liverpool Law May 2016

Liverpool Law
The Magazine for lawyers in Merseyside and the North West
May 2016
IN THIS ISSUE
Interview:
Justin Madders MP
PAGE 8
In conversation with
Graeme Jump
PAGE 20
Glenys Hunt reports on
the CW60 Conference
in New York
PAGE 26

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Welcome
Welcome to the May edition of Liverpool Law.
Since our last edition a number of our member firms will have closed their year end and started a new one. This is
also a time when we hear of partner and other promotions. We have begun to receive some photographs of new
partners this month and hope to get many more. Please do send us details of any promotions with in your firm, with
photographs where possible so we can publish and share the achievements.
Congratulations should also go to Jim Davies OBE recently appointed High Sheriff of Merseyside, a prestigious
appointment for a man who has devoted a lot of time to local charities and organisations.
I have been over to Ellesmere Port this month and my interview with Justin Madders MP appears in this month’s
edition as does Julia Baskerville's meeting with Graeme Jump. A reminder here for any member who is interested in
being our Lawyer in Lights to get in touch with me at the address below.
From the Editor
3
Past President Glenys Hunt has been to New York and sent us a review of her time at the United Nations. I hope
she does not mind my mentioning that this will be her last contribution as a full time solicitor as she is now taking
on the challenge of completing an PhD at Liverpool University.
For members looking for some guidance over the EU referendum we have included details of our website a link to
the Law Society’s report on legal and economic impacts for the legal profession.
We also have our usual mix of movers and shakers, our charity and CRS review as well as photos from social
events.
SYLVIA SHEPHERD
EDITOR
Editor@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk
I hope you enjoy this month’s read and do remember to send us details of your news and events.
Sylvia Shepherd
Editor
editor@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk
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4 From the President
Sponsored by
President’s Mentions
The year seems to be whizzing
by, as I am sure it has done for
every President before me.
April was a strange month, with
no-one seeming to be sure
whether or not it was a holiday
season – due to the different
Easter breaks that schools seem
to have these days.
Isn’t it wonderful though, to
finally see the signs of spring
which has seemed a long time
coming this year? There is
certainly something about a bit
of sunshine (even if it’s not that
warm) and lighter evenings, to
make us all feel more cheerful!
Although this is the May edition
and I am looking back at April I
must mention an event which took
place after the April edition had
gone to print, and that was of
course the LLS/MJLD Quiz. It
definitely wasn’t a fix, but my
team won – and I am still not sure
how! I was delighted (and very
relieved) that Liverpool Law
Society won overall and managed
to retain the trophy which can
remain in our possession for
another year. A massive well done
and thank you to Richard Burrows
and his JLD Committee for
organising what was a great
event, and to Wesleyan for
sponsoring it. The only downside
was that we couldn’t fit in
everyone who wanted to attend –
looks like we’ll have to find a
bigger venue next year! It is
really important to build on the
links between our two societies
with events like this and if anyone
has any other ideas for social
events, (perhaps with a
competitive edge) then do let us
know.
I was honoured to be invited to
the CILEX Liverpool Ball on
15th April, which took place at
the Doubletree Hotel in Dale
Street, another great addition to
the City’s hotel stock. It was a
lovely venue and an excellent
turnout, so congratulations to the
current CILEX Liverpool
president, John McCreanney of
MSB Solicitors, and his
Committee, for organising a great
evening which also raised money
for the James Bulger Memorial
trust.
I have been involved in the
further discussions over a
“Blueprint for Better Business” in
our City and also continue to be a
member of the steering group for
the IFB fringe “The Edge” and
you can read more about those on
pages 5 and 6 of this issue. Quite
apart from the Blueprint idea, it is
good to know that Liverpool City
Council continue to try to engage
with the business community to
create their 5 year plan for the
future of the City, as they realise
the need to bring in more
businesses to drive the local
economy, and I have been
attending further consultations
about that as well, which I will
keep you updated on, as they
progress.
We have gone to print a little
earlier than usual this month so
there are some events which you
will read about in the next
edition, such as the interrogation I
get at the Past Presidents’ lunch,
the members’ meeting about the
proposed personal injury reforms,
and the MPs meeting. They’re
keeping me on my toes in this
role you know!
Finally, I have to mention again
the Liverpool Professionals’
Dinner – this is the last chance I
ALISON LOBB
PRESIDENT
will have to plug it! if you
haven’t booked, please do
consider it – the tickets are very
reasonably priced and we are on
course for a really good
attendance so it’s a great
networking opportunity for you
and your firm.
Alison Lobb
President
CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
The Hope+Foodbank
The Hope+ Food bank is a joint initiative
of Liverpool Cathedral, the Metropolitan
Cathedral and St Brides in Catharine St.
It was started as a result of needs of the
population in the areas surrounding the 2
Cathedrals. What better name to give to
the Foodbank than that of the Street
which links them. The symbol + is
indicative of the extra support services
that have arisen as a result of the needs
of the Foodbank’s clients. Clients receive
help and advice about the benefits system
and are signposted to other services.
Hope+ hold pantries three times a week at
St Brides, St Margarets and St Vincents in
inner city Liverpool. 26000 food hampers
have been distributed so far. Many of the
clients are asylum seekers who receive
precious little in help from the government
and sometimes no help whilst they are
waiting for Fresh Claims or their appeal
processes have concluded. Others are
individuals who have fallen foul of the
Benefits system either through penalties or
inefficiency in the system. Many are
families with small children.
Hope+ is run at present under the auspices
of Liverpool Cathedral but an application
has been made for it be established as an independent charity. It is dependent for funds and
food upon the goodwill of church and other non Christian faith group members and other
charitable donations. Many schools have become involved in collecting food for the pantries.
Hope+ is also dependent on a raft of volunteers who help on a regular basis to provide this
much needed service.
Jackson Canter Foundation was pleased to be able to make a donation of £7500 which went
someway to provide for the salary of the co-ordinator Nadine Daniel. A generous donation
from Liverpool City Council in the early days helped the charity get off the ground.
It is sad that Foodbanks are becoming a regular part of the fabric of our society. Poverty is all
too real and present particularly at a time when asylum seekers are on the rise and the
government seeks to readjust the welfare system. Over 3000 clients of the Foodbank have
been Syrians which tells its own story.
If firms want to consider a worthy cause then Hope+ is one that is nearby and always in need
of donations of food and money. Many of the most disadvantaged in our society will be the
beneficiaries.
For further information contact nadine.daniel@liverpool.anglican.org
Andrew Holroyd

5
Sub-Committee News
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News from the Sub-Committees
Criminal Practice Sub-Committee: Thursday 14th April 2016
This meeting included a presentation from Leanne Galbraith Business
Product Owner Defence – CJS Common Platform Programme.(Please
see page 11 for more information)
As often happens Liverpool has been selected to pilot the CJS Common
Platform Programme. This comes on the back of successful pilots of
DCS and BCM and of course we still pilot the Section 28 procedures
for the advance cross examination of vulnerable witnesses in criminal
trials (with a number of other court centres)
This pilot is the beginning of substantial changes to the whole way in
which the Criminal Justice System will be delivered. It will build on
digitisation that has already taken place and will eventually incorporate
the Crown Court Digital Case System.
It is important to know that on the 10th May, 2016 there will be
presentations and training of the whole concept of the CJS CPP from
9am to 6pm at Liverpool Crown Court. Practitioners are advised to
attend/drop in when they can during the course of the day. It is intended
that the first stage will come into effect in June 2016 and whilst this is
in a limited way, practitioners will need to keep up to date with
developments.
The people running the training and information groups want to engage
with the defence practitioners as they are with all other user groups to
ensure that when brought into force it is user friendly and provides all
the necessary information required in a way that is easy to follow and
obtain.
We also had a discussion on the effect of the closure of St. Helens
Magistrates Court and the transfer of work to Liverpool Court centre.
There is likely to be further consultations with regard to the effect on
the duty solicitor scheme.
The date of our next meeting is the 26th May. If anyone has any issues
they wish the committee to discuss or be aware of please email the
Chair of the committee at John.weate@rmnj.co.uk.cjsm.net
John Weate, Chair
Family Sub-Committee: Wednesday 13th April 2016.
We discussed our usual standing items which include reports from the
various committees that take place at Liverpool Family Court and
updates and information from those meetings are shared and prove to be
a useful topic for general discussion.
The key matter that caused a great deal of discussion and a degree of
outrage at the meeting was the current consultation that was taking
placed regarding use of space at the Civil and Family Court in
Liverpool. It is being suggested that the current Advocate’s room which
is well used particularly by those family advocates both Counsel and
solicitors is moved to the current room occupied by the PSU. All Those
who were in attendance at the meeting raised a number of key
objections around this and all were in agreement that each firm and
individuals should submit a response and that we would also submit a
response from the Law Society on behalf of the Family Sub-committee .
We also discussed the current McKenzie Friend consultation and that
given a number of our committee members have experienced with
McKenzie friends in their practices that a response from our committee
would be of benefit. We are also pleased to welcome two new members
to the committee from MSB Solicitors, Emma Carey the head of their
department and Emma Palmer.
Our next meeting is on 8th June 2016 and we are always happy to
welcome new members to our committee.This can be from those
practices that primarily represent private individuals in divorce and
ancillary relief and private law contact matters to those firms that do
more legal aid and public law work.
Adele Schofield, Chair

