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SHORT-SIGHTEDRegion's lawyers unitedin opposition to familylegal aid cuts

September 2011 | Issue 104

The Official Journal of Leeds Law Society

Take 5 properties – maybe 5 different local authorities, title and CON29 searches, 5 sets of environmental, chancel and water searches – how long does it take you to process?

How many invoices? Payment methods? What else would you rather be doing with your time? More fee earning time with clients and reducing your operating costs, for sure.

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The Smart RouteYour navigation through the conveyancing search maze

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Barker Brooks Media offers a full range of creative, marketing and communications services. To discuss how we could help your business, please call Ben Rushton on 07792 411762 or email [email protected]

Leeds Law Society1 Albion PlaceLeeds LS1 6JLDX 12079 LeedsTel: 0113 245 4997

EDITORIAL:EditorSteven [email protected]

Founding EditorIan McCombie

Editorial AssistantSophie Dilley

PRODUCTION:Head of DesignLucy Taylor

Junior DesignerJessica Horton

PROJECT MANAGER:Martin Smith01423 [email protected]

Published by Barker Brooks Media Ltd4 Greengate Cardale ParkHarrogate HG3 1GYTel: 01423 851150Fax: 01423 851151www.barkerbrooks.co.uk [email protected]

PRINT:Acorn Web Offset Ltd

© 2011 Leeds Law Society & Barker Brooks Media Ltd. All rights in and relating to this publication are expressly reserved. No part of this

publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publishers. The views expressed in Leeds & Yorkshire Lawyer are not necessarily those of the Leeds Law Society or the publisher. While the publishers have taken every care in compiling this publication to ensure accuracy at the time of going to press, they do not accept liability or responsibility for errors or omissions therein however caused.

3

CONteNtS

PEFC/16-33-533

Leeds & Yorkshire Lawyer | Issue 104

Views

05 From the president Philip Jordan asks whether we need to

better manage student expectations?

News

06 Society Diary dates, events, training courses and

details on membership benefits

08 Yorkshire Lawyer Awards The shortlist has been announced for the

perennial calendar highlight

09 Achievements Leeds' longest serving solicitor publishes his

memoirs

11 Charity Funds are raised by racing camels and

swimming across Lake Windermere

16 Business development Region's “significant contribution” is hailed

by the Director General of the CBI

19 Regulation Reaction to the delay in granting the SRA

permission to license ABS

Regulars

21 Career interview Serena Brotherton spends her days off riding

winners all over the country

23 Comment Patrick Walker tries to get his priorities right

and finds a slug trap

24 Points of view A leading chambers and a specialist family

law firm have their say on legal aid cuts

27 Judiciary interview His Honour Judge Gosnell plays an

interesting tune

37 Lifestyle Don't miss our restaurant and event of the

month recommendations

Special features

29 Cutting-edge software The question is can you afford not to invest

in the latest technologies?

35 Training courses Find out why our region continues to turn

out quality lawyers of tomorrow

Subscriptions are available to Leeds & Yorkshire Lawyer at £70 for one calendar year (10 issues).Unless requested otherwise, your subscription will start with the issue following receipt of your payment.

To subscribe contact Jonathan Crawley at publishers Barker Brooks Media on 01423 851150, or email [email protected]

Yorkshire Cancer Research is the largest independent regional medical research charity in the UK. The charity is delighted to be involved in this year's Yorkshire Lawyer Awards.

Charity number: 516898

The Legal Services Act and the impact on YOUR businessAre you on the right track?

Conveyancing17 October 2011

Personal injury5 December 2011

To book your tickets:Please contact Paul Bunce on 01423 851157 or email [email protected]

Ticket price – £85 + VAT3 hours CPD, SRA

Please see page 9 for more information

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5Leeds & Yorkshire Lawyer | Issue 104

FROM tHe PReSIDeNtS

A s potential trainees frantically scramble to complete their

graduate recruitment applications and meet those all-important deadline dates, each is aware that the recruitment process is long and arduous. But how many realise that for the vast majority, it will end in disappointment?

Figures published by the Association of Graduate Recruiters have revealed that the number of applicants for each individual training contract has risen from 35 in 2009/10 to a staggering 65.5 in 2010/11. It appears that the chance of securing a training contract has become more elusive than ever.

Be surprised to hear then that the College of Law has recently warned of

a potential lawyer shortfall, claiming that training contract vacancies will soon exceed the number of students completing the Legal Practice Course (LPC).

How can that be, I hear you asking? Well, the theory is that the statistics delivered (always a handy peg to hang a mystery on) focus solely on those graduates coming straight from law college thus completely ignoring that huge group of applicants that are earlier graduates and who remain without a training contract. Those same statistics it seems also have no sympathy with those serial appliers who each year send off a new batch of applications to different law firms across the country.

They are simply ignored along with those law graduates who have similarly failed to secure a contract and who have now abandoned their aspirations to work in the legal profession.

We have no idea as to how many law graduates there are who have yet to find any type of legal employment, let alone a training contract, but each year this pool

of potential candidates continues to grow. A solution? The most popular seems to

be a call to drastically reduce the number of LPC students, but in the 1990s when a capping process was mooted there was an outcry from the training providers and the attendant threats of legal action for anti-competitive behaviour soon ended that strategy.

Left to market forces of supply and demand will there be a natural levelling of numbers? At first view it seems unlikely for as long as there are willing students (or their parents) with money to spend then there will be colleges to take their money from them.

A career in the legal profession remains highly attractive and the Law Society should quite rightly encourage rather than dissuade students. However, we must better manage expectations by educating those contemplating a legal career as to the true risks involved in pursuing their time-consuming and costly choice.

That may well be a solution to end many wasting both.

It’s that time of year yet again

A t our September meeting in Scarborough we were privileged

to welcome a variety of speakers and guests. At our invitation, a member of the Solicitors Regulation Authority addressed us upon the soon to be published new code of conduct and the introduction of alternative business structures (ABS).

Questions following were many, various, and concerned, and the answers given left the impression that rules still bind us externally and that we are assisted by a ‘bolt on’ of self-regulation. Our speaker concluded with an explanation of the rules which are to define, regulate,

and control the new ABS phenomenon soon to become a High Street reality.

Earlier, we were encouraged to provide nominations for the forthcoming Yorkshire Lawyer of the Year awards, which is an event designed to celebrate and acknowledge not only personal achievement but the successful contribution a variety of firms have made and continue to make to the health and wealth of our community.

The tools we make today, those of structure, regulation, and authority, together with honours designed to reward and encourage may be more sophisticated and far reaching in effect than the ones James Boswell (from whom I borrowed the title of this piece) had in mind when he was writing in the 18th century. However, they still fit the common purpose, namely to enable and facilitate the work of our hands and

practice. As the daughter of a tradesman, I am familiar with the need to use the best tools which can be afforded, to ensure that they are well kept and fit for purpose. I am also aware that the best tools are not always the newest or those with the brightest shine.

We are both supported and constrained by the tradition and practices of our inheritances but there is a place for new tools. We may need to break them in easily and to handle them with discernment but change always brings with it both opportunities and limitations.

A new feature of our quarterly meetings is to welcome members of our host Law Society Committee, to listen to our speakers and participate in the question and answer sessions. All are welcome as we progress around the county and we are all looking forward to visiting Sheffield in the autumn.

Man is a tool-making machine

Philip Jordan is the President of Leeds Law Society and a Partner at Ward Hadaway Solicitors

Angela Brocklehurst is President of the Yorkshire Union of Law Societies and a Partner at Shipley firm Atkinson & Firth

Sponsored by:

6 Leeds & Yorkshire Lawyer | Issue 104

NeWS: Society

New website coming soon

The new Leeds Law Society website will be launched in September.

Visit us online at www.leedslawsociety.org.uk where you will find out about the latest CPD seminars, discover details about social or networking events, read the latest legal news and take advantage of new membership benefits. New features of the site will also include online payment facilities to make bookings that little bit easier.

Tell us what Leeds Law Society can do for you. We are working hard to improve the membership benefits for Leeds lawyers and we welcome your feedback.

Hamlet with the Northern Ballet

For the best seats in the house and additional benefits book your ticket for Hamlet with the Northern Ballet through Leeds Law Society.

On Thursday 15 September there will be a very special ‘Evening with Northern Ballet’ event combining this fabulous show (for a special reduced rate) alongside a cold buffet and drinks. Included with your ticket price will be an introduction from the artistic team at the Northern Ballet and the opportunity to meet the dancers after the performance at the Leeds Playhouse.

The normal ticket price is £75 but you can book your place for just £37.50 plus VAT. For the best seats in the house, buffet, drinks and a special insight into the world of

ballet this represents superb value for money.To secure your place, please send a cheque for £45 per ticket

to 1 Albion Place, Leeds LS1 6JL with your name, address, contact telephone number and email address by Wednesday 7 September at the latest.

This event is kindly sponsored by

Further diary datesDate: Thursday 22 SeptemberWhat: Leeds Law Society welcomes Junior LawyersWhere: Drinks and BBQ on the terrace with live music at Oracle Bar, Brewery Wharf, LeedsDetails: Free tickets to junior lawyers (under five years qualified). Register by email at [email protected] with your name, firm, contact telephone number and email address, or call 0113 245 4997

Date: Thursday 8 March 2012What: The Leeds Law Society Annual Dinner to celebrate legal services in LeedsDetails: Join President Philip Jordan and the directors of LLS for a four course meal with drinks and entertainment. Put the date in your diary and more details will follow

Upcoming training datesObtaining your annual CPD requirements through Leeds Law Society could not be easier. Simply choose your course and then either telephone or fill out the booking form online. If you are a current Society member you will benefit from our discounted member rates.

