The prorogation of parliament in preparation for a general election on 4 July 2024 had a dramatic effect on legislation currently passing through the houses. Some bills were rushed through, and some have fallen. 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 Immigration Rules have been amended to reflect the Government’s ongoing policy to reduce net migration to the UK. Changes involve health and care workers, skilled workers, illegal workers, and employers. Read more…

Carer’s leave was introduced on 6 April 2024, and changes were made to redundancy protection for pregnant employees and new parents. Paternity leave entitlements were also amended. Read more…

The new Personal Injury publication comprises a practical and useful commentary with precedents taking the practitioner through the stages involved in advising a client in a claim for personal injuries sustained due to accidents at work or on public land. Read more...

This comprehensive publication takes the practitioner through the stages involved in advising a client on a low-value road traffic accident claim for personal injuries, including whiplash, and other damages. It covers the stages of commencing a claim under the relevant pre-action protocols, use of the online portals, responding to a compensator’s offers and settling the matter. The publication also covers the stages of issuing proceedings if the matter falls outside the pre-action protocols. Read more...

Clients often ask for advice about the types of business structures available, and which might be best suited to their situation. The Business structures and the comparative table reference manual has been added to the Resource materials folder in a number of business and corporate guides. Read more...

The new Data Protection and Privacy publication discusses the rapidly evolving area of data protection law since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act came into force in 2018. Read more...

A new article about avoiding disputes after the death of a loved one has been published. Read more...

The Scale-up Visa is for talented individuals who have the skills needed to enable the UK economy to grow. Both sponsored and unsponsored applications can be made but the unsponsored route is only available to applicants after they have had sponsored permission for a while. Read more...

The Immigration commentary has been updated to include information regarding family asylum claims, child asylum seekers, overstayers and human rights claims. The matter plan now includes a Letter supporting application for a skilled worker visa.

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

We are very pleased to announce the release of a Letters of Administration guide. The guide covers all aspects of practice and procedure when acting in the administration of an estate where there is no will, or there is a partial intestacy. The guide assists practitioners with all aspects of the estate administration from applying for a grant through to distribution. The commentary is practical and easy to understand and is supported by numerous helpful precedents. Key content includes law and procedure relating to the intestacy rules and the impact that they have on the distribution of the estate to creditors, claimants and beneficiaries. A number of new precedents have been published, including: 6 examples for the content of an administrator’s statement of truth; A full suite of letters to administrators, beneficiaries and third parties; and A very useful precedent Estate Summary Pack. The Letters of Administration guide is an invaluable resource for all practitioners who deal with estate administration, including those with limited experience in this area or those supervising junior lawyers.

The Sale of Property, Purchase of Property, Mortgages and Leases guides have been enhanced with the inclusion of guidance around the Safe Harbour Standard which is being introduced by HM Land Registry. The standard is designed to assist practitioners in meeting the strict requirements for verifying client identification and provides practical clarity in this area.

The Criminal commentary has been enhanced with information about the new technology and case management platforms being introduced in police stations, prisons and courts. More detail has also been added around the practical aspects of hearings, including video and telephone hearings. New guidance leaflets for clients Enclosure – Checklist for client going to court, Enclosure – Information sheet – Magistrates’ Court process and Enclosure – Information sheet – Crown Court process have been added to assist practitioners in preparing their clients.