6 News
A Blueprint for Better Business
The President Alison Lobb reports on the consultation
meeting hosted by the Chamber of Commerce
Last year Emlyn Williams, the
then President, and I, had a
preliminary conversation with
Jane Corbett, Liverpool City
Council Cabinet Member for
Social Inclusion, Fairness &
Equalities, about the proposal
to launch some form of
recognition for fair and ethical
businesses in our city. We
offered our support, at least in
principle, and the idea has now
progressed to the stage where
Jane and her colleagues are now
working in conjunction with
Liverpool Vision and Liverpool
and Sefton Chamber of
Commerce on the project,
which has the support of the
Mayor of Liverpool.
Having already been present at
some discussions around the idea,
on Thursday 7th April I was
invited to a consultation meeting
hosted by the Chamber of
Commerce and with a view to
introducing the team behind
“Blueprint for Better Business”
which is a growing movement
which encourages businesses to
consider their place in the local
community, and their
relationships with their
stakeholders, customers and
employees. The meeting was
attended by leaders from all areas
of the Liverpool business
community as well as
representatives from charities and
social enterprises.
We heard short presentations from
Max Steinberg, CEO of Liverpool
Vision; Gary Millar, former Lord
Mayor of Liverpool and now
Cabinet member for Business,
Enterprise & Investment; and
Jenny Stewart, CEO of Liverpool
& Sefton Chamber, as to why
they are supporting the plan and
the advantages they believe it can
bring to businesses themselves
and the local economy. We then
had an interactive discussion
session with Charles Wookey,
CEO of Blueprint for Better
Business, where we discussed the
purpose of business, and issues
around trust, integrity and fairness
-
as well as the benefits of
employee satisfaction.
I am pleased that the team have
taken on board the comments
made by us, as well as others, of
the desire not to make this another
form of accreditation requiring
audits and additional
administration, which was seen as
rather off-putting for business
owners, but instead are envisaging
the idea as coming to fruition as
more of a citywide pledge to do
business fairly and ethically. The
Council is also intending to
integrate the need for businesses
to operate under the framework,
into its procurement criteria. We
are told that the expected
outcomes should be a sense of
fulfilment and self-worth for
business leaders, as well as
engaged and innovative
employees, loyal customers and
suppliers, and an increase in
customers and employees wanting
to be part of those organisations
which are involved. Ultimately of
course, the hope which would be
common for all businesses would
be an increase in income and
growth. We are told that there
have been numerous studies
which show that businesses which
consider their wider impact on
employees and society in general
– “purpose driven businesses” –
achieve longer term, sustainable
business benefits.
There are more issues to be
resolved, such as the criteria to
sign up to the scheme, and how it
can be monitored, and that is the
subject of further discussions. In
the meantime, however, I am
pleased that Liverpool Law
Society has been part of
developing the plans for the
Blueprint within Liverpool and
looking forward to hearing more
about the plans to implement the
project, about which I will keep
you informed. The hope is to
have some form of introductory
information event during the IFB
so do look out for details of that
to follow when they become
available. If anyone has any
further questions about this,
please do not hesitate to contact
me.
Alison Lobb
President
The EU and the Legal Sector
With the EU Referendum less than two months away, both
campaigns – “Vote Leave” and “In” are gaining momentum.
To make an informed decision, all businesses need to fully understand
the nature of the UK’s current relationship within the EU, the UK’s
rights and obligations and terms recently re-negotiated by the
Government with the EU. Similarly if the UK opts to leave the EU the
effects, both short and long term need to be understood by the legal
profession.
The Law Society has published a report which sets out the issues they
expect to see raised in the run-up to, and following on from, the
referendum.
The report can be downloaded at
http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/news/press-releases/the-future-ofbritain-in-europe-legal-services/
Liverpool Law Society in conjunction with Chartered Institute for
Securities and Investments is holding an event “The EU
Referendum: Potential Legal and Economic Impacts” on 20th June
at the Port of Liverpool Building.
Visit www.liverpoollawsociety.org.uk for further information

Interview
7
An Interview with
Justin Madders, Labour MP Ellesmere Port and Neston:
Elected May 2015 and Shadow Minister for Health.
On a wet, bleak Friday in
Ellesmere Port, Justin
Madder's constituency office
stood out as a warm, bright
oasis prominently located on
the main road through the
town. Though the door, and
umbrella shook, his office staff
made me feel very welcome
whilst I waited his return from
a school visit.
Justin was born in Manchester
but has lived, since the age of 10,
in Ellesmere Port. His week is
divided between his home in
Ellesmere Port and life at
Parliament. Travelling up to
London on Monday morning and
back home again on Thursday
evening.
I was curious about life in
Parliament and asked him to
explain the work of an MP. On
parliamentary days he is normally
in the office by 9.00 am or
earlier for breakfast meetings.
Parliament sits until 10.30pm on
a Monday and 7.30pm on
Tuesday and Wednesday.
The system for asking questions
of a governmental department
can be best described as quaint.
An MP with a question submits it
directed to the relevant
government department and then
has to wait and see if it is picked
out of a random draw. If it is,
they are allowed to ask that
question plus one supplementary.
To speak in a debate, an MP
submits an written request with
reasons why it is important for
that particular MP to speak.
Reasons can be particular
knowledge on a subject or
relevance to constituency work.
Debates are held in the Chamber
and other parts of Westminster
Hall. There can be ten debates a
week of varying lengths.
When Justin is not in the
Chamber, he is dealing with work
for his parliamentary office as
well as constituency work and
visitors. Not surprisingly he has
plenty of e-mails!
As part of his role in the shadow
government Justin is busy with
matters regarding the health
service and of course, junior
doctors. Justin considers
discussions with the junior
doctors have been badly handled
by Jeremy Hunt and believes
there has been some spurious
interpretation of weekend death
rates by the government. Having
spent time in A & E shadowing
doctors he has first-hand
knowledge of how stretched they
already are under the current
system and is concerned about the
proposed 7 day service without
increased resources.
A review of Justin's website
shows he is an MP with a wide
range of concerns but I felt there
was two issues I had to ask him
about, the EU referendum and the
Northern Powerhouse.
On the EU debate he is definitely
a remainer. He points out that in
his constituency there is a
Vauxhall car plant and Air Bus is
nearby and if the UK is not in
Europe we would be at a big
disadvantage in competing to
keep those companies and
companies like them in the UK.
Whilst he does appreciate the free
movement of people does
potentially lead to an undercutting
of local wages he feels the
position is not clear cut and the
positives of membership outweigh
the disadvantages.
One big positive for Justin is the
employment protection rights
which have been brought in by
Europe, a subject important to
him as Justin qualified as a
Solicitor and specialised as an
Employment Lawyer. Throughout
his career he was mainly
instructed on union work, lastly at
Walker Smith & Way in Chester
but before that at Thompson's in
Manchester.
I asked him what was the main
reason for him leaving the law
and seeking election as an MP.
It's basically his drive for social
justice. His work as an
employment lawyer made him
realise that employment rights in
England are weak and he felt he
needed to get into Parliament to
work to help change the law to
create a fairer system of work
place rights.
He has given his maiden speech at
the House of Commons, he was
more nervous at his first tribunal
than he was in delivering that
speech. The reason being that his
speech was prepared practised and
he didn't have to consider a
judge's awkward question nor a
witness's surprising new account.
I know Justin has commented
widely on the Northern
Powerhouse, not least in last
months' Liverpool Law! He has
raised concerns as to whether the
government is genuinely
committed to the idea or if they
even know where the Northern
Powerhouse is! He is also
concerned that the idea could
become too Manchester centric
and not benefit towns like
Ellesmere Port. His comments
include;
"Whatever the rhetoric of George
Osborne, the policies of this
government have had a
devastating effect on the
communities of the North so it
will come as surprise to nobody
that the Northern, Powerhouse
seems to exist only as a figment
of his imagination".
It's not all work though, Justin
was part of the 2015 intake of 50
new labour MP's and occasionally
they socialise together in the
evenings. Also Justin plays for the
parliamentary football team sadly
he feels he is one of the better
players.
At lunch time there is no shortage
of places to eat for an MP
although Justin usually buys his
food from the Commons cafeteria
and takes is back to his office to
carry on working. Strangers Bar
is by far the most popular with
visitors but he considers it a pretty
ordinary bar albeit with nice
views from the terrace.
Justin works out of Portcullis
House which is situated across the
road from the Palace of
Westminster. He prefers that, he
can be in the Chamber in four
minutes and does not have to
suffer the pokey offices of
Westminster. He also has a flat in
London as his week day home,
and is able to walk to work in the
mornings
On Thursday evenings he travels
home and tries to be back at a
decent time to see his 3 children
aged 18,14 and 11 before going
for a game of football which he
finds quite a de-stresser after an
intense week at Westminster.
At the weekends he also tries to
see is children play football but
also finds time for a surgery and
visits to local schools, local
business and his constituents
generally.
A big part of his constituency
work relates to housing issues,
there is chronic shortage of
council houses in the area and
private sector rentals are out of
reach of a lot of local people.
There aren't many housing
associations that serve Ellesmere
Port & Neston and Justin is
concerned that the Government
policy is going to lead to even
fewer. He also has to deal with a
large number of transport issues
brought about the congestion on
the M56, the need for the Neston
railway line to be electrified and
the lack of public transport in the
area.
As fascinating it must be to be an
MP it's clearly a 7 day a week job.
I remember Joanna Lumley being
interviewed at the time of the
Ghurkha debate. She was asked if
she would like to be an MP and
she said "absolutely not, they have
to work too hard".
Sylvia Shepherd
Editor
DLA Piper

8 IFB 2016
Looking Forward to the International
Festival for Business 2016
As you no doubt know by now, the IFB is back this year, running
for 3 weeks from 13th June until 1st July 2016. This year’s festival
will be shorter than 2014, more focussed, and concentrated around
a central venue at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool. I have been
fortunate to be invited to a number of events outlining the plans for
the Festival (including an opportunity to see the very impressive
Exhibition Centre in its glory) and it does look like there is going to
be something for everyone. The majority of the festival calendar is
now complete and organisers say they expect around 30,000
delegates to visit the city during the festival.
The programme for the festival is available on the website. Even if you
can not see any advantage to your business or your clients in attending
one of the main events, which are clustered around the three themed
weeks of Manufacturing, Energy & Environment and Creative &
Digital, there are a number of other sessions focusing on Business
leadership, networking, and the exciting concept of the “Blue Skies”
evening sessions. These will be free to attend and will feature
nationally, or internationally prominent speakers. Already signed up to
speak are Jim O’Neill, Commercial secretary to the treasury; Liv
Garfield, CEO of Severn Trent Water and one of only 6 FTSE 100
female CEOs; and former South African President, F.W. de Klerk.
More speakers are due to be announced, and the plan is to hold 12 such
events in all. Organisers are anticipating a very high turnout so it
might be worth keeping an eye out for the dates and times to be
confirmed and plan to get there early!
You can sign up to the business club free at www.ifb2016.com to get
updates on events as the calendar is finalised as well as other business
services the are available to everyone who registers.
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As I have previously mentioned in earlier articles, I am a member of
the steering group for the official Fringe, which is called “The Edge”.
The calendar for The Edge was officially unveiled at an event on 28th
April, and features an exciting mix of breakfast networking, working
lunches, dinners, seminars, and even awards, the events covering all
manner of topics, from global trade to working with SMEs, diversity,
growth and philanthropy. There are also three evening events which
promise to be entertaining at the very least, (and possibly hilarious)
taking place at “Oh Me Oh My” on the Thursdays of each week. For
more details go to the website www.theedgeliverpool.eu and have a
look at the events calendar. You can also subscribe to the mailing list
for further updates.
I am pleased to confirm that we at Liverpool Law Society are in talks
with The Law Society to arrange two events to add to that calendar,
further details of which will be made available soon. In the meantime,
you may already be aware that we at LLS are also hosting an event
with the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment on 20th June,
dealing with the legal and financial implications of an exit from the
European Union, a highly relevant discussion given that it comes only
three days before the referendum is scheduled to take place.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at this free event to
join in the debate as well as take up the networking opportunities on
offer.
Even if you think IFB 2016 is not for you, it is certainly worth a look at
the IFB and The Edge websites to see what’s happening – you might be
pleasantly surprised.
Alison Lobb
President
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Golfing, tennis and
riding are all available
close by.
For more information, pictures of the villa and
booking details, please visit
http://dawnandalucianvilla.com/