Wednesday 7 September (2 Hours CPD)An overview of the the new regulatory regime for conveyancers with Denis Cameron

Wednesday 14 September (2 Hours CPD)An introduction to hair alcohol testing and hair drug testing with Katy Black, a CPD trainer with Trimega Laboratories

Tuesday 20 September (7 Hours CPD)Management Course Stage 1 with Doug Robinson of Kinch Robinson Limited

Thursday 22 September (2 Hours CPD)Personal Injury - Protection from harassment claims, with Ellie Fry of Park Court Chambers

Thursday 29 September (1.5 Hours CPD)Costs & litigation funding update with Andrew McAulay from Clarion

Tuesday 11 October (6 Hours CPD)Management Course Stage 2 with Doug Robinson of Kinch Robinson Limited

To secure one of our limited spaces, please complete the booking form online and return it to [email protected] or contact Aileen/Janet on 0113 245 4997 as soon as possible.

For those who have already booked a place, we look forward to seeing you at the seminar.


NeWS: Society

Society membership benefitsIf you’re a member of Leeds Law Society you can take advantage of special membership benefits like these examples

Focus on... The OrchardThe Orchard is a therapy centre in Horsforth which offers an integrated approach to health where psychological problems may be treated alongside physical ones. Established 11 years ago, the centre has grown each year to the point where it now welcomes more than 2,000 clients each month.

Today at The Orchard there are more than 50 therapists of the highest professional standard working with a wide range of difficulties in a way that complements the traditional GP surgery.

At The Orchard, clients have easy access to treatment for problems such as stress and anxiety, back pain and insomnia (to name just a few of the many problems presented) in a relaxing, welcoming and comfortable environment.

The Orchard is working with Leeds Law Society to provide discounts of 10 or 15 per cent on many of its treatments or therapies following an initial free consultation. Further information on this special offer is available on the new LLS website.

Moneypenny has been looking after business calls since 2000 and is the UK’s leading provider of telephone answering services.

As an endorsed service provider of Leeds Law Society, Moneypenny works with law firms of all sizes. They can provide you with your own receptionist, someone you know and trust, who works just as if based in your office. Briefed by you, your Moneypenny receptionist looks after calls whenever you need, and is never an overhead when you don’t.

Key benefits include the ability to reduce operating costs, deliver consistently high service levels, provide support during peak periods and deliver a key part of your business continuity plan.

Answering the phone in your firm’s name, your Moneypenny receptionist is able to put calls through to any location or take a message and send it immediately by SMS or email. He or she can even deal with queries themselves, as per your instructions.

You can use this award-winning service

completely free for two weeks. Whether you need ad hoc support for your calls or a fully outsourced switchboard facility, experience for yourself the value Moneypenny will bring to your law firm.

For more information call 08000 199 944, email [email protected] or visit moneypenny.co.uk/legal

Focus on…Moneypenny

An example of someone who has used The Orchard is Maria, who trained as a lawyer 15 years ago. She was used to the demands of

her job and took it for granted that she would often have to work long hours. Generally she took her good health for granted but went to see her GP because her back was stiff and painful, particularly at the end of a long week. Her GP diagnosed a stress-related back problem and recommended physiotherapy, for which the waiting list was ten weeks.

Having heard about the therapies available at The Orchard from a friend she decided to make an appointment to see if anything could be done quickly. The treatment Maria received and the exercises she had recommended gave her flexibility in her back that she had not felt for years.

As Maria waited for her last session

she looked through the leaflets on display for the other therapies available. One of these was for a counsellor who specialised in stress at work and she recognised some of the symptoms described, including poor sleep, sudden loss of temper and high levels of anxiety.

Maria had six sessions of counselling and she found it a useful opportunity to get to know herself better. She began to see that her sudden loss of temper, seemingly out of nowhere, was connected to the way she kept a lid on her feelings. She also learnt some strategies to calm herself down before she went into court.

Maria is still working on her work-life balance but the counselling has acted as a catalyst to make some significant changes in her life.

Case study


NeWS: Achievements

Shortlist announced for the Yorkshire Lawyer Awards

Some of the most talented individuals and successful law firms from across the region have been shortlisted for the Yorkshire Lawyer Awards.

Recognising and rewarding excellence across the profession from niche firms to major national and international players, the highlight of the legal calendar will be staged at the Queens Hotel, Leeds on 5 October 2011.

This 11th annual Yorkshire Lawyer Awards saw the highest number of entries on record and Joint Presidents, Jeremy Shulman of Shulmans LLP and Peter McCormick of McCormicks Solicitors, are delighted with the overall quality of entrants.

“It is pleasing to see so many high-quality people and firms being put forward. The result is fierce competition across the board and the guarantee of really worthy winners,” they commented after a panel of 12 judges met in late July to make their choices.

“Whether in the form of kudos among their peers or for marketing purposes, all those shortlisted will see a real benefit to being involved.”

The sold out event is organised by Barker Brooks Media and supported by the Leeds Law Society and Yorkshire Union of Law Societies. The headline sponsor is Park Court Chambers and other sponsors include BDO, Conveyancing Liability Solutions, Danwood Group, Just Costs, Lipson Lloyd Jones, Searchflow, Prime Professions Limited, Property Search Group, Stroz Friedberg, Towry, Trimega Labs, Parklane Plowden, Wesleyan Group and Yorkshire Business Insider.

For the latest visit www.yorkshirelawyerawards.co.uk

Shortlisted firms (and organisations):Addleshaw Goddard, Clarion, DLA Piper, DWF LLP, Exchange Chambers, Gordons LLP, Hawkswell Kilvington Limited, Kempner & Partners LLP, Myton Law Ltd, Pinkney Grunwells Lawyers LLP, Ramsdens Solicitors LLP, Schofield Sweeney, Squire Sanders Hammonds, Drax Power Limited, Zenith Chambers, Walker Morris and Wakefield Council.

Shortlisted individuals:Natalie Aitken (Atteys Solicitors), Chris Allen (Blacks Solicitors), Noel Barrett (Pinkney Grunwell Lawyers LLP), Gordon Exall (Zenith Chambers), Michelle Haigh (Addleshaw Goddard), James Hyde (Eversheds), Conrad McDonald (Stewarts Law), Andrew Pitter (Jamella Group Limited), Stuart Ponting (DLA Piper), Liz Shaw & Sarah Blackmore (37 Park Square Chambers) and Peter Watson (Simpson Millar LLP).

Next generation identifiedHaving recently moved to new city centre premises on Sovereign Street, Last Cawthra Feather (LCF) has now opened its doors to the next generation of high fliers after running a competition with Leeds Metropolitan University’s Law School.

Open to full and part-time students at Leeds Law School, the LCF competition asked for a solution to be provided to a commercial dispute scenario.

LCF’s Managing Partner Simon Stell (pictured) explained: “We were impressed with the high volume of responses we received from the competition and the calibre of candidates really is a promising sign for the future of the city’s legal profession. However, one submission really won all our votes and that was PG Dip Legal Practice Course (LPC) student, Natalie Milnes. Her response to the brief was not only professional, but it was well executed and delivered with passion and attention to detail.”

As part of her competition prize, Milnes (pictured centre) spent one week with LCF at its new offices in Leeds city centre, in addition to its Bradford base, where she gained experience shadowing the team and practical experience.

Museum partnership agreed

Schofield Sweeney has confirmed a major sponsorship arrangement with the National Media Museum in Bradford, as part of the firm’s commitment to the city in which it was founded 13 years ago.

Schofield Sweeney is the first new sponsor to join the museum’s Legends corporate membership scheme after becoming a Dimbleby Partner.

Martin Sweeney, Managing Partner and one of the firm’s two founding partners (pictured above with Iain Logie Baird, grandson of the inventor of television), said: “This sponsorship reflects our being firmly established in the city and at the centre of the professional community.

“Our development goes hand-in-hand with the strength of the city and the dynamic businesses, culture, community and the education organisations that make up the whole tapestry of Bradford.”


NeWS: Achievements

Are you on the right track?Are you prepared for the changes coming down the tracks from the Legal Services Act this October?

Starting with a focus on conveyancing (17 October) and continuing with personal injury (5 December), probate (6 February) and family law (30 April), this series of four half-day Leeds-based seminars are aimed at keeping you fully informed at what is a pivotal time in the

evolution of the provision of legal services.At the opening conveyancing seminar, confirmed

speakers include Chairman of the Conveyancing Association Eddie Goldsmith; a representative from the Conveyancing Quality Scheme at The Law Society; Charles Glover, the (non-legal) Chief Executive of Atteys; and seminar chair Bob Heslett, the former President of the Law Society.

If you want to hear how local firms like yours are planning for and coping with key issues like alternative business structures, new competition and the general changing face of the profession, this seminar at BPP Law School in Leeds which qualifies for three hours of CPD from the SRA is a must-attend event.

Tickets are priced at £85 + VAT and spaces are strictly limited. For booking enquires please contact [email protected] or call 01423 851157.

For details on sponsorship opportunities contact [email protected] or call 01423 851150.

Sporting success for Walker Morris

The Walker Morris Sports Law Team scooped a prestigious award for the best professional services to sport at the inaugural MBNA Northern Sports Awards.

James Moore (pictured) accepted the award which was presented to the firm

in recognition of its market-leading football finance team. The team, which beat strong competition including

Brabners Chaffe Street LLP, Deloitte and SKV Communications, has experience in advising football clubs on formal insolvencies and restructurings. The team recently acted on the administration of Portsmouth FC, who were the first and only Premier League club to enter into any form of insolvency.

