The By Lawyers Criminal Offences App has been updated to reflect changes to several sentencing guidelines published by the Sentencing Council and effective from 1 April 2024. Read more...

The matter plans in each guide have been reviewed to give a practical flow to matters and ensure that documents are in the right place for easy location and use. Read more...

The Family Procedure Rules have been amended to encourage the use of non-court dispute resolution before cases reach court. Read more…

The By Lawyers Criminal Offences app now includes new offences created by the Public Order Act 2023. Read more...

By Lawyers is monitoring the increasing emphasis on anti-money laundering in the profession. Read more...

InfoTrack’s property report is an opportunity to do conveyancing differently. Having seen a couple of demonstrations of the new ‘property report’ feature from InfoTrack it is clear that the use of clever technology to simplify the lives of conveyancers is here to stay. Drawing information from a number of sources into one place, the property report is mostly completed before a practitioner has even touched their keyboard, but is fully customisable to ensure that clients receive tailored information. Land Registry information, search results and replies to enquiries are all included. The InfoTrack enquiries platform was a revelation, and a revolution, to this author. Hyperlinks to InfoTrack have been incorporated into the matter plan and there is a new Letter to seller’s solicitor with amended contract and draft transfer – Enquiries via InfoTrack which alerts the other side to the process.

The By Lawyers Criminal Law Guide has been reviewed and updated to ensure that the commentaries and precedents are in line with current law and practice. The extensive review takes a practical approach, drawing on our considerable experience to cover all aspects of procedure, with a focus on practical tips that will help practitioners to run a criminal matter to completion confidently. Commentary and new precedents dealing with the following areas have been included: The victim surcharge and Cuthbertson, R. v [2020] EWCA Crim 1883; The professional users access scheme; Family proceedings disclosure; The effects of the Criminal Procedure Amendment Rules 2021; Cautions, community resolutions and triage; and Perjury. We invite you to explore this updated publication and to consider the wealth of assistance the Criminal Law Guide offers.

As we enter 2025, the Looking to the Future publication has been updated to assist practitioners with changes anticipated in the next 12 months.

Part of our series of common legal questions and their answers, we look at how to apply for a standard grant of representation. Read more...

The By Lawyers Mortgages Guide has been reviewed and updated to ensure that the commentaries and precedents are in line with current law and conveyancing practice. Read more...

In the light of the UK Government’s Living with COVID-19 plan the Dealing with legal issues during COVID-19 publication has been amended and updated. This helpful resource can be found at the top of every matter plan and covers a wide range of issues.

The By Lawyers Criminal Offences App has been updated to include new sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council for strangulation and suffocation offences. Read more...

We are very pleased to announce the release of two new By Lawyers publications: Employment Law – Non-Contentious; and Employment Law - Contentious. These two publications cover all aspects of practice and procedure whether acting for employees or for employers. They assist practitioners with representing clients, document drafting through to managing matters within the employment tribunals. The commentaries are practical and easy to understand and are supported by numerous helpful precedents. Key content includes: Commentary on contracts of employment, human resources, policies and procedures, transfer of undertakings, redundancy and unfair and wrongful dismissal. Commentary on conciliation, mediation and arbitration in the employee/employer relationship. Law and procedure relating to employment tribunals, including the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Comprehensive To Do Lists and Retainer Instructions ensure all necessary instructions are taken and followed. Letters to clients and third parties when establishing the employment relationship and when disputes arise. These Employment Law publications are an invaluable resource for practitioners who regularly conduct employment matters, as well as those with limited experience or those supervising junior lawyers. We invite you to explore these new guides. Comments and feedback are always welcomed.

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 heralds the biggest change to divorce law for decades and a new guide tailored to fit the new process has been published. The commentary and matter plan both guide practitioners through the new process, and new letters reflect the updated terminology.

As commentators are suggesting that wills signed during the coronavirus pandemic may be more open to challenges, a new Will Execution Attendance Note precedent has been added to the Wills matter plan to assist with Larke v Nugus requests. The attendance note when coupled with the retainer instructions prompts practitioners to consider and briefly note the situation surrounding the taking of instructions and the execution of the will. These documents, readily completed at the time, will assist practitioners should a request for information ever arise in the future. The opportunity has also been taken to add a precedent To Do List – Wills to the guide in order to assist practitioners with file management.