News
9
CSW60
In March I attended the 60th
Commission for the Status of
Women (CSW60) at the United
Nations in New York, as a part of
the Soroptimist International
delegation. The Commission is
attended by approximately 4000
delegates, some are
representatives of the national
governments (such as Caroline
Dineage, Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State at the Ministry
of Justice and Minister for
Women and Equalities at the
Department for Education) and
some, like me, are members of
non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) whose aim is to lobby,
persuade, and support the
government decision-makers so
the final agreement is suitable for
its purpose.
The priority theme of this year’s
CSW was “Women’s
Empowerment and It’s Link to the
Sustainable Development Goals”.
The review theme was “The
Elimination and Prevention of all
Forms of Violence against
Women and Girls”.
There were over 600 sessions in
total over the 2 weeks, although I
attended only for the first week.
These were official sessions, side
events and parallel events.
Choosing which to attend when
was a major problem. I had pared
the timetables down and made a
programme for myself before I
went, consisting of some sessions
relevant to Soroptimists, some
particularly relevant to me, and
some official sessions, so I could
get the flavour of the whole event.
This worked to some extent, but
there were of course other
sessions that caught my eye while
I was there, and also some that
were changed or cancelled, so one
had to be adaptable. There were a
number of different venues to
accommodate all these sessions,
so learning the geography of the
area was important too.
I arrived on the Saturday and on
the Sunday went to a Consultation
Day, which was helpful in setting
the scene, and there were some
interesting speakers and breakout
sessions. The real work then
started on the Monday morning,
beginning at 8.30 with a session
on people trafficking. In particular
trafficking internally in the US,
which was quite a revelation, this
also dealt with the impact of the
media, and pornography, and was
very compelling. Next I went to a
session on widowhood and the
problems widows face around the
world – widows not always being
elderly, but some very young,
especially in regions of conflict.
This was followed by a sessions
on empowering women by giving
them access to energy, and solar
powered cookstoves featured
heavily. The session after this was
headed by five students from the
University of West of England,
who gave a brilliant presentation
on work they had done researching
girls access to education in the
UK, and particularly their
involvement with the STEM
subjects(Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics),
interestingly their view was that
girls didn’t choose science subjects
because they thought they were
too difficult, and they were
unlikely to lead to a job
afterwards, yet at least three of the
girls were studying law! The
following session was on the same
subject, but this time at
governmental level, with speakers
from the Danish and British
governments, the latter being
represented by Caroline Dinenage.
One lady present commented that
in New Zealand there was a great
impetus for women to join the
construction industry after the
recent earthquake there – but that
was not to be recommended as a
promotion tool. There was then a
quick dash back to the hotel to get
ready to go to a Soroptimist
reception at an Italian restaurant
which was attended by Soroptimist
from around the world, I
personally spoke to Americans,
Japanese, Indian, Cameroon, and
even a Mongolian lady. It really
brought home the international
aspect of our organisation, and
shows we are all working to a
common aim.
I will not go through the whole
timetable of my week, the
preceding paragraph gives you a
flavour of how the time was spent.
I will mention the themes that
came through over the week.
There was overall a feeling of
optimism for the empowerment of
women, and an increase in their
status, following the Sustainable
Development Goals that had been
decided in 2015. If these could be
reached the world would be a
much better place. However now
agreement had been reached, it
was the implementation that we
had to get right, and many of the
sessions I attended were about
implementation – otherwise the
whole event would have just been
a talking shop. In order to aid
implementation statistics and data
need to be gathered on the current
situation, so any change can be
monitored. This data needs to be
disaggregated as far as possible,
so it is broken down by gender,
race, disability etc. A consistent
theme, which became almost a
mantra was “Leave no-one
behind”. The involvement of men
and boys in many aspects of
achieving the goals and gender
equality is paramount.
It was very encouraging to see so
many young people attending, as
well as the university students
mentioned above, there was a
group of schoolgirls from Stroud,
all of which made presentations at
various sessions, and all of which
were articulate and confident. In
addition there was a large
contingent from WAGGS (the
World Association of Girls Guides
and Girl Scouts) from all round
the world. It seems that that the
future of gender equality is in safe
hands.
There was some talk about the
involvements of NGOs in the
whole process, as some
government representatives seem
to want us to be excluded from
many aspects. I am happy to say
that the UK government do not
seem to have this view and
welcome our input. The UK
Mission held a briefing every
evening to inform us of the latest
negotiations, and to ask out views
and what we had attended of
interest that day. One evening
there were 5 MPs, 2 Baronesses
and a Lord there, as well as the
civil servants, so they were not
just paying lip service. The
schoolgirls from Stroud were also
in attendance, and it must have
been especially encouraging for
them.
I was not involved in the high
level negotiations, although was
kept informed of them. Some of
the disputes arose around
ensuring Human Rights were
referred to frequently, and the
girls were included, as well as
women, also that there were not
too many get-out clauses to allow
governments to renege on their
commitments. Apparently the
final draft of the agreement did
include most of theses
requirements.
Overall my attendance at the
Commission was a great
experience. It was wonderful to
see how many committed people
are prepared to work to improve
the status of women and girls
worldwide.
Glenys Hunt
Carpenters
With over 60 members Atlantic Chambers is able to offer a wide
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10 Interview
In Conversation with Graeme Jump
Graeme Jump was recently awarded the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award at
the Manchester Legal Awards 2016. Graeme has practised in Manchester since the
1980s but started his career on Matthew Street in Liverpool. He talks to Julia
Baskerville about his career which spans over half a century...
Aged 18, Graeme Jump joined the firm of a sole practitioner Thos.R.
Jones & Son located on the corner of North John Street and Matthew
Street during the hey day of the Beatles as an articled clerk.
The firm was a general practice undertaking probate, litigation some
divorce and conveyancing. Graeme says “At that time there was a scale
of fees for domestic conveyancing, which was set at a level so that
firms made sufficient profit from conveyancing work to enable them to
take on less profitable work. However, this all changed when scale fees
were scrapped, firms set their own prices and, of course, income from
conveyancing fell.”
Graeme was fortunate to find a firm willing to pay an articled clerk, as
many of his peers were either unpaid, or parents would have to pay the
firm to train their son or daughter.
Graeme says that despite their being vast differences between the law
firms of the 1960s and today, many of the challenges that firms face
today are not so different to those 50 years ago; namely how to
generate work, undertake it and get paid. He adds though they were
simpler times and success was often measured by the number of names
on the brass plate advertising the name of the firm on the front door –
about the only formal advertising allowed! Establishing a new firm
would be as simple as taking a lease on a property, installing a phone
line, hiring a legal secretary and then joining as many professional and
social organizations as possible.
These were the days before computers, photocopiers, mobile phones
and email and Graeme recalls that good legal secretaries were crucial to
the firm. All abstracts of title, copies of deeds, had to be typed. If a
mistake was made in a deed or particularly a will the secretary would
have to start all over again.
Graeme says that the years in a small general practice were good
experience, giving a broad perspective on all aspects of the firm and
gave him an understanding of the whole business.
After completion of his articles and spells in London and with a
country practice near Cambridge, Graeme moved to Mace & Jones
(now Weightmans) in 1971 and became involved with both Liverpool
and then Manchester Law Societies. He was the Editor of the Liverpool
Law Society magazine for a number of years and has been the
Treasurer of Manchester Law Society and was President in 1991/92.
Graeme says the role of local law societies has also changed. He says
“When I first joined Liverpool Law Society it was mainly because
Mace & Jones had a long tradition of involvement, sitting on the
Committee and attending events. Firms looked to local law societies for
leadership and support as well as policing local practices.” Now local
law societies provide numerous services and benefits for their diverse
membership and Graeme sees one of the biggest challenges of today is
encouraging the larger firms to commit their support which he believes
is vital.
Graeme has also been able to observe the commercial success of both
Manchester and Liverpool since the 1960s. He said that the riots in
Liverpool during the 1980’s meant that a lot of commercial work
moved to Manchester, but the last decade or so has seen Liverpool
evolve and expand to become again a thriving legal community which
its history justifies... Manchester, despite the recession has continued to
grow and is now regarded as the UK’s second legal city.
Having been able to qualify as a solicitor by five years of articles after
leaving school Graeme says he was disappointed when this route was
abolished. This meant that the only route into the law was by going to
university, which was a financial obstacle for many. He is now
delighted to see that there are now many routes into the law, either
through ILEX or legal apprenticeships, which, he believes, creates a
more diverse profession.
Graeme says that when he became an articled clerk, and later upon
qualification he had no doubt that he was joining a profession. There
was considerable pride attached to this simple fact. Whilst economic
factors and a changing world have made it necessary to sharpen the
business focus of the practice of law Graeme believes it would be a loss
to all if the concept of a “profession” was to lose its resonance in the
thrust for commercial success.
Looking back Graeme says that he has been lucky to enjoy a hugely
fulfilling career in the law and has made many friends, through his firm
and his involvement with Manchester and Liverpool Law Societies. He
has also been a member of the Insolvency Lawyers Association and
Legalink spending time as head of both.
After over 50 years in the law he says “I have and am considering
retiring, but keep finding reasons not too.”
-
-
-