Commenting on the award, David Hinchliffe, Walker Morris partner and head of the Football Finance Team said: “Walker Morris is highly regarded for its general contribution to sports.

“The level and intensity of the work which our football finance team does has earned it a national reputation and it has played an integral part in helping clubs to survive.”

Launch of Yorkshire YFLNAAiming to replicate their Manchester success, The Young Fraud Lawyers in the North Association (YFLNA) launched in Yorkshire in August.

The non-profit organisation, which has been in existence in Manchester for five years, teamed up with St Pauls Chambers to officially launch at Leeds’ Oracle Bar on 25 August.

Members can be either solicitors, barristers, accountants or any other linked professionals as long as they have less than 10 years experience of working in fraud, be it civil or criminal.

Current chairperson Richard Veni, of Stephen Lickrish & Associates, explained: “The YFLNA achieves its aim by providing a suitable arena in which up and coming professionals can improve through learning from senior experienced practitioners and gain valuable contacts.” The YFLNA aims to cater for CPD needs by hosting monthly discussion groups and regular seminars which are all free to members. Membership costs just £45 a year.

For more information contact Sian Hall of Farleys Solicitors LLP on [email protected]

Memories of a landmark career published

Ford & Warren Solicitors hosted the book launch of A Lawyer for All Seasons, the long-anticipated memoir of ‘Leeds’ longest serving solicitor’ Ronnie Teeman.

Teeman (pictured) has represented or been involved with some of the highest profile sportsmen in the UK and his book tells the story of a man who achieved national and international renown by

representing a string of household names. In the UK alone he was involved in famous court cases like

the Billy Bremner libel suit against the Sunday People and John Giles’ successful suing for his portrayal in The Damned Utd.

Those in attendance at the launch included Harry Jepson OBE, President of Leeds Rhinos and noted ambassador for the club as well as the Chairman of the Rugby League Conference; and also current Chief Executive of Leeds Rugby Gary Hetherington. The event also attracted names from the local law scene including Anthony Sugare of Sugare & Co and Victor D Zermansky of Zermansky & Partners Solicitors.


NeWS: Charity

No reason to take the humpCamel racing at Doncaster Racecourse has become a familiar sight as Simpson Millar invited the racing herd back for a second year running in aid of charity.

The Simpson Millar Arabian Camel Race kicked off the firm’s annual day at the races

in great style. The four camels took the crowd by storm but according to Caroline Kelly, marketing director of Simpson Millar, the real winners were Just a Drop and Communication Workers Union Humanitarian Aid (CWUHA).

Donations are still being collected and the total will be divided equally between the two charities.

Fine contribution from DLAThe Leeds office of DLA Piper has been visited by Christine Hamilton-Stewart MBE, vice president of Marie Curie Cancer Care and patron of the Marie Curie Hospice Bradford, in recognition of its efforts to raise more than £32,000 for the charity.

Staff at DLA Piper voted to support the Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford during 2010. For many, this was in memory of Bob Allerton, husband of Kirstie Allerton, an associate in the Leeds office, who passed away in 2009 aged 33 after battling cancer.

Throughout the year, staff and family members took part in a variety of successful events including the Leeds Half Marathon, Corporate Challenge Relay and the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.

Pryers team runs for life

A team of seven from York firm Pryers took part in the annual Race for Life 5km run on York Knavesmire.

This was the sixth year that Pryers has taken part in this event to help raise money for what is a very worthy cause. While finishing times varied from under 30 to 45 minutes, the team were all pleased to be finished and to hang up their pink t-shirts... until next year!

Pictured from left to right are Amy Sewell, Lucy Macklin Smith, Steph Turner, Emily Whisker, Louise Howard, Alex Goodrick and Marie Brasnett.

Lawyers get on their bikesA 40-strong group from Mills & Reeve has completed a 54 mile trans-Pennine cycle ride from Leeds to Manchester.

Mills & Reeve’s Pennine Accelerate challenge, which was sponsored by the firm’s national health group, saw a team of lawyers – including senior partner Mark Jeffries and managing partner Guy Hinchley – and staff with their families and clients take part.

Pennine Accelerate was an organised ride across stunning scenery between the firm’s offices in Leeds and Manchester. The challenge was in aid of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research and raised more than £10,000.

Sponsored by:

Swimmers reach their ZenithZenith Chambers have taken their fundraising efforts to a new level as part of their ‘10 for 10’ challenge to raise £10,000 for charity.

A team recently took part in the Great North Swim – a very cold one-mile swim in Lake

Windermere. Natalie Rodgers (pictured above centre), Bronia Hartley, Simon Ross and Tracy Jesson managed to raise £1,000 for Kidney Research UK and Cancer Research.

“We all managed to overcome a range of fears from swimming alongside pike to risking contracting Weil’s disease. Fortunately we all survived and a few of us have even put our names down for next year,” said marketing director Rodgers.

Burns chalks off anotherMark Burns, Managing Partner of Leeds firm Clarion, finished 369th out of 5,820 entrants in the Great North Swim.

This year an ambitious Burns is undertaking a personal decathlon in aid of his three chosen charities: The Spinal Injury Project of the UK Stem Cell Foundation, the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, and Martin House Hospice for Children and Young People.

After his one mile swim in Lake Windemere, Burns headed back to Yorkshire the next day to participate in the Leeds 10K which Clarion sponsors, beating his target of finishing the run in less than 55 minutes.

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Breakfast at BettysHarrogate firm Raworths recently launched a networking club at the town’s renowned tea and coffee venue, Bettys. The Raworths Business Club held its first event at the Imperial Suite at Bettys Café Tea Rooms on Parliament Street with a menu of breakfast combined with short talks on a range of business subjects.

Over 50 guests from a range of local businesses attended the event

which included talks from Deborah Boylan (pictured), head of employment at Raworths; Simon Morris, head of corporate and; Jonathan Mortimer who specialises in dispute resolution.

It is intended that the Business Club will meet every six months and members will suggest speakers and topics for events, giving the floor to local and national business leaders to provide a wide scope of knowledge for each event.

Managing Partner Christopher Butterworth said: “We were delighted at the amount of interest from local businesses who found the opportunity to network at a more senior level than is usual at such events extremely valuable.”

Law & the City

Gossip girl (or boy?)

Why is it that gossip is immediately associated with women? The female of the species is often stereotyped as being more chatty than its male counterpart but I increasingly find myself asking if this is still the case.

Let’s just consider the workplace for a moment. The office has always been a hot-spot for gossip and as readers know only too well, law firms in particular provide a vibrant, fast paced and active working environment. Yet, despite the demands of a heavy caseload and billing targets, we still find time to hear and talk about the what, why and when of the lives of colleagues.

This is human nature and the gossip gene can be found in everyone. So why then do women generally receive bad press for this act which is performed by both men and women on a daily basis? What’s more, is it a myth that women talk more than men?

Based on personal experience, I am quite prepared to say that men are just as, if not more, interested in gossip. In fact some of the juiciest stories often come from them! Men just seem to have a way of sensationalising every detail to create a ground-breaking story which is either completely untrue or wholly exaggerated. And the best part of the whole process is that they pretend not to be interested in gossip and even mock those who are.

Perhaps the only advantage that men have over women is the way in which they handle gossip once it’s out there. Although men can create gossip, to be fair they have an ability to forget about it and move on relatively quickly. On the other hand, ladies can often discuss the same story for weeks with no ending in sight.

One of the obvious differences between men and women gossiping is probably the choice of topic. While men may choose to gossip about a night out, promotions and the boss, the preferred topics of women are often found to be relationship problems, celebrities and of course…other women!

Whoever generates office gossip, some recent academic studies have concluded that tittle tattle is good for us. It could even be suggested that a healthy exchange of information (as I like to see it) is a bonding ritual which brings us closer to our colleagues.

However, having considered the subject in a light-hearted manner one can’t ignore the fact that problems can arise when gossiping becomes unpleasant. When it reaches the point of upsetting or offending colleagues, it is no longer a means of killing time but unacceptable behaviour. There can be no excuse.

Who wants to win a popularity contest by putting others down anyway?

NeWS: Social

Gurpreet Birdi is a practising solicitor in Leeds. Each month she pens a column concerning matters both inside and outside the office

Former Sheffield student?Are you or any of your colleagues former Law Students of the University of Sheffield? The Annual University of Sheffield School of Law Alumni Dinner will take place on Friday 14 October at Firth Hall. The evening will begin at 6.30pm with drinks and end at approximately 10.00pm.

Tickets costing £50 are limited and will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. For further information, and to confirm your place, visit www.shef.ac.uk/law/alumni/alumnidinner2011

Over the past couple of months Leeds JLD has hosted a great range of events from champagne tasting at Epernay to a hog roast BBQ at Oracle and several successful seminars in conjunction with Exchange Chambers in Leeds. The JLD members are also a sporty bunch having entered a softball team in a local league.

The 2010/11 committee would like to thank all JLD members and sponsors for their support and attendance at the events throughout the last year. It has been memorable!

Leeds JLD hope that members will continue to support the new committee, which is to be chaired by Matthew Tighe of Stewarts Law.

Visit www.leedsjld.com to see all the latest news and photos of Leeds Junior Lawyers making the most of what the JLD has offered in the last year.

Leeds JLD is always happy to hear from its members. If you have any suggestions or ideas about possible events you would like to see staged or even seminar topics to discuss please email [email protected]

Thriving Leeds JLD scene

On 6 October 2011, the SRA will radically overhaul its relationship with legal service providers and theway in which it delivers its regulatory objectives. Under the more targeted and risk-based approach ofOFR, your firm will need to implement the Principles and mandatory Outcomes contained in the newSRA Handbook, rather than comply with the detailed and prescriptive rules in the SCC 2007.

