside other local professionals from the likes of Tildesley & Tonks to fritter away their fortunes on Wolverhampton’s Wheel of Fortune (aka – roulette), Black Country Black Jack Table and at President Birkett’s Poker Palace. In fact the Society’s own Andrew Wynne of FBC Manby Bowdler ranked within the top three highest casino winnings at the end of the evening.

The venue, Perton Park Golf Club, did the Society proud with the quality of food and Vegas themed decoration whilst local band Firefly entertained party-goers long into the night; their set only broken up by main event sponsors Wesleyan for Lawyers’ free prize draw which saw a Kindle and 6 bottle wine hamper up for grabs - lucky winners Mark Fletcher of Crombies Chartered Accountants and Catrin Morgan of NJP Solicitors walked away with those fantastic prizes.

All appeared to have a good time - the contingent from Higgs & Sons especially, who were heard ‘singing’ all the way to their taxis when the event closed at 1am – and no doubt the event will now become an annual feature on Wolverhampton Law Society’s social calendar.

If you can’t wait until Summer 2013 for our next social, however, then be sure to look out for the Society’s Annual Dinner which saw numbers in excess of 190 attend the Molineux in 2011. This year’s Dinner will be held on 9 November and ‘save the date’ invites will come out to everyone shortly.”

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Society plays a part in securing HSBC climb down

Members will have seen the announcement that, from August, HSBC will open up its Conveyancing Panel to all members of the Law Society Quality Conveyancing Scheme. This represents a significant climb down by the Bank which only a few weeks ago had, at a stroke, gone from an open panel to one of less than 50 firms nationally.

Wolverhampton Law Society contributed to the pressure for change by raising the issue directly with the Bank at both national and local levels. Emphasising the damage that the arrangements were having on local relations the Society also had face-to-face meetings with Wolverhampton MPs to discuss the matter. 

Commenting upon this development Council Member Andrew Lund said:-

“As a Council we felt that if HSBC got away with this then it would be the thin end of the wedge as other Lenders would doubtless have followed suit.

MPs were, in particular, swayed by our argument that HSBC had indirectly benefited from the tax payer bail out of the banking sector and that they would not have been in a position to flex their muscles in this way had free market economics prevailed. 

Another key factor was the reaction of Estate Agents. Having seen difficulties with HSBC funded parties causing Chains to break down some Agents had begun to advise their Clients to be wary about selling to an HSBC funded purchaser.

It would have been nice to get HSBC to climb down fully and revert to an open panel. However, I think that that was never going to be achieved. If Solicitors are serious about conveyancing then they really should get accredited under the Law Society Scheme which looks as though it is getting traction with the CML. Looking around Wolverhampton it is encouraging to see that a significant number of member Firms are early adopters of the Quality Conveyancing Scheme and I know that many are working towards membership.”

Society Golf Team Putts other Professionals in Place

The Society’s Golfers did battle on 23^rd May with representatives from nine other professions and came out top. Held at Enville Golf Club the annual event saw Guy Birkett, Gareth Ruddock, Richard Alderson, Phil Cowell, Frank Calleia and Nick Taylor triumph with a level par 72 and two 68’s giving the team a winning score of 8 under par.

 

Second place was engineered by the Engineers who finished 8 shots behind.

 

Nick Taylor provided the icing on the cake by winning the nearest to the pin competition thus rounding up a successful day for the legal eagles.

 

The Law Society Rose Bowl has now returned to its rightful place in the President’s office.

 

Commenting upon the victory Guy Birkett said:-

 

“It is great to return to winning ways after a few seasons dominated by the Accountants, not least because certain members of that profession ( Mark Botwood ) had, in recent times, developed a tendency to gloat, a trait I am determined to avoid !!.”

 

Pausing to observe that the Accountants had, on this occasion, fielded a team comprising members of rather more mature years he went on to issue a challenge to former protagonists concluding with:-

 

“Botwood, Ross, Fletcher, your guys took one hell of a beating. We expect better opposition for our forthcoming annual challenge match”

 

The next Society Golfing event will be the annual Solicitors / Accountants match at Oswestry on 14^th September. If anyone is interested in taking part please contact Guy at G.Birkett@fbcmb.co.uk.

Latest from HSBC

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Welcome to our new President Guy Birkett

The Society’s AGM on the 27^th April 2012 saw out going President Alex Thompson hand over the badge of office to his successor Guy Birkett.

Looking forward to his year in office Guy said:-

 

“My aims and objectives are to attend as many events as possible to try and positively promote the City and it’s lawyers. I also hope to preside over a successful Summer Ball event and to continue to grow the Annual Dinner such that it becomes a “must go” event for Wolverhampton professionals. I would further like to strengthen links with the Birmingham Law Society and the Walsall and Stafford Law Societies”

MPs meeting

The Society’s AGM on the 27^th April was preceded by a meeting with local MPs and a buffet lunch. Society members were able to discuss a number of issues with Parliamentarians Paul Uppal, Emma Reynolds and Pat McFadden. On Legal Aid cut backs there were few crumbs of comfort although all three MPs expressed a desire to be kept informed about the impact that the squeeze on resources was likely to have. On regulation there seemed to be a degree of bewilderment as to why the Government had not accepted an amendment to the Financial Services Bill that would have imposed Fiduciary obligations upon Banks and thus level up the playing field between them and other providers of legal services (notably Solicitors).