Court News
11
A Summary of the presentation by Leanne Galbraith, Business
Product Owner Digital Defence - Common Platform Programme
It feels like it’s been a little while since I wrote to you. This one is less
about research and more about what is happening and how important it
is for you to be involved and encourage your peers and colleagues to
get involved.
What’s happening in Liverpool?
Defence Engagement Event 10th May 2016 9.00am – 6.00pm QEII
Court
The Common Platform pilot will be in Liverpool later this year. To
kick off our involvement with practitioners in Liverpool we will be
hosting a Defence Engagement Event between 9.00am and 6.00pm at
Queen Elizabeth II Court on the 10th May 2016. We will have a team
of people present at the Court, even if you have 10 mins to spare we
will make valuable use of your time.
We are still planning the exact agenda for the day, but we thought it
would be a good idea to publicise the date, so you can put it in your
diary and make sure your colleagues have done the same.
Why is defence involvement in our software development so
crucial?
When I started on the programme I was told defence practitioners are a
hard to reach stakeholder group, the very fact I have you to write to, is
proof of how far we have come. There are over a 100 organisations
engaged in the programme and over 200 individuals, but there is still so
much more we can do. We are building a national system, so we need
representatives from every part of the country. We also want the
system to work for all defence practitioners not just those that are
comfortable with digital products.
We need practitioners involved in what we are doing before we’ve
started to build pieces of software for defence. We also need
practitioners involved in reviewing what we have built, to make sure
we have built it right. If we have made a mistake or misunderstood
something we want to find out as early as possible, so we can change it
and improve it.
To be frank if we don’t get the right level of engagement until we are in
a pilot or early adopter area, the risk is we won’t have built what the
Criminal Justice System needs and the money the Government has
committed to spend on this will have been wasted.
The system when first available to you is not going to be perfect, as it
is our best guess from the research we have done with you on what you
need. We will only know for certain how the system will be used when
everyone is working with real data. We will continuously update the
system, improving it as we go, using the feedback you give us. These
updates should feel seamless to you, just like when you receive an
update to your smart phone.
How are we doing?
If you have any suggestions on how I can improve the way I
communicate with you, please email me.
Also if I have got the language or tone wrong of this update, please tell
me, I certainly don’t want to put any of you off from continuing to help
us with our development:- leanne.galbraith@legalaid.gsi.gov.uk or
CJSCPComms@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk
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12 Movers & Shakers
Jim Davies appointed High Sherriff of Merseyside
Co-founder of legal business DWF Jim
Davies OBE – the ‘D’ in ‘DWF’ - has been
appointed by Her Majesty the Queen as the
High Sheriff of Merseyside for 2016/17, a
voluntary and non-political role.
This important role in the county, second only
to Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of
Merseyside, carries responsibilities which
include supporting the voluntary sector;
upholding and actively supporting the Royal
Family; the judiciary; the police; emergency
services; local authorities and church and faith
groups.
The prestigious High Sheriff position is one of
the oldest secular offices in the UK, and Jim’s
appointment reflects his longstanding
commitment to local charities and
organisations across the Merseyside region.
He has held number of roles of including
board member and trustee of Royal Liverpool
Children’s Hospital, former council member
of Tate Liverpool and Chair of its
development committee and Acting Chair of
Liverpool Cathedral Foundation Trustees. Jim
is also an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John
Moores University and in 2015 was awarded
an OBE and recognised in the Queen’s New
Year Honours List for his services to charity
and the community in Merseyside.
Jim has also been a key figure in the
development and recent launch of the DWF
Foundation. As a registered charity, the
foundation was created to help drive change
throughout communities by providing
necessary funds and resources to support
homelessness, employability, education and
wellbeing initiatives across the UK.
Jim commented: “I feel very honoured and
privileged to be appointed as High Sheriff of
Merseyside and I intend to spend as much
time as possible visiting and supporting many
causes in Liverpool, Wirral, Knowsley, St
Helens and Sefton. I have every intention of
doing all that I can to help and support the
people of Merseyside.”
Jim was officially installed into the position of
High Sheriff of Merseyside during a ceremony
at Liverpool Cathedral on 21 April 2016.
Jim Davies OBE
New partner for Paul Crowley &
Co solicitors
Paul Crowley & Co solicitors in Liverpool
has appointed Tracy Thompson as managing
partner.
The firm, which has branches in Anfield, West
Derby and Walton, has promoted its operations
director to the role of managing partner.
Since joining in March 2011 Tracy has worked
to develop the firm through implementing new
systems and procedures within the practice, as
well as managing corporate business planning
and marketing activity.
The appointment comes at an exciting time for
the firm as it celebrated its 25th anniversary in
January, with an exclusive event at 60 Hope
Street, while new appointments have been made
throughout the firm.
Established in 1991 by Paul Crowley, the firm
has built a strong reputation for providing
quality legal advice to its clients across
Liverpool, which it now hopes to build upon.
Tracy will join current partners Paul Crowley,
Michael Fogarty and John McKenna.
Paul Crowley, senior partner, says: “I am
delighted to announce Tracy as our new
managing partner. Over the last five years
Tracy has been an invaluable member of the
Paul Crowley & Co management team, helping
to direct and guide our ongoing development. I
cannot wait to see where this new partnership
will now take the firm as we look to continue
our growth”.
Tracy Thompson, managing partner, says: “It’s
an honour to have been made a partner in Paul
Crowley & Co, a firm which I have been able
to build a strong relationship with over the past
five years.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with our
incredible team and am fully confident that the
coming years will see yet more impressive
results”.
Tracy Thompson
-

Movers & Shakers
13
Partner promotions at Weightmans
Top 45 National law firm
Weightmans LLP, has
announced a trio of promotions
for 2016 to Fixed Share
Membership (FSM) status.
Based at the firm’s Head Office in
Liverpool, the new partners:
Sarah Conroy (CDR team), Chris
Grady (Real Estate) and Liam
McGuire (Motor) - pictured.
Commenting on the promotions,
Managing Partner John Schorah
said:“These promotions are very
well deserved. We have talented
and dedicated people across every
area of the business and we are
delighted to recognise their
contribution.
“Our clients are a priority, so it’s
important for us to continue to
grow and invest in the diverse
mix of skills within our teams, to
enable us to provide the best
possible service. We welcome
Sarah, Chris and Liam to our
Partnership as their efforts have
been considerable and we are sure
that they will continue to develop
as partners as we continue to
grow as a firm.”
Weightmans has also welcomed
two new partners to its Equity
Partnership. London Healthcare
Partner Rachel Kneale and Pete
Wake from Local Government in
Liverpool.
All Partners will be taking up
their promotions as of 1st May
2016.
DWF to acquire niche insurance
law firm Fox Hartley
Leading legal business DWF,
which has a strong presence in
Liverpool, is to acquire niche
law firm Fox Hartley to
strengthen its insurance,
litigation and product liability
capability, enhance its sector
expertise and help secure new
domestic and international
insurer clients.
DWF’s 900-strong insurance
team, including 115 insurance
specialists in Liverpool, is already
one of the top three insurance law
firms in the UK, and the merger
will allow DWF to develop its
specialist insurance offering to
clients including QBE, Travelers
and Zurich. DWF will also
benefit from Fox Hartley’s close
links to French, German, Japanese
and Swedish insurance markets.
Fox Hartley also provides
specialist product liability
guidance to insurers and
manufacturers and advises on
serious incidents and health and
safety prosecutions, which will
augment DWF’s existing
expertise in delivering domestic
and international product liability
guidance to clients across a wide
range of industry sectors
including retail and marine.
Paul Rimmer, Executive Partner
in Liverpool, comments: “Fox
Hartley has excellent litigation
and insurance specialists with a
diverse range of niche expertise
that will complement our existing
teams and sector expertise and
help us secure new clients. This
merger presents significant
advantages and opportunities for
both firms, our people and our
clients.”
DWF in Liverpool employs 324
people and has 23 partners
offering the full range of
commercial legal services with a
first rate insurance team in place.
The acquisition will take effect on
3rd May 2016. The firm is based
in Bristol and it is anticipated that
all of Fox Hartley’s people will
join DWF, including its three
partners Trevor Fox, Michael
Hitchings and Peter Barnes.
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14 Practice Advice
Solicitors’ Professional Indemnity Insurance sails
into unchartered waters
“No man has a good enough
memory to be a successful liar.”
Abraham Lincoln
It’s not only red grouse that will need to keep their heads down on 12
August this year. The Glorious Twelfth is also the date when the
Insurance Act 2015 comes into effect, imposing significant new
obligations on law firms buying professional indemnity insurance (PII).
The SRA has been consulting with the profession and others about
consequential changes it proposes to make to the Minimum Terms and
Conditions of solicitors’ PII. The outcome of this consultation seems
pretty clear though.
Emerging from a Herculean consultation by the Law Commission, the
Insurance Act 2015 attempts to modernise UK insurance law in the area
of non-disclosure with a view to creating a more certain contractual
position between insurers and their policyholders. The Act will impose
a new duty on a law firm to make a ‘fair presentation’ of its risk to its
insurer. In essence, this means supplying information about the firm
which the firm knows about or ought to know about and which would
influence a prudent insurer in determining whether (or on what terms)
to accept the risk. The objective is to enable an insurer to consider the
placement of a firm’s risk on a more informed basis, or at least put the
insurer on notice that it should ask for more information. A firm does
not need to disclose information that the insurer knows about or ought
to know about or where disclosure of certain information has been
waived.
Without overstating it, this new duty is a deep bear trap for the unwary
and it will not be sufficient simply to say ‘that’s what we pay our
insurance brokers for’. You can be fairly sure that your brokers’
engagement terms on this point will be as tight as a garden tap on a
frosty morning.
Every law firm will now have to conduct what’s called a ‘reasonable
search’ before presenting its information to its insurer. As regular
interpreters of legislation, you will not be surprised to learn that the Act
gives little or no guidance on what constitutes a ‘reasonable search’.
Information must be provided in a clear and accessible manner, not
chucked together in a Tesco bag like most people’s office expense
receipts - a practice politely termed ‘data dumping’.
As a managing partner, it is highly likely that you will be the one
having to satisfy yourself and your management group that a reasonable
search has been carried out and that the firm’s insurance submission
represents a fair presentation of your firm’s risk.
In non-solicitor PII markets, deliberate or reckless failure to make a fair
representation will entitle an insurer to avoid the policy and return the
premiums paid or, where failure is not deliberate or reckless, to ask a
court to impose new policy terms or conditions or a higher premium.
Under the Minimum Terms and Conditions of solicitors’ PII, insurers
are currently prevented from avoiding policies on any grounds
whatsoever, to ensure clients remain protected at all times.
Nevertheless, failure to make a fair presentation of your risk will
become an increasingly important factor in any decision about what is
‘just and equitable’ if your insurer were to seek reimbursement from
your firm under the Minimum Terms and Conditions.
Supporters of the Act argue that the new law will reduce the likelihood
of policy disputes. Let’s hope so. One thing's for sure, it will certainly
present more work for insurers, brokers and law firms as insurance
placement becomes a more technical and contractual process.
So here are SEVEN TIPS for getting yourself ready for your insurance
placement post the Glorious Twelfth:
TIP ONE - Engage an insurance broker that specialises in solicitors’
PII and can demonstrate they are fully prepared for the new placement
regime - and get someone who really understands insurance to check
the broker’s engagement terms.
TIP TWO - Tell your broker that you only want to engage in a
placement dialogue with quality, rated insurers who can demonstrate a
genuine commitment to the spirit and letter of the new placement
regime.
TIP THREE - Put internal systems and controls in place to capture
and collate all risk information about your firm on an on-going basis
and make sure your practice management system enables you to
produce clear and meaningful management information reports in a
timely fashion when requested by your broker and insurer.
TIP FOUR - Put insurance renewal on your board agenda and make
sure the person liaising with your broker has sufficient internal authority
and powers of persuasion to conduct an effective ‘reasonable search’ for
information.
TIP FIVE - Keep your own detailed written record of all conversations
and exchanges between you, your broker and your insurer so you can
evidence everything you have done during the placement process.
TIP SIX - Don’t skimp on resources for your insurance placement - it
is one of the most important contacts you will enter into this year, given
the balance sheet protection it provides and the arguably increasing risk
your business faces from a reimbursement claim by your insurer.
TIP SEVEN - At the risk of stating the obvious, read and understand
your insurance policy. It will not only send you soundly to sleep but
also hopefully stop you waking at three in the morning in a cold, cold
sweat.
© Nigel Wallis, O’Connors LLP. O’Connors LLP is a Liverpool and
London-based law firm that advises law firms, chambers and other
providers of legal services on start-ups, structures, regulation,
funding, mergers, acquisitions and disposals, contractual
arrangements with third parties and insurance. For further
information, please contact Nigel Wallis, Pamela Rafiq or Mark
O’Connor at O’Connors LLP via www.oconnorsllp.co.uk.