You should start your preparations now to ensure that your management team and staff fullyunderstand the risk-based approach to outcomes-focused regulation and the key Principles,Outcomes and Indicative Behaviours in the new SRA Handbook well before the October 2011deadline.

Our practical 3 hour courses focus on the key rule changes and provide comprehensiveguidance on how to successfully comply with the new regime. Our courses run from May 2011onwards - following the publication of the final version of the new SRA Handbook in April 2011.

All our courses are accredited by the SRA for CPD purposes and satisfy the requirements ofRule 5, SCC 2007 for the management and supervision of staff.

Training. Development. Success.Please call 0845 094 5290 or email us on [email protected] go directly to www.boldersolutions.co.uk/getready

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For further information on our courses andconsultancy services...

Successful outcomes-focused regulation: In-house courses available at your offices inSeptember and October 2011

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for the Legal Profession The Legal Sector is undergoing an unprecedented period of change with the Legal Services Act, Legal Aid Reform, Regulatory Reform, Personal Injury Reform and difficult trading conditions.

There are many other ways we can help improve your business, contact us to arrange a free initial meeting:

Armstrong Watson has a specialist team focusing exclusively on the legal profession that understands the issues and provides proactive advice including:

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NeWS: Appointments


Steve WilleySteve Willey has joined Ford & Warren’s employment team. He first had a career in finance followed by a spell as a trade union official specialising in the banking

and finance sector. During four years at Last Cawthra Feather he qualified as a solicitor. Willey has substantial advocacy experience and has represented both employers and employees.

Katarzyna WujecHull-based specialist shipping, transport, insurance and engineering law firm Myton Law is expanding. New recruit Katarzyna Wujec recently joined the firm and will be

followed by another new appointment to be announced later this summer. A native Polish speaker and fluent in English, Wujec specialises in carriage of goods by sea matters.

Heptonstalls

Solicitors Clare Pritchard, Sasha Tilson and Nick Ward Lowery have all been appointed partners at expanding Yorkshire and Lincolnshire firm Heptonstalls.

Viv Hulland

Blacks Solicitors LLP has launched a new mediation department within its family law team and has appointed highly respected specialist mediator Viv Hulland.

Andy Poole Top 30 accountancy firm Armstrong Watson has taken on Andy Poole as legal sector director to build and lead a specialist legal sector team. With so many changes happening

within the legal services sector, his focus will be on making sure each firm is informed, prepared and in good shape for what is coming.

Cobbetts

Cobbetts has bolstered its Leeds office with three key appointments across its pensions and corporate teams. Alex Birch (left), Kamar Khan (centre) and Simon Evans (right) have all joined the firm.

Langleys

Sally Cottam, head of the residential conveyancing division (left), and Susan McKendry (right) have been made partners at Langleys.

David Golden

Bradford based Opus Law, a division of Petherbridge Bassra Solicitors, has secured the services of David Golden, a highly

regarded fraud lawyer who hails from Birmingham. Golden will join a highly specialised team of lawyers dealing with all business, regulatory, serious and complex crime issues.

Maureen Gilroy-ThomasRaworths of Harrogate has attracted an experienced tax planning solicitor from Schofield Sweeney.

Maureen Gilroy-Thomas’ appointment

brings the firm’s probate, wills and trusts team under partner Selena Hinds to four. Her expertise includes inheritance tax planning and long-term family asset protection.

Keeble Hawson

Keeble Hawson LLP has promoted six of its solicitors to the role of associate. Teresa Allewell, Antony Ball, Toby Burnett, David Eade, Claire Cooper and Clair Marlow have all stepped up.

Helena JonesMcCormicks has promoted Helena Jones following her qualification as a solicitor. Jones joined in 2009 and has a particular interest in a range of Court of

Protection, will and probate matters and has developed a knowledge of charity law, having dealt with the creation, incorporation and the registration of charities.

Marie Johnson Levi Solicitors has launched a family law department with the return of Marie Johnson. She rejoins from Smiths Solicitors and specialises in divorce

and the financial aspects of separation, co-habitation disputes, pre-nuptials and domestic violence. Johnson also has expertise in wills, probate, trusts and Court of Protection matters.

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NeWS: Business development

Yorkshire key to recovery

CBI Director General John Cridland CBE used his first major speech in the region to hail the “significant contribution” Yorkshire & Humber continues to make to the UK’s economic recovery.

Speaking at the Leeds office of DWF, Cridland (pictured above) outlined how the UK economy can grow in an era of fiscal austerity.

“The UK economic recovery will rely on private sector growth and the Yorkshire & Humber region will be a significant contributor,” he told a seminar which was attended by leading businesses from across the region and hosted by DWF’s executive partner James Haddleton. “The region has solid foundations on which to build, including a healthy manufacturing base, strong mid-cap presence and opportunities in future growth sectors like renewables.”

The speech was the latest in a series of high profile seminars run by the Leeds office of DWF. Recent speakers have included The Rt Hon. Lord Justice Jackson; Spencer Dale, executive director and chief economist of the Bank of England; and former Education Secretary the Rt Hon Ed Balls MP.

Major player to emergeA merger between established firms Keeble Hawson and hlw Commercial Lawyers LLP will create one of the region’s biggest legal practices.

hlw Commercial Lawyers operate across Leeds and Sheffield with Keeble Hawson working from offices in Leeds, Sheffield and Doncaster, offering services to businesses and individuals.

The milestone development taking effect from 1 October will create an even stronger team with a history of more than two centuries, providing legal services and a wealth of expertise in commercial, personal injury and private client practice areas. The practice will boast a team of around 250.

Managing partner of Keeble Hawson Paul Trudgill (pictured back left) commented: “Bringing both firms together presents a great opportunity to build on the quality of support we offer already as a full service law firm to our clients now and in the future across Yorkshire while maintaining the close client relationships that are at the heart of our approach.”

Chambers to host two educational seminars

Solicitors from across the region will gather in Leeds to hear experts highlight the latest developments in employment law.

Speakers will include eminent employment law expert David Jones and fellow barristers from Leeds-based Broadway House Chambers. Top of the agenda will be the new Agency Workers Regulations which come

into force on 1 October this year. Other topics include maternity and paternity leave and age discrimination. The seminar will also guide solicitors on commonly encountered practical issues, including compromise agreements, taxation and jurisdiction.

The seminar is being held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Thursday 6 October from 1-5pm and is the latest in a series of professionally accredited sessions hosted by Broadway House.

Meanwhile, around 100 legal professionals are expected to gather in Bradford on 12 October to hear experts discuss the implementation of new provisions relating to the defence of diminished responsibility.

For more visit www.broadwayhouse.co.uk, call Helen Craven on 01274 722560 or email [email protected].

The members of Beachcroft LLP and Davies Arnold Cooper LLP have voted in favour of the merger of their two firms.

Management teams from both firms are finalising the outstanding details and the combined firm will launch as DAC Beachcroft LLP on 1 November.

DAC Beachcroft will have a turnover in excess of £175 million and over 2,000 staff. The combined firm will have a comprehensive network of offices in the UK, including Leeds, and an international capability covering Europe, Latin America, North America and Asia Pacific.

Paul Murray (pictured right), managing partner of Beachcroft, commented: “We are very pleased to be creating a firm with such considerable strength across its core markets. Both firms specialise in the insurance sector and the combined firm will provide insurance clients with a distinctive, full-service offering in the UK and internationally.”

Beachcroft confirms merger


NeWS: Business development

Spotlight on...The Society for Computers and LawThe Society for Computers and Law (SCL) is the leading UK organisation for legal professionals advising and practising within the IT sector. The Northern Group for SCL is the largest of the regional groups within the society, with members practising in large national or global firms as specialist IT lawyers or in house lawyers undertaking IT work.

On Wednesday 21 September, the first of a series of seminars addressing the key areas of knowledge required to advise on IT law will be staged at the Mint Hotel, Leeds (from 6pm onwards). Sponsored by Shulmans, Matthew Lavy, barrister and member of the Specialist IT Group at 4 Pump Court, and John Yates of v-lex Consulting are both confirmed speakers.

Tickets for the CPD accredited event are priced at £30 for SCL members and members of the Young Lawyers Division (who are encouraged to attend) and £45 + VAT for non-members.

For more information visit www.scl.org

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Five free sessions on offerParklane Plowden is to stage five free of charge mini seminars in Leeds as part of its continued effort to inform and educate local practitioners.

In conjunction with Leeds BPP Law School, the largest civil and family chambers based on the NE Circuit has committed to the series which will run between September and June 2012.

“Our training sessions are devised to provoke audience participation and interest in order to maximise learning,” according to senior clerk Michael Stubbs (pictured).

Craig Moore will kick off the series on 29 September with a seminar on travel law. This will be followed by Steven Turner (24 November) on motor claims, Guy Swiffen (23 February) with a family law update, Ian Pennock (26 April) will focus on boundary disputes before a personal injury update from Alan Weir (28 June) brings down the curtain.

Stubbs continues: “We are happy to discuss your specific requirements with a view to devising a tailored programme.”

For more information call Michael Stubbs on 0191 2114082 or email [email protected]

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NeWS: Regulation


Autumnal uncertaintyOctober 6 will soon be here and yet on that day, and for some time after, not one Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) licensed alternative business structure (ABS) will be in sight.

