Solicitors: stay competent to practise!

Solicitors must soon attest, in respect of the practice year to 31 October 2017: “I have reflected on my practice and addressed any identified learning and development needs.” Are you in a position to do so? Review the following précis of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) continuing competence requirements and make sure you have complied. […]

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GDPR – beyond the panic

“So, have I missed the boat to get ready for the GDPR?” “Will I get fined for not being fully up to speed?” “What is the worst thing that can happen if I am not complying by May 2018?” These are some of the most frequently asked questions currently accompanying the efforts (or lack of […]

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Why implement https?

HTTPS stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure, the secure version of http, the protocol for communicating data between your browser and the websites that you are connected to. https ensures that all such communications are encrypted. Benefits of https For several years now technical experts have highly recommended the use of https instead of […]

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A justice system fit for the future

The ambitious courts modernisation programme known as HMCTS Reform continues to grapple with the process of creating a justice system that not only is suitable for the digital world of today but also won’t look out of place in fifty years’ time. How is it getting on? Online courts The headline-grabbing feature of the project […]

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Solicitors providing free content on their websites

Many solicitors provide free legal information on their websites. Is this good marketing or just giving away valuable information? I maintain a section on my website called Free Legal Information for Individuals provided by Firms of Solicitors at www.venables.co.uk/individtopics.htm. This covers accidents, benefits, business, car crime, consumer, conveyancing, crime, divorce, death (probate, wills etc), debt, […]

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Online resources at IALS Digital

The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) has as its central remit the promotion and facilitation of research and scholarship at an advanced level across the whole field of law. Though based in central London and attached to the University of London, IALS draws its primary membership from academic researchers and postgraduate research students from […]

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What is encryption?

Encryption is a way of making data secure, so that it can only be accessed by authorised parties. Cryptographic techniques are used to render information unintelligible to any third parties whilst it is being stored on an electronic device such as a laptop or smartphone, or during its transit from sender to recipient over the […]

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Online law publishing developments

ICLR.3 ICLR.3 reflects a fundamental shift in the provision of public legal information. Although it could be described as a “freemium” service – offering both free access to all users and premium content to paying subscribers – such a description fails to reflect the way ICLR’s whole approach to the selection and provision of case […]

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How’s your CPD competence planning going?

Very soon you are going to have to account for how you have assessed and met your learning and development needs to remain competent to practice in 2017. How’s it going? Using our Internet for Lawyers CPD 2017 competence service you can quickly and easily create a Plan and keep the appropriate Records for SRA […]

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Ensuring the long-term growth of your law firm

Richard Hugo-Hamman, executive chairman of LEAP, discusses change and how to use technology to keep ahead of the curve. Your law firm is a business, growth and profitability is paramount. You want to see your client base grow and your profits increase. More importantly, you don’t want to go backwards just because you are so […]

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Delia’s legal web picks August 2017

This article first appeared in Legal Web Watch August 2017. Legal Web Watch is a free email service which complements the Internet Newsletter for Lawyers. To receive Legal Web Watch regularly sign up here. The following items have been selected from Delia Venables’ “New” page. Co-op Legal Services can pay all the costs of a […]

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Electronic evidence from the internet

By Stephen Mason and George Weir To ask the right questions of digital evidence professionals when instructing them, it is incumbent on the lawyer to be aware of what questions to ask. Here we describe the various mechanisms by which evidence in electronic form is adduced into legal proceedings via the worldwide web and internet. […]

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