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17
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Offer would only exclude the Children Panel Qualification 3 day course and occasional other events when specified.
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-
"I recommend unreservedly the Season Ticket which provides excellent value and encourages
participation and learning which benefits the individual, firm and clients"
Naomi Pinder, Solicitor, Jackson & Canter.
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-
-

18 Council Member’s Report
Council Member’s Report
There was a Council Meeting on
the 30 March which I attended,
and it was a pretty interesting
one. We had the Hustings for
DVP, we discussed Governance,
ie. how many people should be
on Council and what should the
composition of Council be, the
fallout of Veyo, Regulation and
Separation, and the Presidential
plan for 2016/2017. There were
some fundamentally important
issues in that lot.
The night before Council Meeting
we had a presentation by Mike
Burnitt from Diversity at
Mackenzie, entitled ‘ Diversity:
Working with Difference’. This
was an interactive session and we
looked at Equality Impact
Assessment and Equality Analysis,
and it proved to be a thoroughly
interesting session. One of the
fascinating things was looking at
old job adverts… “No Beards
Please” , ‘Free Swimming for
OAPs’ , ‘Men Conductors
Required’. It is fascinating how
society has progressed.
-
The 3 candidates for DVP were
heard in The Hustings. In effect
they were giving justification as to
why they would be appropriate
person to be elected President in
2018. All 3 gave plausible 5
minute speeches, and then took
questions.
By the time you read this edition
of Liverpool Law, the voting will
have taken place. I put the
candidate’s statements in the April
edition. I will take any questions
at the LLS general committee
meeting on 12 April. By the time
you get this edition the next DVP
will have been elected.
There is currently an analysis
going on as to the composition of
Council, including the size of it,
and the nature and content of the
members. Nichola Nichols, who is
not a member of the profession, is
conducting the research project,
and consulting. This is quite an
emotive subject, for varying
reasons, and it is a subject YOU
might have a view on: I hope that
it is. Please let me have YOUR
view if you have one. I will pass
it on, anonymously or not
depending on your wish.
Similarly, call me if you wish to
discuss. It does affect you.
So does Regulation. I mentioned
this in my April Report. The
debate goes on. It was thought
that the consultation paper would
have been published by now , but
no joy. The Law Society’s view is
fairly well documented, and as I
have heard from no one I assume
– as The Law Society assumes –
that it is a view shared by all
readers. If not, please do let me
know, because we do not want a
repeat of Clementi (the profession
in effect ignoring the potential
ramifications, and then saying
‘why did The Society do
that’……) In particular, younger
lawyers.
The future of Regulation will
affect you rather than me. What
are you views? Are you getting
them heard, if not through LLS,
then at least via other means:
JLD, for example. I cannot stress
how important the issue is going
forward for the ( YOUR )
profession. What you think is
important, not ageing fossils like
me !
Veyo was discussed. There is a
real feeling that lessons can, and
have been, learned from the
experience. In due course a
‘lessons learned’ document will
be published.
We, as a profession, sometimes do
not sing our own praises enough.
We are part of a big industry. An
estimated 370,000 people are
employed in the legal services
industry, (I am surprised it is not
more), 63.3 % are solicitors or
employed by solicitor firms. The
total value of legal services is £25
B…( that’s Billion). The stats
show that every 100 extra jobs in
legal services supports a further
67 jobs. Our legal industry is a
crucial part of the UK economy. It
is incumbent on us all to advertise
this to our friends, local
communities, and our MPs, who
generally do not seem to
appreciate our value, as they try to
do us down as an easy touch. Oh,
and all that is before we start on
the reputation our legal system
had overseas, and the envy our
CHARLIE JONES
COUNCIL MEMBER
Charlie.jones@weightmans.com
protection of The Rule Of Law
provokes in other jurisdictions.
And, we prevent unnecessary
litigation. Ask yourself : How
many disputes get to litigation,
and of litigated disputes, how
many get to Court? I suggest a
very small percentage. Why?
Because the public consult
solicitors who usually make them
see reason and they compromise.
That is what our profession
encourages. Imagine the state of
chaos if we were not here, and
everyone represented themselves.
It really would be chaos! …..If
only politicians could seek
compromise in a similar way!
The Current VP , Robert Bourns,
has published his draft
Presidential Plan for 2016/2017.
This will be circulated before he
takes office in July.
Charlie Jones.
Weightmans LLP.
Co Council member Liverpool
and District.
01512427919.
Charlie.jones@weightmans.com