I cannot now recall how this date became set as ABS day, the time when such new entities could apply for, and be licensed to provide legal services. My recollection is that the Legal Services Board (LSB) dictated the timetable without, as far as I can tell, any consultation with anyone. I read, however, that the date was set by the SRA. Just shows how your memory can play tricks.

In any event, over 18 months, the SRA, through the Law Society, has had to seek approval to become an ABS licensing authority; develop a licensing process; and write regulations against which these new and complex organisations must work. Add to that the SRA’s decision to scrap a nearly new rulebook for solicitors and develop and impose Outcomes-Focused Regulation on the profession and it has been a busy time.

The Authority has achieved, or is well on the way to achieving, its goals, but for the SRA ‘ABS day’ has now been delayed. Possibly until 2012, the delay has been caused by the need to pass enabling orders through Parliament. This appears to leave only one approved licensor effective at 6 October. The Council of Licensed Conveyancers can licence ABS in relation to the reserved activities it presently has permission to regulate. At this time that means conveyancing alone, but the Council has an extant application to regulate advocacy and litigation.

The SRA has always been seen as the major player in terms of licensing of ABS but if the council’s present application succeeds that baseline could change. In due course the SRA will be in play, but it looks to me on conveyancing alone, as if the stage for regulatory arbitrage has, by omission, been set.

What should happen is ABS day should be moved to a date when all the outstanding issues have been dealt with.

Once more this a matter where we need to keep a close eye to ensure that those who regulate the entire span of legal services do the right thing and not merely take action which is merely convenient to their reputation.

Bob Heslett is the Law Society Council Member for Leeds and the Immediate Past President of the National Law Society. His monthly column explains the latest goings on at Chancery Lane.

Decrease in practising feeThe Law Society Council has approved a reduction in the individual practising certificate fee for next year of more than 23 per cent to reflect the reduced funding requirement for the Law Society Group.

The practising fees meet the costs of regulation carried out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, much of the Law Society’s work as a professional body, and the levies the Law Society has to pay towards the costs of the Legal Services Board, the Legal Ombudsman

and the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.The individual PC fee will drop from £428 to £328 to reflect

the £94.8 million net funding requirement for 2012, compared to the £121.7 million funding requirement this year. Fees paid by solicitors firms will fall also by the 23 per cent.

“The closure of our defined benefit pension scheme, together with the benefits of the investments made over the last few years in systems and a major cost reduction and efficiency programme, has enabled the Society to make a significant reduction in the PC fee for next year,” explained Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson (pictured).

“It is our intention to continue to contain the costs of the Law Society in the coming years.”

ABS delay disappointingThe Ministry of Justice has informed a “disappointed” Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) that parliamentary approval processes will not be completed in time for it to be a designated licensing authority for alternative business structures (ABS) on 6 October, as originally planned.

“We were on track to license ABS from 6 October, so it is disappointing to learn that we will not be able to do so,” said SRA chief executive Antony Townsend.

The introduction of outcomes-focused regulation (OFR), including the new Code of Conduct for solicitors and other legal services providers regulated by the SRA will go ahead as scheduled on 6 October 2011.

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Parklane Plowden is accredited by the Solicitors RegulationAuthority to provide Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Members of Chambers, at every level, are involved in providing cost effectivetraining to clients. Training sessions are held in a variety of forums, fromsmall bespoke sessions hosted in-house at client's offices, to large teampresentations comprising audiences attending by way of general invitation.

Our training sessions are devised to provoke audience participation andinterest in order to maximise learning.

In conjunction with Leeds BPP Law School Parklane PlowdenChambers will be providing a series of Free seminars:

To reserve your place onto one or more of our seminars:Email: [email protected]

We are happy to discuss your specific training requirements with a view todevising a specially tailored programme. If you would like discuss thisaspect of Chambers services, please contact Michael Stubbs Senior Clerk01912114082 or email [email protected]

29th September 2011 Travel Law: Craig Moore

24th November 2011 Motor Claims: Steven Turner

23rd February 2012 Family Law Update: Guy Swiffen

26th April 2012 Boundary Disputes: Ian Pennock

28th June 2012 Personal Injury Update: Alan Weir

PLP mini seminars

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Riding highWhen not in the office she’s riding winners at some of the country’s most famous venues. Serena Brotherton is not your average lawyer...

H ow do you spend your days off? Round of golf? Trip to the theatre? Dinner with friends?

Riding a winner at Ascot or Goodwood? You might think the latter suggestion is a little far-fetched but it’s all in a day’s work for one York solicitor. Serena Brotherton divides her time between being the head of Langleys’ Equine Law Group with being one of the most successful amateur jockeys in the country.

On four separate occasions she has been crowned ladies’ amateur champion on the flat and she’s well on the way to a fifth crown after recently racking up her 100th career winner. The 40-year-old has won all over the country – the Queen Mother’s Cup at York twice and the Diamond race at Ascot – and it’s no surprise when you consider the stock she hails from.

“My grandmother owned the winner of the Grand National in 1950 and my grandfather on the other side was a master of foxhounds who also had horses,” she explains. “My mother used to point-to-point [race] when she was younger and my father bred race horses so it was inevitable that at some point I was going to follow in their footsteps.

“I can’t remember ever learning to

ride; I’ve been doing it since the day I could walk. Racing didn’t really interest me until I was in my early twenties and had my first ride in a point-to-point but it has developed since then.”

Before that first addictive racing experience a persuasive tutor had suggested that Brotherton would be suited to a career in the law. Three years at university in Newcastle followed by an additional 12 months at York’s College of Law also allowed for plenty of time in the saddle.

Now with the help of a flexible employer, Brotherton works three days a week in Langleys office in central York. During the racing season (April to October) the rest of the week is largely spent on the road travelling anywhere from Ripon just down the road to Musselburgh and Folkestone much further afield. It is a punishing schedule but the sheer joy of riding yet another winner is what keeps her going.

“There’s no better feeling than crossing the line in first place,” she continues. “It’s complete and total elation. You have a big smile on your face, you feel like whooping and, although it might only be by a couple of inches, it makes all the hard work, the travelling and getting out of bed at God knows what hour worthwhile.”

On the mornings when she is either not in the office or on the road destined for a meet, Brotherton rides out for renowned Yorkshire trainer Mick Easterby at his stables on the outskirts of York. Meanwhile, in the office her time is divided between working in the private client department with a fitting role as head of the firm’s new Equine Law Group.

“The department is fairly fluid on the basis that equine law covers such a wide, overlapping area of legal

subjects,” she explains. “My role is to coordinate the provision of legal services to the equine sector so if someone rings up with an enquiry then the chances are they will come through to me first. Hopefully, I will be able to work out what their query is about and then pass them across to the appropriate department, whether it's dispute resolution or commercial and so on.

“It’s an ideal location for a service like this as York Racecourse is right on the doorstep and a long standing client, Malton and Middleham are round the corner and this is a rural, racing environment.”

So having chalked up the century of winners this season – one of her major career goals when she started out back in the early 1990s – is there any sign of the competitive spirit waning?

“If I ever got to the point when I just shrugged when I won another race I would stop but that’s not likely to happen,” she adds. “There will come a time when younger, brighter riders start coming through the ranks but hopefully not for a few years yet.

“Besides Frankie Dettori is on record as saying he is planning to ride until he is 50 and Mick Kinane won a Derby at that age.Therefore I hope there is plenty of time left for me yet.”

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Priority dispatchPatrick Walker tries to get his priorities right and finds a slug trap of all things

M y builder can spot a nettle in the flowerbed at 50 metres. It offends him sufficiently

to propel his size elevens through the border and to the offending weed which is grasped without gloves and ripped from its quiet home. Meanwhile, I go to pick up yet another cement bag which he has discarded perhaps in the belief that it will decompose within 24 hours, but more likely because it is invisible – like his footprints on the lupins.

I like to think that my son has inherited my sense of priority, at least when it comes to getting to the restaurant before the early-bird menu is withdrawn or in making sure that any summer holiday in France just happens to stumble upon the mountain stages of the Tour de France. But other priorities (notice it is only your spouse renames them pre-occupations) he gets from his mother and one of the more useful ones is looking after his house.

A phone call revealed a growing concern about the slug trails decorating his living room rug every morning, particularly when the culprits were never to be seen, even when creeping downstairs in the middle of the night and turning on the light quickly enough to expose even an athletic elf. The improvisation of a ‘slug pub’ trap was the next step but was the use of a good hoppy bitter necessary, or would value lager do the job?!

A friend (previously featured on this page and still called Liz) has an offspring with different priorities. Staying with her daughter, she was guided to the living room. 2pm seemed a reasonable

time to draw back the curtains but she was forbidden to touch them. “We just don’t”came the unhelpful explanation. Ignoring further pleas, mother pulled back the tattered drapes to behold a swimming pool – or more accurately a back yard filled with nearly two feet of grease slime and fetid water.

“You see Mum, the drain blocked in March so we’ve had to shut the curtains ever since.” Ah well, by never calling a plumber they never had to stay in only for nobody to turn up and they could concentrate on the real priorities in life!

Professional priorities are probably the easiest to identify and clients paying for our time rightly expect single-minded focus on their problems. That in turn demands a clear division between work and family time and so far as possible avoiding any occasions when we might have to choose between the two.

Easier said than done, but at least, in my experience, most clients, however demanding, recognise that conflict and instinctively know where to draw the line. So to conclude a major transaction,

a client might expect all notions of sleep to be abandoned, but the same client, facing the same deadlines, wouldn’t bat an eyelid if we excused ourselves to deal with a child involved in even a non-life threatening accident.