There was a consensus that the fortunes of the legal community within the City are inextricably linked with those of the wider population and that the state of the Retail Quarter is becoming an increasing cause for concern. On the positive side the Jaguar Plant at i54 will provide a boost to confidence locally and the end of the so-called “Supermarket Wars” will see the development of two large brown field sites that have been an eye sore for some time. 

Wolverhampton Law Society Calender 2012

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Wolverhampton Law Society Council Members 2012-2013

Officers:-

President 

Guy Birkett

Vice President

Tracy Davies

Deputy Vice President/Parliamentary Liaison

Andrew Wynn

Secretary

Richard Ennis

Treasurer

Gareth Ruddock

Joint Social Secretaries

Charlotte Clode/Laura Jones

Press Officer/Newsletter Editor

Andrew Lund

Ordinary members:-

Richard Alderson
Alex Thompson
Nick Wynn Williams

Law Society Council Member 

Chris Clark

JLD representative
Ben Thorne

MP's Lunch & AGM

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Please ignore reference to the attached notice of the AGM. This will be posted out as usual.

Make a date to meet your MP……… and the next President!

On Friday 27^th April Wolverhampton Law Society is hosting a lunchtime meeting with local MPs. The event will provide a relaxed atmosphere in which members of the Society can raise topical legal issues with those who represent Wolverhampton in the House of Commons. A hot buffet will be served to accompany the discussions which will be followed by the Society’s AGM. To be held at the offices of FBC Manby Bowdler the event is likely to be very popular if previous experience is anything to go by. Keep an eye out for further details and reserve your place early to avoid disappointment.     

Emma Reynolds MP

Pat McFadden MP

Paul Uppal MP

HSBC e-petition

A petition has been set up on the Government web site urging HSBC to drastically increase the size of its Conveyancing Panel.

You can read the petition and add your name by visiting:-

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29948

Wolverhampton Law Society Interest Rate Survey 2012

In 2010 the Wolverhampton Law Society carried out a survey of member firms to find out what rates of interest their Banks were paying on Clients General Deposit Account and Designated Deposit Accounts. The results of the survey were collated on an anonymous basis so that the rates achieved could not be attributed to the particular firms in question. They were then published to those participating so as to better inform their negotiations with their account providers. The results were “interesting” to say the least and it is believed that armed with this information some firms were successful in negotiating better terms from their Banks.

In view of the success of the previous survey the Council has decided to repeat the exercise. So far the following firms have agreed to take part:-

Underhills Rees Page FBC Manby Bowdler R S Gough & Co

Rowland Tildesley and Harris Thornes

Other member firms are invited to take part by completing the following return and sending it in an envelope marked “Confidential” to Andrew Lund Wolverhampton Law Society c/o Rees Page 8-12 Waterloo Road Wolverhampton WV1 4BL or by e-mail to alund@reespage.co.uk

Please note - the publication of the results will be limited to those firms that take part.

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HSBC – the fight continues

Here are copies of the latest exchange of correspondence between the Society and HSBC.

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Many of you will have seen the reports about the undertakings that HSBC Panel firms are seeking to extract from Purchasers’ solicitors but it is also apparent that they are seeking similarly onerous terms from those acting for Sellers. If you are involved in a chain where HSBC are providing finance then you are likely in for a bumpy ride.  Estate Agents and Clients will need educating.

WLS - End of Tax Year Seminar Invite

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Law Society Letter HSBC

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HSBC – the world’s not so local bank?

Members of the Wolverhampton Law Society will doubtless have been dismayed at HSBC’s decision to appoint “Countrywide” to oversee the decimation of the Bank’s conveyancing panel. Upon learning of the Bank’s decision we contacted the local branch in Queen Square to see if we could talk to someone about the adverse impact it would have upon relationships with Wolverhampton solicitors and their Clients. We were told that there was no point as the Branch had already been issued with a set of standard paragraphs to use in replying to any complaints about this topic. Our contact suggested it would be better to by pass the local Branch and write straight to the Bank’s complaints team in Leeds who would doubtless respond using the aforementioned standard paragraphs. We were told that the Bank’s senior management must have anticipated that there would be some fall out from its decision hence the provision of stock responses. In encouraging the Society to take up the matter our contact made reference to the “Arab Spring” and observed that collective action was one way of getting Institutions to change policy! So for starters here is a copy of the President’s letter to HSBC on the topic.

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Express and Star puts the record straight about Legal Aid

Beleaguered Legal Aid lawyers recently found a voice when the “Express and Star” ran a piece written by Richard Miller in its Wednesday “Comment” feature. The article which sought to set the record straight about the value for money tax payers receive from Legal Aid was submitted for publication by Wolverhampton Law Society.

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