Six months on from the introduction of the SRA Transparency Rules it is surprising to hear that some firms are yet to comply with the new obligations. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) recently published (June 2019) the results of its Transparency Rules Web Sweep showing nearly 58% of firms were partially complying and 17% were not complying at all.
Accredited Legal Representatives in the Court of Protection
The Law Society has published new practice guidelines for lawyers seeking appointment, or acting, as accredited representatives in the Court of Protection.
Upcoming Posts in the coming months
1. Practice guidance for Lawyers seeking apppointment as accredited Legal Representatives in the Court of Protection/ 2. Dependant claims by Testator’s adult children – Nahajec v Fowle [2017] 3. Unmarried partners – property rights – Lewis (as Executrix of the Estate of Blackwell, deceased) v Warner [2017] 4. Court of Protection – Protection of Trust … Read more
Cost of Death Certificates Rises
A three-fold rise in the cost of a death certificate could result in solicitors being unable to administer some estates, lawyers have warned. The General Register Office this month increased the cost of obtaining a certificate online from £4 to £11.
Charlotte Pritchard, a member of the private wealth team at national firm BLM, told the Gazette it is not unusual for families to require between 10-20 death certificates in order to administer an estate. She warned that where solicitors are appointed payment may need to be initially funded by the firm; particularly if no family members are able to find the up-front cash.
Lawyers warned over potentially negligent GDPR advice
A legal compliance expert has warned that lawyers may need to take action over potential breaches of data protection rules.
Brian Rogers, Director of Regulation and Compliance Services for Riliance, said those who advised businesses how to comply with new GDPR rules last May should revisit that advice – and even contact clients to admit they made a mistake.
Rogers spoke to the Gazette after lawyers were publicly criticised last month by Chris Combemale, Chief Executive of the marketing network DMA Group. Combemale told a Westminster Legal Policy Forum conference that many of the 1,000 DMA members had been wrongly told to focus on consent as the basis for processing data.