A few weeks ago, with complete faith in my clients I decided that on the sixth call on my mobile from my son, I would adjourn the conference for a few minutes and step outside. I knew that he rarely called in work hours and it was rarer still for repeat calls.

My hands were clammy and my chest beating as I wondered whether he had been involved in a road accident or perhaps was in the police station after too good a night out.

“Dad” he said, in an earnest voice from which I wrongly predicted some dire confession. “I just thought you would want to know.” I did. I really did want to know without any more pre-amble! “I just thought you would want to know I used Tetleys and I’ve just caught a slug.”

That’s okay then!

Patrick Walker is Head of Squire Sanders Hammonds advisory and advocacy service Property @ction and is an independent mediator: www.imediate.co.uk

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POINtS OF VIeW: Legal aid cuts

False economyMost family law cases in England and Wales will be removed from the scope of legal aid under controversial proposals recently unveiled by the Government

A fter almost 20 years at the Family Bar representing legal aid clients I can say with absolute certainty

that I do not do it for the money. The age old cab-rank rule was relaxed for publicly funded family work back in 2001 because the drastically reduced level of fees could no longer be said to represent proper remuneration.

Unlike some family barristers who then took a stance and thereafter refused legally aided cases, I did not. I have continued to represent legal aid clients on a regular basis and have done so in return for fees that are sometimes as little as one fifth of my own privately funded fees. I have then waited sometimes many years (the lengthiest being seven years) to receive that same fee without the addition of any interest at all from the Legal Services Commission.

I have done this because I believe in social justice. I believe that those with inadequate resources at times of family breakdown are the most in need of timely, accurate, sensitive and appropriate advice.

The reality is that mediation is not a panacea. Mediation is largely futile in cases where relationships are shattered, emotions are running high and positions utterly polarised. What are they to do now?

Over the years I am proud to say I helped many people in crisis, often for very little in the way of financial reward. I got a lot out of it in other ways. I knew that I was doing a good job and making the future for those families much better than it otherwise would have been.

I firmly believe that family legal aid for those who couldn’t otherwise afford advice was money well spent and saved us all huge expenditure in terms of the crime, social injustice and misery that its absence would have caused. It wasn’t even that expensive if we look at the reality. Those who qualified in Ancillary Relief, for example, would usually end up paying it back at some stage in their life or upon their death via the statutory charge.

Advice ignoredThe abolition of family legal aid is intended to save £350 million but this is a false economy. The human and financial cost of every penny ‘saved’ in these reforms will, I predict, mean many, many more pounds spent in the future.

Lord Chancellor Kenneth Clarke has been repeatedly advised that prevention is key and that early legal advice from solicitors and counsel saves the court service and Local Authorities millions in cases never reaching the courts. He has ignored that advice and the consultation responses of over 5,000 people and organisations to the cuts. It doesn’t take much to realise that a policy whereby legal help will not be available until the client is a victim of domestic violence or child abduction will have the effect of

fuelling allegations that are not central to a case to qualify for funding.

Mr Clarke has forgotten the adage that “the man who represents himself has a fool for a client”. Litigants in person running trials themselves are often unable to see the wood for the trees. They are certainly not in a proper position to plead their case, prepare statements or bundles of disclosure or evidence. This is not the mark of a civilised society.

The entirely dishonest impression given by the Lord Chancellor in 2010 was that family legal aid was spiralling out of control. However, the actual legal spending table buried deep in the proposals for reform illustrates the opposite. This shows that spending on civil and family representation has very significantly reduced in real terms from a high of £896 million in 1995/6 to £650 million in 2008/9 (a reduction of 27.5 per cent in real terms). Civil and family legal help has, at £263 million in 2008/9, fallen year on year from a high of £436 million in 2003/4 (a reduction then of 40 per cent in real terms in the space of five years).

If family legal aid is abolished then the future is bleak and entirely predictable. Society will lose a body of dedicated and experienced family law professionals who will use their skills elsewhere. But the problems of all of those families for whom mediation will not work will not simply go away, nor will they suddenly be able to magic an ability to pay private fees.

People who are desperate do desperate things. Adults get hurt as a consequence and it’s the children who suffer.

Julia Nelson is a barrister specialising in Family Law matters at Park Lane Plowden Chambers in Leeds

The human and financial cost of every penny 'saved' will mean many, many more pounds are spent in the future, says barrister Julia Nelson


POINtS OF VIeW: Legal aid cuts

A bsolute Family is aimed at delivering family law services through public funding. Our goal

is to ensure that all, including the most vulnerable members of society, have access to the highest standard of legal advice and assistance. Regrettably we appear to be swimming against the tide and the political agenda. The fee cuts in October and the removal from scope of most private family law cases is only likely to erode the supplier base yet further.

It seems that one constant that legal aid family lawyers have faced over recent years is an ever-present uncertainty. After just coming out of the failed tendering process we will have hardly had time to assess the impact of the introduction of fixed fees in private law family work, which commenced in May, before having to absorb a 10 per cent reduction in all fees from 3 October 2011.

At the same time we will be asked to deal with the next tender process for contracts expected to commence in February 2012. However, we are told these contracts are likely to be terminated early if the Government rush through the legislative changes to legal aid scope as planned.

We have some comfort in that the Legal Services Commission (LSC) is proposing that the next tender process should be non-competitive and for the majority of firms who open 150 legal help 'matter starts' or less we are told we should be awarded all the matter starts we seek up to that 150 figure.

However, to avoid speculative bidding, the LSC is also threatening us with the automatic issuing of contract notices if we bid for more than 50 matter starts but fail to open within 85 per cent of our allowance. The difficulty with that is we are already being told that the new

contracts are likely to be terminated early if the Government do rush through the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill bringing changes in scope. The LSC advice remains that bids should be on the basis of current usage and scope.

Reducing expenditureIt is claimed that the key driver for the proposed reforms is reducing expenditure on legal aid. The Government is also seeking to discourage people from bringing their problems to court and unnecessary and adversarial litigation at public expense. Whilst all those aims are admirable it is at best questionable as to whether the proposed changes will deliver that.

There seems to be a clear consensus that the inevitable outcome of the removal of legal aid in most private law family cases will be an increase in litigants in person with all the added pressure that will place on the courts and the justice system and other agencies such as the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. Lack of appropriate legal advice at an early stage could lead to more potential litigation and the escalation of problems and more cases could end up in the public law arena.

Many of our clients are the most vulnerable members of society who will be unable to access support and are unlikely to feel equipped to deal with their cases themselves. Prime Minister David Cameron has recently spoken out against fathers who he perceives have abandoned their children and the detrimental effect of this on society. How much worse will that be if more parents find themselves in a position where their only prospect of contact with their children is dependent on court proceedings, which they do not feel able to deal with in person and when they are unable to afford to pay for legal advice?

Much is being made of domestic violence being the gateway to access public funding in private law family cases. While no one would argue that victims of

domestic violence should not have access to public funding, the proposals as they stand do raise a number of concerns. The requirement that there should have been findings made, rather than a settlement by way of undertaking, will surely lead to an increase in unpleasant and adversarial litigation? The time limit that the criteria for this domestic violence gateway must have been met within the last 12 months also concerns me. Can it be right that a victim of serious abuse or a protective parent of an abused child should be denied legal aid if the abuser waits for a year after any finding and then applies for contact to a child?

It also does not sit comfortably that only the person alleging the abuse will potentially have access to public funding. This could result in a proliferation of cross-allegations and cross-findings being sought. Is it right that a victim of abuse should have to be cross-examined by their abuser who has no option but to act in person?

The Government accepts that some worse outcomes for individuals and their children will materialise as a result of the proposed changes. They seem to be saying that we cannot all be entitled to legal representation funded by the taxpayer for any dispute we seek to pursue or be entitled to a particular outcome. That may be something we have to get used to, but unfortunately the impact is likely to be hardest felt by the most vulnerable members of our society.

Ann Miller is head of the Family Team at Absolute Family, a specialist division of Lupton Fawcett LLP

The impact is likely to be hardest felt by the most unfortunate and vulnerable in our society, warns Ann Miller as she offers the perspective of a specialist law firm

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JUDICIARY INteRVIeW

Rock and robesHis Honour Judge Gosnell plays an interesting tune, as Steven Bancroft discovers

I f evidence were needed that the judiciary is becoming more diverse then one only needs to consider the

case of the Designated Civil Judge for Leeds and North Yorkshire.

A practising north Manchester solicitor who became a Deputy District Judge at a relatively young age, His Honour Judge Gosnell is not your average judge. He plays guitar in a band and is just at home on the terraces of his local football club as he is in the courtroom.

“The route of solicitor to District Judge isn’t unusual but perhaps the solicitor to Circuit Judge route is,” admits the 53-year-old Lancastrian, who works out of Leeds but has responsibility for six court centres spread across the region. “Still the vast majority of Circuit Judges are probably former barristers, but times are definitely changing.”

Judge Gosnell studied law at Cambridge and took his final exams at the College of Law in Chester before joining Woodcocks in Bury. He remained with the Lancashire firm, progressing to partner, until becoming a permanent District Judge in 1998. He was made a Recorder in Manchester before his appointment to Senior Circuit Judge in October 2010. Replacing the retiring Judge Simon Grenfell, the new role necessitated a switch across the Pennines, but it is a move which Gosnell is glad he made both for personal and professional reasons.

“It has been suggested that [having been appointed to the District Bench at the minimum age] my career has progressed quite rapidly but my mother brought me up not to blow my own trumpet and old habits die hard,” he states.

“I don’t know that I feel surprised at how far I have come but there are certainly times when I get off the train in Leeds and when walking through an unfamiliar city it reminds me that I’m

now in a different place, doing a different job with more responsibility.