The Law Society
19
Law Society Council Summary
Law Society Council
meeting summary:
30 March 2016
Council's second meeting of the
2016 calendar year saw a busy
programme of reports and papers.
Among these, Council was
updated on progress on the
review of the governance of the
Law Society. The independent
lead, Nicola Nicholls, has
conducted a number of meetings
with Council members and a
range of external stakeholders, as
well as a programme of research
with other comparable
organisations. Nicola shared ideas
for ensuring that the Law
Society's governance remains fit
for purpose and supports the
organisation in delivering its
strategy. Further updates will be
provided as more detailed
proposals are worked up. Of
course, a lot is going on in the
external environment which
impacts directly on the Law
Society and our members and this
was the main focus of the
Council meeting.
Promoting the profession -
market and regulatory change
Following HM Treasury's
publication of 'A Better Deal:
boosting competition to bring
down bills for families and firms',
Council heard of the corporate
priority to ready the Society to
respond to any consultation on
the future revised regulatory
framework for the profession.
Activity is ongoing so as to
inform the debate effectively. In
discussion, there was broad
consensus among Council that, to
support and protect the public,
regulation of legal services
should be simpler and better, and
that the legal profession should
continue to be, and be seen to be,
independent of the state. This
would involve regulation setting
and enforcing the minimum
regulatory rules consistently so
that the buyers of legal services
are protected. It would also
involve the solicitor profession
taking responsibility for
professional standards, entry into
the profession, and awarding the
professional title of solicitor.
Council noted that further work
was being done on how various
possible models would work in
practice and looked forward to
further debate in due course.
Council heard about the Society's
submission to the Competition
and Markets Authority (CMA)
study on the supply of legal
services in England and Wales,
which can be found here:
http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/new
s/press-releases/law-societyresponse-to-scope-of-cma-studyinto-the-legal-services-sector/.
Close liaison has continued
between the Law Society and the
CMA including using the Society
to facilitate engagement with
members of the profession at
large.
Council also noted the
publication, shortly before Easter,
of the Law Society's report into
the wider economic value of legal
services.
Representing the profession -
legal updates
Council noted the work that is
being done, with the Bar, the
Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the
Legal Aid Agency (LAA) to
update the criminal crown court
fee schemes for litigators and
advocates, with working groups
including members of the Law
Society Access to Justice and
Criminal Law Committees.
The CEO took the opportunity to
remind Council that, although the
inclusion of legal professional
privilege on the face of the
Investigatory Powers Bill was a
pleasing success, work was
continuing in association with the
Bar on a number of outstanding
concerns.
Council also heard about
continuing work on civil legal
aid, in particular working with
the Bach Review of Legal Aid to
emphasise our long-standing
position, calling for the
restoration of legal aid where its
removal has had the most
significant impact on
disadvantaged groups. On civil
courts structure, Council noted
that we have submitted a
response to the interim Briggs
report calling for the profession
to be actively involved in the
development of the proposed online
court.
Supporting the profession -
engagement and other activity
The CEO reported on a wide
range of activity and events. This
included oral evidence given by
the President on court fees before
the Justice Select Committee, and
a meeting between the President
and Vice President and the EU
Justice Commissioner, as well as
a meeting with the President and
the Lord Chancellor on legal
regulation. The President's report
drew attention to a number of
visits to local law societies to
support the profession's work on
business and human rights. In line
with his presidential plan, he also
highlighted work to support the
role of solicitors in undertaking
property transactions, and thought
leadership on technology and law.
Presidential Plan 2016-17
More detail will follow but
members will be interested to
know that Council was warmly
supportive of Robert Bourns' plan
for his forthcoming year as
President which starts in July,
focusing on a programme of
work to connect further with
members in England and Wales
to identify best practice and bring
members together, promoting
pride in the profession, access to
justice for all, and access to the
profession for the best candidates
regardless of social background.
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20 Charity & CSR
Charity and CSR Matters
Hello! This month we
have amongst other
things, news of duck
racing for charity and a
great opportunity to
support the work of
Liverpool PSU. If you
would like to tell others
about your CSR activities,
please send me an article.
Equally, if you want to get
other lawyers involved in
offering pro-bono advice,
know of an opening for a
charity Trustee or want us
to feature a particular
charity, then let me
know too.
You can e-mail me at
matthew.smith@weightmans.com
MATT SMITH
Matthew.Smith@Weightmans.com
Opportunities at Liverpool
Personal Support Unit
Dave Troughton from Liverpool PSU tells us about the challenges
facing litigants in person and what can be done to help.
It’s now been 4 years since the opening of Liverpool Personal Support
Unit, and the needs of Litigants in Person (LIPs) are higher than ever
since the severe restrictions in legal Aid have come about. PSU
currently have 320 or so client contacts per month and we see this as
highly likely to continue to rise as we gear up to meet demand. We
expect the demand for PSU will increase as the on-line court develops
and LIPs need help with digital applications. At the present time 86%
of our work is Family.
We encourage our clients to employ formal legal advice and
representation, or advise them if they might qualify for legal aid. Sadly,
the majority of our clients are either on minimum wage or unemployed,
and very few qualify for legal aid.
PSU refer our clients to a range of free legal advice clinics, and we are
always looking for more of these free services. The greatest need of
our LIPs is Legal representation. Whilst the more straightforward cases
just about manage to represent themselves there are other, more
complicated, cases where LIPs appear in court and the other side has
legal representation. In these cases there are times that the LIP feels
Justice has not been seen to be done.
PSU is a charity that relies upon volunteers and financial support to
provide its services. Any firm or individual willing to support us would
be a very welcomed partner in our work.
We would like to hear in particular from any advocate who would be
willing to work with PSU and offer to consider pro-bono representation
in cases where we feel such help could be justified. If you are
interested, please contact Dave at PSU to discuss how you might be
able to help. Dave can be contacted on 0151 296 2296 or by email at
liverpool@thepsu.org.uk .
Do you want to help change people’s lives?
Do you want to give something back to your
community?
Would you like a volunteering opportunity that is
rewarding, stimulating and challenging?
Citizens Advice Wirral is currently recruiting volunteers to join our
Board of Trustees.
Citizens Advice Wirral is committed to ensuring its volunteers reflect
our diverse population; as such we would be particularly interested in
hearing from women, people aged under 50 and people from BME
groups.
For an application pack please email
joy.williams@wirralcab.org.uk
Closing date for completed applications: Monday 9 May 2016
Commercial law firm Brabners has nominated Crisis, the national
charity for single homeless people, as its chosen charity for 2016.
The charity works to end homelessness by delivering life-changing
services and campaigning for change.
Crisis was chosen by employees following a vote. Brabners has a
dedicated charity committee who will organise fundraising events over
the coming year, although fundraising began before Christmas, when
staff raised over £3,550 to support the Crisis at Christmas campaign.
Forthcoming events in the calendar include the Charity Challenge, an
action-packed weekend of canoeing, cycling and hill climbing in the
Lake District where teams from different companies across the North
West compete to finish the course in the fastest time.
There is also the return of ‘The Big Idea’, an apprentice-style contest
involving one team from each of the firm’s offices competing against
each other to raise money for the charity. Staff will also be encouraged
to volunteer and participate in charity collections and events.
Mark Brandwood, Managing Partner at Brabners said:“We are
delighted to be working with Crisis during 2016. Our CSR programme
is thriving – all at Brabners are very keen to support charitable
endeavours. We are looking forward to getting involved in a wide range
of volunteering and fundraising activities to raise both money and the
profile of the charity across the region.”
Crisis helps people rebuild their lives through housing, health,
education and employment services and works with thousands of
homeless people across the UK.
Kate Farrell, Director of Crisis Skylight Merseyside said: “We are
delighted to have been chosen as Brabners’ Charity of the Year for
2016. With their help, thousands of homeless people will come to Crisis
to learn, find jobs and build confidence; helping them to leave
homelessness behind for good. We would like to thank everyone at
Brabners for their generous support and we look forward to working
with them throughout the year.”
Last year the firm raised over £24,800 for its chosen charity for 2015,
Alder Hey Children’s Charity.

Charity & CSR
21
Lees Solicitors finishes in 3rd place at annual Duck Race
On Good Friday, Wirral based Lees Solicitors took part in the
annual Manchester Duck Race in support of the firm’s charity of
the year, children’s charity Brainwave.
The Duck Race, now in its seventh year, was held along the River
Irwell and attracted over 10,000 people cheering on 8,000 toy ducks and
47 large model ducks that took part in the Corporate Race. The event
raised over £20,000 for Brainwave and even attracted the attention of
British Astronaut Captain Tim Peake, who paid homage via Twitter
aboard the International Space Station to one of the Corporate Ducks
designed in his honour – the appropriately named “Tim Beake” which
won the public vote for “best dressed duck”.
Each corporate sponsor was invited to decorate their duck and Lees
Solicitors’ “Paris theme” duck (celebrating the year 1889 in which Lees
was established and the Eiffel Tower was completed) finished an
amazing 3rd place.
Vanessa Wragg, Trainee Solicitor at Lees in their specialist Court of
Protection team, had the idea for the design and the artistic talent to
produce the finished article. Vanessa was joined on the day by
Paralegals Hanni Frankland and Adam Brislen from their Clinical
Negligence department.
Brainwave is a charity that helps children with disabilities and
additional needs to achieve greater independence. Aiming to improve
mobility, communication skills and learning potential through a range of
educational and physical therapies. The children Brainwave support
have a range of conditions including autism, cerebral palsy and genetic
conditions such as Down’s syndrome.
Commenting on the event, Joanna Kingston-Davies Chief Executive at
Lees Solicitors said: “We were delighted to be involved in the Duck
Race and thrilled with a podium finish at our first attempt. It was great
to see so many people from all parts of the North West and beyond
supporting Brainwave. The work that Brainwave do helps to transform
lives and Lees are proud to support a charity that helps local families
across our region.”
Richard Clarke, Head of Regional Fundraising at Brainwave added
“Brainwave is delighted to be the charity of the year for Lees Solicitors
who have really taken us under their wing. The Manchester Duck Race
is one of the largest charity events in the North West, and the largest
event organised by Brainwave. The Lees Solicitors’ duck was
brilliantly decorated and we are delighted that the good people of Lees
enjoyed the event.”
Up next for Lees is the Liverpool Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon on 29th
May when six members of the firm will run the course in aid of
Brainwvave.
To find out more about Brainwave visit www.brainwave.org.uk.
The Weightmans Apprentice Competition
Weightmans LLP organised an internal competition for staff to
compete in an ‘Apprentice’ style competition in order to raise
money for their office charities. The competition was held over
several months and involved teams being set particular tasks to
overcome and raise as much money for charity so as to avoid being
‘fired’. Each team set about undertaking activities and organising
events, demonstrating their innovation and impressive team work
whilst obtaining publicity and sponsorship from external
companies along the way.
Each team fought honourably to avoid being ‘fired’ by the board so as
to get through to the next stage and become the winner of the
competition. All great things must come to an end, however, and there
is only 1 winner! The winning team, self named ‘Boys and Girls
Aloud’ consisting of Katie Corless, Paralegal, Grainne Donnelly,
Paralegal, Jennifer Calvert, Solicitor, Steve Peacock, Partner and
Charlie Jones, Partner and former president of the Law Society, raised
a fantastic £5,200 for the Liverpool office charities.
The competition as a whole has raised approximately £10,000 to date
with money still coming in and 1 more event to go!
The money raised is split equally between the 2 Liverpool office
charities, Isaac’s House, an orphanage in Uganda, and the Merseyside
Tuesday and Thursday Club, which helps adults with learning
difficulties.
A superb effort has been put in to this competition by the organisers
and all the teams that competed. The money raised goes to excellent
causes and the competition has been enjoyed by all those involved
with competitors demonstrating great sprit and skills along the way.
For further information on the competition, the charities or if you
wish to make a donation, please do not hesitate to contact Katie
Corless via Katie.corless@weightmans.com’

22 Local News
0151 733 3353
Media
Round-Up
LiverpoolLawSociety
@LpoolLawSociety
The first committee meeting to be
held in our new premises, Helix.. and
the sun is shining!!
The Sefton Writing
Competition
This month we publish “Takes Two” by
Emily Parr, runner-up in the competition
It’s a sad fact that like jam jar lids, people are rejected, or at least dodged, if depressed.
Those most in need of company don’t make good company and therefore are avoided, or
avoid it themselves. People in love are loveable; the most engaging, the engaged.
It’s also a sad fact that the most romantic people are single, separated or divorced. Not the necknuzzling,
pet-naming, teddy-giving gushers, but those so determined to defend a dream that
they’d rather be alone than settle for less. Those who do desperately shoehorn a partner into the
soul mate mould eventually realise their delusion. They are then branded cruel and fickle as they
admit their folly. In daring to heed their own hearts, they are the heartless heartbreakers; the
marriage wreckers.
LiverpoolLawSociety
@LpoolLawSociety
Attend a meeting to relaunch the
Black Solicitors North and Manchester
Group..register now
http://www.liverpoollawsociety.org.uk
/society-news/latest/relaunch-bsnnorth-and-manchester-group-blacksolicitors-network-meeting
Alpha Biolabs
@AlphaBioLabs
Some of the fine people at the
liverpool law society Child Law
Conference.
For this, and a stigma dating back to witch accusations, the single are penalised daily in the face
of bargain deals for couples and families. Buy the big box, get one free. Kids eat free. Buy two
pub meals, get both cheaper. Tea for two for the price of one. There’s no half price for one.
Spend more on less. Help yourself to a large trolley, but hire a small one. Squeeze mini wine for
one from a plastic bottle.
Punishment isn’t confined to purchases. At work, as the one left behind while the rest mingle on
maternity leave, you shovel up the duties they abandoned, holding the fort they’ll never return to
in the same way. With no dependants, you carry the anvil of being dependable. No private life,
no excuses.
Put these facts together, and you have solitary and sad romantics everywhere clinging to a
dream. Our culture, under its seemingly benign inflictions of online matchmaking and speed
dating, does nothing to help them. The injustice lies in a society constantly asserting the
abnormality of being single. It’s not just parents panicking as years pass with cousins’ baby
showers coming thick and fast. It’s in every street café and restaurant proudly flaunting couples
in the window, or the family friends keen to assure you there’s still time, or urging you to try the
walking club, again. It’s in the conviction that alone means lonely.
If you’re not lonely, then you’re odd, say the eyes suspiciously assessing your motives on
country rambles. With him at your side, they used to smile and say hello. You were fellow
couples then, but now they are wary of you as you perch on a rock, an eerie, silent figure, albeit
sandwich eating. Nobody lone is dogless.
Perhaps the invisibility city life grants is easier. Restaurants may be no place for the unattached,
but you can safely tuck yourself in a slide-in seat for fast food. Jaded faces and furtive fingers
are no strangers there. The darkness of a cinema screen would be a sanctuary, were it not for the
walk of shame to and from the seat, or feeling obliged to stay in the couple-free front rows. Still,
dreams can thrive in soaring music and the all-consuming embraces. They ache, and you sob in
the joy and relief of feeling alive.
As much as you defend and resent and protest, all signs join the opposing tide. The truth is
undeniable; being without is missing out. It’s unfair that they’re right.
Need an expert in medical or
dental negligence?
Refer to us. City : Allerton : Garston
www.gadllp.co.uk