“Professionally it has been a great move because Leeds has always been a significant legal centre in the north of England. The judges here have a good reputation, so I knew I was joining a good team.

“But it has also been a positive move personally as I really like Leeds. You might say that I’m obliged to state that while being interview by Leeds and Yorkshire Lawyer! But having planned to commute originally, I’m now looking to move to the area and put down some roots.”

Married to a barrister and with one daughter recently qualified as a solicitor and a son training to be an accountant, the law runs deep through the Gosnell family. Asked if he could identify any differences between lawyers in Manchester and Leeds, he certainly isn’t afraid of stating his opinion.

“So far [in Leeds] I have found people’s manner generally more courteous and pleasant,” he explains. “Perhaps Leeds has more of the traditional values that are often associated with the law. Maybe Manchester, considering itself more modern, has lost a few of the old standards that a lot of us still like.”

Out of hoursIn the courtroom world Judge Gosnell describes himself as an “interventionist” who “gets on with it and doesn’t waste time.” The increasing pressures on the court system to economise and the proposed cuts to legal aid are serious concerns of his. However, outside of work hours he has a completely different side to his character.

“I’ve got a couple of hobbies outside mainly involving sport and supporting Burnley FC, but my other major passion is playing guitar in a band,” he explains. “We’re called Wasted; it’s a bit of a pun on Busted who were all good looking young lads and we’re anything but! We’ve been around for six years, we’ve played a bit in pubs and clubs.

“It’s not as eyebrow-raising as you might think as when I was in Manchester I had two colleagues who also played in bands. There’s a bit of a tradition of solicitors and barristers playing. When I’m not working it’s important to relax and to the other guys I am just the same bloke they’ve known for years.”

As he speaks he picks up an X-Factor mug from his desk and takes a drink. The cup, he says, was “borrowed” from his wife but, despite his love of music, it seems the talent show’s loss is the judiciary’s gain.

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FeAtURe: Cutting-edge software

Can you afford not to?Richard Smyth explains how firms are keeping pace with change without sacrificing that vital personal client relationship

F or a society that relies on computers for everything from paying Council Tax bills and

checking out at the local supermarket to looking up the cricket score and finding the fastest non-motorway route to Grimsby, it’s curious that we’re still so undecided about what they represent.

Are they benevolent PAs, microchipped secretaries, programmed to make our schedules less cluttered, our processes more efficient, our lives easier? Or are they distancing us from each other, replacing human contact with tinny recorded messages and multiple-choice menus?

It’s an issue that law firms have to tackle as the sector finds itself increasingly shaped by the demands and possibilities of cutting-edge IT. The $64,000 question they have to crack is a straightforward one: how do you keep pace with a legal market that is rapidly operating on an industrial scale without sacrificing the personal client relationships that have always been central to the provision of legal services?

According to those in the know, there’s no reason why you can’t have both.

“It’s all about cutting out the non-value added time, and increasing your overall effectiveness,” says Darren Gower at Eclipse Legal Systems, the UK’s leading provider of integrated case-management software. “Case-management software should automate the administrative things that hold you back from using your skillset – things like production of standard documents, diarising next actions, distributing information to set contacts/clients, and so on.

“That sort of thing should just ‘happen’; you shouldn’t have to make sure it takes place. You should be free to focus on adding real value and building relationships with clients.”

Jon Seaton at Middlesex-based DPS Software agrees that law firms need to

perform a tricky balancing act.“What solicitors don’t want to do is

dehumanise their work and lose contact with their clients,” he says. “But at the same time they’ve got to keep certain aspects of the work in a workflow and moving through quickly and efficiently, because, although clients want to speak to their solicitors, they also want them to get the job done as quickly as possible.”

But legal IT isn’t just a matter of keeping things efficiently ordered – a desk-tidy can do that. Modern case-management software can make a fundamental difference to a firm’s operations.

“Case-management software should provide you with mission-critical intelligence about your business,” says Gower. “How are the workloads of individual fee earners? Who is our most profitable case referrer? Who is our least profitable case referrer, and why? Questions like these should be answered quickly and easily, in real-time.”

This kind of data can help a firm to optimise its available resources and respond and adapt effectively to shifts in the market.

Such flexibility seems a far cry from

the grim vision often conjured by legal Luddites: monolithic IT-driven firms, operating out of warehouse-like call-centres and doling out identikit one-size-fits-all services.

In fact, modern software can be tailored to the particular needs of any law firm, Seaton explains. DPS make a point of ensuring that clients who make use of their software are trained in how to adapt its default system settings to their requirements.

“There’s no solicitor that’ll come to us without a change in mind that they want us to do before it goes into play,” he says. “So a lot of the time you are looking at almost a bespoke service. But what we will also do is train them in how to tailor their systems on an ongoing basis, so it saves them money in the long run.

“Primarily, of course, we’re a software vendor,” he adds. “But we don’t want to put that software into a firm and go ‘off you go, have fun’. They need to know exactly how to use it. And we’re very forward about training. We won’t really sell a product without there being some training in place, because they’re not going to get the most out of it.”

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FeAtURe: Cutting-edge software

Driving forwardLegal IT, then, is not simply a question of becoming more efficient at standing still. New software can drive a firm forward; it can even help to bring new kinds of legal business into existence.

“In the last 10 years we’ve seen businesses emerge that have based their model almost completely upon case-management software,” Gower notes. “How on earth would the volume personal injury and conveyancing firms compete and operate if they weren’t able to streamline processes, automate administration, and put through tens of thousands of cases each year?

“That sort of business doesn’t happen with a string-and-sellotape software hotchpotch. Proper, dedicated systems are required, and it’s proven that they can enable hugely profitable businesses to come to the fore.”

IT can not only drive change in the sector, it can also help firms respond to new market developments – no matter how revolutionary. Seaton and Gower both point to the Legal Services Act and the emergence of alternative business structures (ABS) as a game-changer for traditional law firms.

“The forthcoming appearance of ABS is something that absolutely cements the need for good IT and efficient, cost-effective, transparent processing of workloads,” Gower notes. “It’s a minimum requirement if firms are to compete with potential new entrants, who

themselves will be armed with good IT and impressive marketing budgets.”

He also warns that these new entrants – “firms who are not traditionally from legal but who do legal” – may force existing law firms to think about the ways in which they approach the market.

“These firms will have a different mindset, be very proactive in terms of marketing, and will target consumers aggressively,” he predicts. “Interesting times! Client-focused and IT-savvy law firms will be able to compete and compete well, so now is the time to prepare.”

Products such as Eclipse’s Proclaim case and practice-management tools can help law firms ensure that they’re at the top of their game as a new age dawns for the industry.

DPS Software, meanwhile, have a slightly different angle on this brave new world: they are offering their clients not just a case-management tool, but an entire IT department. Welcome to the Cloud.

“We actually call it ‘IT Department As A Service’,” Seaton says. “The biggest recent development from where we’re sat is the growth in hosted solutions.

“It’s moving away from the case management and in-house software side of things; the actual way in which [clients] implement their IT solutions is changing. And we’re quite different here, because there really isn’t anyone else in the UK legal software market that also have their own data centre.

“Cloud computing – also known as

Software as a Service or SaS – provides the IT infrastructure and environment to develop, host or run services and applications, on demand, with pay-as-you-go pricing, as a service. It may also provide resources and services to store data and run applications. The development of the Cloud has been described by the Cloud Industry Forum as one of the five key ‘paradigm shifts’ in IT since the 1960s.

“We can actually offer almost an all-in-one package,’ says Seaton. “So you can get your hosted IT sorted, we’ll chuck in our case-management and account software, you can take advantage of MS Office licences – it all comes down the Internet line and they’re away, and it’s all charged on a fixed monthly cost per user.”

He outlines the benefits to clients of subscribing to SaS. “Rather than paying some money to a hosting firm, some money to a software vendor, some money to an IT support firm – why not consolidate it into one through us? We’ve got the infrastructure in place to do that.”

It may seem to some as though the law sector has become an adjunct to the legal IT industry, rather than the other way around. Nevertheless, with the Legal Services Act tightening the screws, anything that might offer a competitive edge should be embraced.

The new whizzkids of legal IT are simply posing the same question that salesmen have asked down the ages: can you really afford not to?

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FeAtURe: Professional Indemnity Insurance

Choosing a PII brokerBefore engaging a professional indemnity insurance (PII) broker, The Law Society urges you to consider the following factors

I nsurance brokers are responsible for advising on and arranging insurance. In the solicitors’ professional

indemnity insurance (PII) market, most qualifying insurers can only be accessed through a recognised, FSA regulated insurance broker.

While solicitors are able to access some qualifying insurers directly, we believe that the vast majority of solicitors do and continue to benefit from engaging a competent and specialised PII broker.

In the lead up to the renewal date, you are likely to receive advertising material from a number of broking firms. You should not necessarily engage the first firm you read about.

Consider the following factors to ensure you engage a broker that is right for you.

Is the broker regulated by the Financial Services Authority? Before engaging a broker, you should ensure that the FSA regulates it. You can do this by checking the FSA’s website. A broker or any other intermediary can only

give advice on insurance matters if it is regulated by the FSA either directly, or as an appointed representative.

How experienced is the broker? Brokers have different levels of experience in dealing with the solicitors’ PII market. You should therefore ensure that you engage a sufficiently experienced broker.

What primary services does the broker provide? Brokers offer very different levels of service to their clients. Understanding what they offer in comparison to your expectation is the first point of reference in choosing a broker to suit you.