LIVERPOOL
PROFESSIONALS’
DINNER
The professional sional membership organisations from across the Liverpool City Region are
pleased to announce the forthcoming Liverpool Professionals’ Dinner, with guest speaker
The Rt Hon. the Lord Falconer of Thoroton
the Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow
Secretary of State for Justice.
There will be many opportunities for business development elopment and networking at the event,
as well as supporting our charity partner, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
We believe e it is the ideal opportunity for professionals sionals working in the region to mix with
others, make contacts, and showcase their firms to their guests. We hope you will support
the event and look forward to seeing you there.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Gold sponsor:
Charity Partner:
Partners:
Date: 19 May 2016
Time: Arrival 6.45 for 7.30pm
-
11.30pm
Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel,
Liverpool, L3 1QW
Dress Code: Black tie
Price: £600.00 + vat for a table of 10 (£720.00 inc vat).
Individual bookings also welcome at £60.00 + vat (£72.00 inc vat)
Bookings and enquiries can be made online via: http://www.liverpoollawsociety.org.uk/social-event-booking-form
/w
social-event-booking-form
or via email: socialevents@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk
ents@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk
Liverpool
Architectural
ral
Society

24 Conveyancing
Why conveyancers must employ
enjoyable technology
by Scott Bozinis, CEO InfoTrack
Recently I found a fascinating
book full of very interesting
statistics. Did you know that
every day the amount of data
created grows by 2.5 quintillion
bytes? That’s 18 zero’s! Or did
you know that less than 0.5% of
all available data is ever
analysed and used? Referring to
information of this magnitude
the buzzword ‘big data’ is often
used, which is simply a term to
describe structured and
unstructured data. However,
I’m more interested in how this
growth of data affects law firms.
According to the book ‘The
Human Face of Big Data’, the
average person now processes
more data in a single day than
they did throughout a whole
lifetime in the Middle Ages. The
majority of this data is, of course,
driven by the internet and the
sharing of information and
creation of content associated
with it. So, with the sheer volume
of data and amount of stimuli we
process day-to-day, what impact
does this have on our lives?
On a daily basis employees,
colleagues and peers are
consuming incredible amounts of
information in both personal and
professional capacities, between
which, the lines are often blurred.
So while we’re taking time to
process and analyse the multitude
of data during our working day,
it’s leaving us with less time to
manage operational or
administrative tasks.
Working in the conveyancing
sector, there is a huge input and
output of information generated
throughout the process. All this
resulting information then needs
to be organised, analysed and
stored in a way that is easy to
access. That’s not easy when
we’re constantly processing and
filtering data, so choosing a
system that can help do this
efficiently is imperative.
Furthermore, as client
expectations continue to increase,
so too does the demand for a
faster and more economical
service, placing additional
pressure upon the conveyancer.
Nowadays we are used to
technology in our personal lives
that help us easily organise,
analyse, store and access
information. This begs the
question, ‘why can’t the clever
technology that I use in my
personal life, be available in my
work life?’, and as a busy legal
professional, I hope this resonates
with you.
Scott Bozinis
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Commonly raised data challenges
in the conveyancing industry
include filing matters, reconciling
disbursements, and rekeying
information for SDLT
submissions or AP1 transfers.
Now, the good news is that while
the issues around the volume and
management of information are
present, there is simple, intuitive
technology built to evolve how
conveyancers manage their
matters in the most efficient way
possible. Choosing to use these
systems means less logins and
passwords to remember,
eliminates the issue of lost
disbursements, re-keying errors,
and houses all information related
to your matters in a central
system, providing one source of
truth. Opting for the right
technology for your firm gives
time back to you and your staff,
creates efficiencies and minimises
risk - why would you work any
other way?
By making the change to simple,
enjoyable technology, you can
change the way you work, store
and analyse information related to
your matters, and thus, take the
headache out of the conveyancing
process.

“SAN CARLO HAS THE INGREDIENTS
OTHERS CAN ONLY DREAM OF”
The Observer
Aldo Zilli now part of
the San Carlo team
WWW.SANCARLO.CO.UK
41 Castle St, Liverpool, Merseyside, L2 9SH
liverpool@sancarlo.co.uk | T: +44 (0)151 236 0073
@SanCarlo_Group
WINNER OF THIRTY TWO PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS

26 Regulation
Regulation Update
The latest regulation news from Michelle
Garlick of Weightmans LLP
Did you know that the month of
May is the National Smile Month?!
Hopefully that little useless bit of
info will be enough to put a smile
on your face – I doubt very much
that compliance and regulation will
do so!
Legal Ombudsman
The COLP and COFA forum held
on 11 April was delighted to
welcome the new Chief Legal
Ombudsman, Kathryn Stone and her
colleague Alex Moore from the
Policy team. Kathryn was very
appreciative of the opportunity to be
able to address lawyers at the
coalface of dealing with complaints.
She reflected on her first few
months in her role as Chief Legal
Ombudsman and admitted that there
were governance and performance
issues to address but felt it
important to reflect on the positives
including excellent staff who had
succeeded in reducing the number
of outstanding cases and offering a
high standard of service and a new
Board whose focus is a
commitment to building for the
future.
She introduced statistics on the
practice areas which generated most
complaints and the main types of
complaint – it won’t I’m sure come
as any surprise to you that
conveyancing came top of the pile
followed by Family, Wills and
Probate, Personal injury and
Litigation with client care, costs,
delay, failing to advise, not
following instructions and failing to
communicate being the main
problem areas. She looked at a
couple of case studies and offered
some tips on complaint handling
which, while perhaps somewhat
stating the obvious, is always worth
a reminder! She took a number of
questions from the floor and dealt
with them openly and directly. My
personal impression which I hope
was shared by all who attended was
that Kathryn is a good listener,
empathetic and will get things done.
She recognised that she has a
number of challenges including
timeliness, quality, consistency and
value for money as well as looking
at some jurisdictional changes,
some of which are likely to be quite
controversial including third party
complaints. Kathryn will also be
speaking at the Regulatory
Conference in June and will no
doubt be welcomed back in the
future to update us on how she is
getting on.
SRA Activity
One thing which is unlikely to make
you smile is a significant increase in
visits/ investigations and
disciplinary activity by the SRA
which my Compli team has noticed
recently. We are seeing visits to PI
firms (some with very little if any
notice) with their main focus being
on compliance with referral
arrangements. This increased
interest may be tied in with the
recent comments made by Paul
Phillip that the SRA wanted to
know more about how the PI market
operates, but if it is, it is of no
consolation to those firms who have
to drop everything in order to get
together a huge amount of
information which the SRA asks to
see during their visit. If you are in
this position, please give the Compli
team a call for further guidance and
assistance.
Staying on PI, the SRA also issued
a warning notice recently to PI
firms in respect of potentially
fraudulent personal injury claims.
Anyone dealing with PI claims
should familiarise themselves with
it, not because it has anything
particularly new to say but because
the SRA might refer to it in any
investigation if they consider a
solicitor has failed to take notice of
the warning.
In a nutshell, the SRA has raised
concerns about five specific issues
1. cold calling;
2. breaching the ban on referral
fees;
3. acting on instructions without
client approval;
4. paying damages to third parties;
and
5. bringing claims without clients’
knowledge.
What is clear is that PI firms need
to audit their files and monitor their
work sources with this warning
notice very firmly at the forefront of
their minds.
You may also have seen that the
SRA has recently closed 5 practices
in a week so they have certainly
been extremely busy!
SRA v Law Society
The battle of words regarding the
future of legal regulation continues.
I recently attended a meeting with
the Vice President of the Law
Society who is keen to hear the
profession’s views on this very
important issue about what
functions the SRA and the Law
Society would have under a
changed system. If you do have any
views, please feed them back to me
and they will be passed on.
Another Register!
I’m afraid yet another register has
been introduced which affects LLPs
and Limited companies and which
COLPs/COFAs may need to be
responsible for. The Register of
People with Significant Control
(PSC) has been introduced as from
6 April 2016. Companies and LLPs
(with only very limited exceptions)
will be required to hold and keep
available for inspection a register of
people with significant control over
the company/LLP (“PSC Register”).
This is a major administrative
change which will apply to the vast
majority of UK companies and
LLPs and Directors/ company
secretaries and/or COLPs/COFAs
will need to acquaint themselves
with the new rules and consider
how they will apply as soon as
possible. In summary, the
obligations are to investigate, obtain
and keep updated information on
registrable persons with significant
control and relevant legal entities
with significant control over the
company. A PSC register will need
to be created which needs to include
"required particulars” of each
person with significant control over
the company who is a registrable
person. The PSC register will also
need to be monitored, updated when
necessary and reviewed at least
annually so add this to your
calendar of monitoring of
policies/procedures etc.
Panama papers
The news has been full of the
MICHELLE GARLICK
WEIGHTMANS LLP
Panama papers scandal over the last
month or so – it’s as if it’s come
straight out of a John Grisham
novel! There will be many lessons
to learn even at this relatively early
stage so that your law firm is not
caught up in any similar scandals or
incidents that causes such huge
reputational damage. Are your client
take-on procedures robust enough
and effective in identifying potential
money laundering? Do your fee
earners understand the importance
of asking the right questions about
source of funds? Do they know
about and are you confident that
they can recognise red flags? Are
your systems properly protected
from hackers? Have you reviewed
your Data Protection and
Information security policies
recently?
The Law Society has just updated
its practice note on protecting your
firm if you fall victim to a scam s
have a look at that and ensure you
have it all covered off.
That’s it from me for this month –
keep smiling! ☺
Michelle Garlick
Weightmans LLP