The insurance industry has developed new means of distribution of insurance products in recent years and these can be confusing to the once a year buyer of PII.

Which qualifying insurers does the broker place business with? You should consider a broker’s access to

the qualifying insurers. While most brokers deal with a number of different insurers so they can best cater for all types and sizes of firms, some brokers have a commercial agreement with a single qualifying insurer for certain segments of the profession.

This may mean that the broker can place business only with one qualifying insurer or that the broker is the only broker that places business or certain types of business with that insurer.

How would the broker arrange your PII? When selecting a broker, you may wish to agree individual terms and timescales with them. You should agree when they will contact you to give you updates on the progress of your application(s), how they will contact you, and a final date by which they will inform you of the outcome of your application(s).

Specialist Professional Indemnity Insurance broker Prime Risk Solutions – the bespoke risk solutions arm of broker Prime Professions – has opened a new Leeds

office in the heart of the city’s financial hub at Princes Exchange.

The Leeds office opening is the latest in a series of positive developments for the broker which has been growing consistently since its creation over five years ago.

Jake Fox (pictured), an experienced broker with over 10 years in the PII

market will lead the new office. Below he answers some questions.

Why is Prime moving to Leeds?We act for a major slice of the legal profession and a big proportion of our legal services clients and prospects are based in Yorkshire. The new office will offer clients localised representation with the full support of our head office in London. In addition, we felt that there was a need for a truly specialist professional indemnity broker in the city.

What advantages are there to having an office in the north?The new office allows us to be on the

doorstep of a large proportion of our client base, while still maintaining close contact with our London operation. We see the Leeds office as providing exactly the same standard of service but from a location that will allow us to be more directly involved with some of our clients.

Is now a good time to be involved in the PII market?It is a constantly changing marketplace. The legal services industry in particular is going through challenging times both from a commercial and regulatory perspective. Prime is on top of this and will bring consultative services in addition to transactional broking.

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FeAtURe: Training courses

The future is brightStudents in our region have the opportunity to begin their careers on the right track. Jenni Marsh explains why

O ver the past decade the legal profession has seen exponential growth with the number of

solicitors qualified to practice up 36 per cent at 118,000, according to the Law Society.

Yet despite the bulk of these professionals operating in the City (20,245), the 7,652 working in the Yorkshire and Humber region continue to thrive in the employment market.

Perhaps this is due to the healthy competition in the training sector; the University of Sheffield’s School of Law was founded in 1899 and in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 85 per cent of its work was deemed to be of international quality, and 15 per cent labelled world leading.

Matthew Wainwright, head of administration at the Law School, explains that Sheffield has the only Russell Group department in the country to offer the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), while its staff base is from a professional and academic background. Furthermore, the university runs the largest overseas exchange programme of any UK law school, forging excellent links with legal companies in the UK and abroad.

“We know that law firms value students with a broad intellect and outlook and feel that what we offer as a Russell Group university meets this desire,” he says. “The fact that so many of our students have gone on to successful careers is testament to the quality of our graduates.”

And with tuition fees rising the department will double expenditure on widening participation by 2015, double spending on outreach and offer £13,000 in aid to students from low-participation backgrounds.

Aside from an obvious desire for excellence, one of the things that drives Sheffield’s Law School to perform is the

stiff competition for students in the region.One clear example is the College of

Law in York which, since opening in 1989, has established itself as a beacon of excellence.

Paul Aber, centre director, says: “We have forged close links with the legal profession, both in the UK and globally, and have become known for leading the way in the development of legal education. We pioneered interactive e-learning that is the most comprehensive of any law school and are constantly innovating in our teaching methods and learning programmes.”

The college offers the GDL and the LPC as well as a range of part time courses and the Professional Skills Course, which is a compulsory training programme for trainee solicitors.

It is part of an eight-centre group, and a survey last year across these colleges revealed that despite the tough economic conditions more than four out of five graduates had secured a job in the legal services market.

A recent survey of the College’s 2010 LPC graduates across all of its eight centres revealed that, despite the tough economic conditions, more than four out of five have secured a job. Furthermore, 62 per cent of the 2,000 students who graduated in 2010 have now secured a training contract.

Adam Pryor undertook the LPC in 2010/11 and now has a contract at Kennedys in London.

He says: “In terms of preparing us for employment, the careers team were superb. I was weak at interviews and delivering public presentations when I started the course, so the mock interviews which the careers team manager arranged for me were invaluable.”

The college always has its eye on employment opportunities and has developed close links with 30 of the UK’s leading law firms, and on a wider scale works with 94 of the top 100 law firms, helping them to recruit the best trainees each year.

Back in Sheffield, head of administration Wainwright believes that having two such esteemed legal training centres in the region ensures standards remain high, to the mutual benefit of both students and employers.

“We are one of a cluster of institutions in a densely populated region competing for the very best students, we have always worked hard to be both attractive to and to provide an education that fits to what both students and employers want,” he explains.

“No institution can afford to sit still in the world of £9K undergraduate tuition fees. Students paying such high rates will demand the highest level of service and there is a distinct business tone to current departmental discussion.

“What increased fees won’t alter is the standard required to achieve high marks and classifications on all of our programmes.”

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LIFeStYLe

Restaurant of the monthA location for all occasions

Event of the monthSaddle up for October Finale

I n an area of Leeds already full of famous name restaurants, new kid on the block Carluccio’s on Greek Street

stands out for two very obvious reasons. First its signature royal blue banners catch the eye and second the flexible approach to dining makes it perfect for both that lunchtime meeting with a client or a special evening meal out.

Opened in May and already causing a stir, Carluccio’s offers genuine homemade Italian food in relaxed surroundings.

A three-course meal for two on a busy afternoon – an example for one diner being fried pasta crisps with salt and herbs to start with followed by a main course of handmade fresh tortelloni filled with wine braised venison and topped off with a divine warm chocolate pudding baked dessert – cost less than £45. That’s tremendous value for money

for what is a quality dining experience.The restaurant could best be described

as being modern with a traditional twist with lovely details such as a bottle of wine on each table. It felt very light and airy with plenty of room between tables. The staff were attentive and polite and the ambiance was relaxed and tranquil, making it ideal for that business lunch.

What’s more, even if you’re short on time you can still experience the best it has to offer as Carluccio’s deli (just inside the door) is brimming with freshly made dishes available for lunch on-the-go including some of the tastiest ciabatta sandwiches anywhere in town.

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The curtain comes down on another thrilling year of racing at York Races on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 October. Gates open at 11.15am on both days as some of the biggest trainers test their horses over the famous Knavesmire.

Relax and catch up with friends whilst you enjoy some of the best views and

facilities. Choose from the Grandstand & Paddock (prices start from £13 on the Friday), which is the largest area where race goers can attend in casual dress; the County Stand, York’s premier enclosure, with access to the winning post and a champagne terrace; or for a £58 supplement you can access the Melrose Club Lounge, newly opened last season, with its own balcony overlooking the home straight.

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FeAtURe: Name


Every day is differentLYL speaks to Andrew Meehan, Principal of Harrogate Family Law

ProfessionalWhat made you choose law?I was exposed to law from an early age because my father is a solicitor. I spent a great deal of time helping out in the office and at court. I found the twin attractions of being able to help people out and not knowing what the next day would bring to be irresistible.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?Without a doubt it is the day I opened the doors at my own niche practice in October 2010.

What do you enjoy most about the job?Two things in particular come to mind. Contrary to many people’s expectations, practising family law can be a very positive experience. Clients tend to come in at a low point in their life but by the time my work is done they tend to be in a much brighter place and looking forward to starting the next chapter in their life. Secondly, I enjoy the fact that every day is completely different and you can never predict with 100 per cent accuracy what it will bring.

What do you enjoy the least?It has to be the bureaucracy.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?Always remember that you are your client’s servant not their master.

PersonalWhat would you have done if you weren’t a lawyer?If I had the talent required, I would love to have been a professional golfer or a professional sportsman of any kind. However, the talent is sadly lacking, so I would have loved to write about professional sports instead.

Describe yourself in three words?Thoughtful, dedicated and dry.

What is your favourite holiday destination?Italy for the winning combination of friendly people, stunning sights, great weather and tasty food.

How about book and album?How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young is my favourite read and it would have to be Screamadelica by Primal Scream.

How do you unwind after a hard week?Golf. However, it’s much to the annoyance of my family because it’s just so addictive and, therefore, time-consuming.

INteRVIeW: The last word

SafeRecordsManagement_Strap.indd1 1 11/2/09 11:16:16

The Hair Alcohol Industry Innovator

We are sharing our knowledge and capability

with all industry stakeholders, and are hosting a practitioner

forum in Central London in September 2011 to which you

are warmly invited. Please pre-register:

www.trimegalabs.com/sepforum

We were the first to market with the combined FAEE and EtG tests, and are the recognised thought leaders in this crucial advance in reliability.

It was no coincidence that our data was chosen to be presented at the Society of Hair Testing’s annual conference in March to prove the 94% accuracy rate of dual hair alcohol tests, showing less than 1% risk of a false positive, and just 5.75% risk of a false negative.

Our laboratories in Germany are fully accredited to international standard ISO 17025.

And in February we launched a state-of-the-art £1 million laboratory in Manchester which operates to ISO 17025 standards and is being audited by UKAS with a view to receiving UK accreditation shortly, thereby ‘onshoring’ our European leadership capability.

SCAN & EXPLORE

Trimega Laboratories has always been a leader of the hair alcohol testing industry.

Scan the barcode using your Quick Response enabled phone to discover more about

Trimega Laboratories.

Call Us: 0845 388 0124 | www.trimegalabs.com

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