S Code Date Time May 2016 Speaker CPD
S3834 11th 9.30 - 4.30 The Cyber Conference: Managing The Risks Various 5.5
S3704 13th 1.30 - 4.45 Corporate Insolvency: A Practical Guide Chris Beanland 3
S3838 13th 9.30 - 12.45 The SRA Continuing Competence Regulations 2016:
Training for Tomorrow
S3682 17th 9.30 - 4.45 2016 Private Client Conference
in Conjunction with STEP Liverpool
Keith Harper 3
Various 5.5
S3819 18th 2 - 3 Trade Mark Reform in The European Union Kate Cruse 1
S3776 20th 9.30 - 12.45 A Practical Approach to Bail Applications &
Plea's in Mitigation
Colin Beaumont 3
S3807 20th 1.30 - 4.45 Advising The Client in Road Traffic Offences Colin Beaumont 3
S3736 24th 9.30 - 12.45 Money Laundering Regulation Officer Update Jo Morris 3
S3798 25th 9.30 - 4.30 Portals & Fixed Recoverable Costs Kerry Underwood 5.5
S3780 26th 2 - 4.15 Important changes to the Code of Conduct and the
Accounts Rules for Property Lawyers
S3786 27th 9.30 - 10.30 Knee injuries-demystifying the complexity of
the knee explaining how the needs injured
in common traumatic events
Denis Cameron 2
Dr Andre Brittain-Dissont 1
S Code Date Time June 2016 Speaker CPD
S3777 3rd 9.30 - 12.45 Case Stated & Judicial Reviews Colin Beaumont 3
S3808 3rd 1.30 - 4.45 Drink, Drugs & The Driver For Criminal Practitioners Colin Beaumont 3
S3845 7th 9.30 - 12.45 Practical Mindfulness For Solicitors Day 1 Terry McCoy 3
S3681 8th 9.30 - 4 The Regulatory Conference 2016 Various 5
S3843 10th 9.30 - 12.45 Dishonesty and Exaggeration in Civil Claims Professor Dominic Regan 3
S2844 10th 1.30 - 4.45 Relief from sanctions and getting out of trouble Professor Dominic Regan 3
S3737 15th 9.30 - 12.45 Solicitors Accounts Rules Jo Morris 6
S3757 17th 9.30 - 12.45 Telephone Skills for First Response Teams Candy Bowman 3
S3842 20th 11 - 2.15 The EU Referendum: Potential Legal and
Economic in conjunction with CISI
Various 2
S3824 21st 9.30 - 4.45 3 Day Children Panel Course (Day 1) Safda Mahmood Training 18
S3683 22nd 9.30 - 4.15 Personal Injury Conference 2016 Various 5.5
S3787 24th 9.30 - 10.30 Psychological impact of accidents Dr Andre Brittain-Dissont 3
S3800 24th 1.30 - 4.45 Company Law The Essentials Chris Beanland 3
S3710 28th 1.30 - 4.45 Positive & Negative Covenants Over Freehold Land Paul Butt 3
S3715 29th 9.30 - 12.45 Building Regulations & Planning Permissions
For Conveyancers
Richard Snape 3
S3772 29th 1.30 - 4.45 Leasehold Flat Management Issues Richard Snape 3

28 MJLD
News from the MJLD
Annual MJLD v Liverpool Law
Society Quiz
On 31st March 2016, teams from Merseyside Junior Lawyers Division
and Liverpool Law Society met at Revolution, Cavern Quarter, to test
their wits and battle for the trophy in the annual MJLD v LLS quiz.
Participants were greeted with welcome drinks and a tasty buffet was
unveiled at half time to keep the teams going.
The quiz was testing, with questions such as;
‘Where would you be if you were standing at the furthest point away
from any ocean; Russia, China or Canada?’
‘Which series devised by Phil Redmond began in 1995?’
After 5 gruelling rounds, plus pictures and dingbats papers, the scores
were tallied up and LLS were victorious, retaining their title once more.
The team with the highest individual score were Morecrofts.
The evening was enjoyed by all and raised £404.95 for the MJLD
charity, Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice.
We hope to see you all again next year!
Event kindly sponsored by Wesleyan.
Anakin Seal NQ Solicitor
Qualification Talk
Tuesday 12 April 2016
Members of the MJLD attended an NQ talk hosted by Anakin Seal on
12 April at BPP Law School, Liverpool.
Adam Zdravkovic, Conor McQuistin and Kiah Winterbottom addressed
the key issues of the Liverpool legal market, providing insight and
recommendations for securing an NQ role in 2016/2017.
Topics included:
• Overview of market, busy and quiet disciplines, NQ salary
levels and the importance of accruing PQE - in relation to law
firms in Liverpool and beyond.
• CV preparation and advice for internal as well as external
applications.
• Interview preparation specifically for NQ roles.
• Whether to move on qualification or accept an internal
position.
• Quick overview of service provided by Anakin Seal.
• FAQs e.g. in-house NQ roles, which discipline will future
proof my career?
Andrew Langfield, an in-house solicitor at Princes, offered an overview
of working in-house and tips for securing such a role, and the evening
ended on a more relaxed note at All Bar One with drinks and the
opportunity for one-on-one guidance.
Committee Elections
Are you always organising get-togethers with your friends? Maybe
you’re always starting new trends on Twitter or letting your friends and
colleagues know about fun events to go to? Or is your passion
fundraising for deserving charities across Merseyside?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above have you thought about
becoming our social, publicity or charity representative? Nominations
for these roles, plus many others are opening soon!
Further details will be released on our website and social media soon
but, for now, here are the key dates for your diary:
• Tuesday 3 May 2016: nominations open;
• Monday 16 May 2016, 4pm: nominations close;
• Wednesday 18 May 2016: voting opens;
• Friday 27 May 2016, 4pm: voting closes; and
• Tuesday 31 May 2016: results announced.
If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact one of our
representatives who would be more than happy to give you more
information.

WLD
29
News from the WLD
I have thoroughly enjoyed my year as Chair of the WLD.
The last year has flown by and I can’t quite believe that we have
managed to pack in so many events.
We started the year with our welcome event. This was a great success
and it was fantastic to meet some new members. This was swiftly
followed by our cocktail-making class; what better way to get to
network and make new friends than over a custom made cocktail (or
three). Working in the legal profession our jobs can often be stressful
and our beauty event certainly ticked all the boxes for pampering and
relaxation. The WLD entered a team in the Liverpool Legal Walk, as
ever it was enjoyable to meet with others in the profession whilst
enjoying a brisk and picturesque ramble around Liverpool City Centre.
In November we took part in the Shiverpool Ghost Bus tour which was
an enjoyable tongue in cheek historical journey around Liverpool City
Centre. As we reached the end of the year we hosted our always
popular pudding club. This combined a relaxed and informal evening
with delicious sugary treats. We also had our first joint event this year
with Yres, Champagne and Fizz tasting. This was great fun and we
hope to strengthen the WLD links with the Yres and other committees
over the forthcoming year.
We ended the year with our quiz night held to raise funds for our charity
of the year, the Whitechapel Centre. This was a sell-out success raising
much needed funds for this charity.
Details of how much we have raised for the Whitechapel Centre will
follow in next month’s update.
If you are interested in finding out more about our events or joining the
WLD details of how to join can be found at www.wldmerseyside.co.uk
or please e-mail any questions you have to wldevent@gmail.com.
Our AGM took place on 6 April 2016 and I stepped down as Chair.
Although I will no longer be sitting as Chair I will be staying on the
committee and maintaining an active role. I would like to wish our new
Chair, Sara Davies the best of luck with her year, I hope she enjoys it as
much as I did.
Jennifer Crompton

30 Almost Irrelevant
Almost Irrelevant
A humorous look at life in the law....
Hirsute Lawyers
Professional Liverpool is holding a black-tie dinner for all
professionals working in the Liverpool region on 19 May
at the Crowne Plaza. Liverpool Law Society is working
with Professional Liverpool in organising the event.
Guest of honour at the dinner will be Lord Charlie
Falconer, the Lord Chancellor in the last Labour
Government. Lord Falconer is known as a very strong
supporter of Tony Blair. Indeed, he used to share an
apartment with him when they were both young barristers,
making their ways up the greasy poles of both the bar and
political life.
Despite being seen as on the Blair side of the Labour party,
Lord Falconer is now a member of Jeremy Corbyn’s
shadow cabinet, where he holds the post of Shadow Lord
Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice.
Maybe to show his loyalty to the new regime, Lord
Falconer has ditched his clean-shaven look and grown a
beard, much like his new leader’s. Indeed he recently won
the Beard of Spring 2016 award from the Beard Liberation
Front, beating the likes of Liverpool comedian and author
Alexei Sayle and Liverpool Football Club manager Jurgen
Klopp – probably not the last title which Jurgen Klopp will
miss out on!
Lawyers on television, Part I
BBC television’s recent fly on the wall documentary “The
Prosecutors: Real Crime and Punishment” looked at the
operations of the Crown Prosecution Service in
Merseyside and Cheshire. It was welcomed by very
favourable reviews in the press. Indeed, there was much
appreciation of the professionalism and hard work shown
by the prosecuting lawyers in working with the Police,
victims and the public in seeking to bring criminals to
justice.
Lawyers on television, Part II
Still on the television theme, it was noted that one odd
aspect of the BBC programme “The Prosecutors” was that
the television cameras had access to everything and
everywhere involved in the CPS’s work except the actual
court hearing, with cameras being banned from most court
rooms. Although filming is now permitted in the Supreme
Court and the Court of Appeal, it remains banned in the
Crown Court. However, that is set to change, with TV
cameras to be allowed into the Crown Court in a new pilot
scheme to assess whether judges’ sentencing remarks
should be broadcast.
Eight courts are to be involved in the pilot scheme,
including Liverpool Crown Court and the Old Bailey.
Only the judges’ sentencing remarks will be filmed so
there will be nothing like the OJ Simpson trial for viewers
to pour over as yet. Also, only the judge will be filmed
and no other court users, including prosecution and
defence lawyers, so the Liverpool bar will not be
producing any television stars as yet.
However, this has led some members of the legal
profession to cry “foul”. Some defence lawyers want the
public to get an insight into the work which they do in
fighting for justice for their clients and would like the
BBC to film a similar type of documentary on their work.
Please feel free to send me your comments, observations or
photographs to ai@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk

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