Did I or didn’t I cut the grass I hear you ask? 

Well I did, but not when I had expected or planned to do it. I had expected for Saturday morning to be the day to do it, but the weather took a different view on that. Not just a bit of rain, but torrential hail of significant size delayed my plans.

Fortunately, with it being a bank holiday weekend, I was granted the luxury of an extra day to get all of my tasks complete, so all was not lost; after all, I could get a job done…

Over the past few years, Professional Probate Applications have steadily declined from 210,448 applications in 2004 to 158,192 application in 2010. In contrast, personal applications have been on the increase, from 83,570 to 88,443 over the same period. Why is that?

This market sector is currently a battleground.  Many opportunities exist, however, legal service suppliers clearly need to adapt to changes that are taking place in this arena, otherwise they will miss out. We have seen…

The dangers of over-sharing on Facebook were again highlighted this week in an American case which has been widely reported on the internet. Various news sites, including the Huffington Post, highlight the case in Milwaukee, which has seen a Father face criminal prosecution for failing to pay child maintenance, after he posted pictures on the social networking sight of a lavish social life, including one of him rolling on the floor amongst bank notes. The pictures were used as evidence in…

The law’s fastest interview is back and this time Matt Baldwin, editor of Professional Services Marketing Group (PSMG) magazine, is in the spotlight.

Matt has worked with the legal profession for over 18 years including his roles as Head of PR and…

This is the law’s fastest cross-examination where the interviewee has to respond in fewer than 140 characters.

The latest interviewee to face our high-speed questioning is Deborah Scaringi, an Independent Marketing Consultant at Scaringi…

We lawyers are an important lot. We are the grease that lubricates the wheels of commerce. We make the world go round. 

However with our status as the world’s lubricator there comes a problem: when the wheels of the real economy slow, the legal economy slows. This is the unfortunate reality for lawyers; that the real and legal economies are pretty much inseparable.

“Historically, the legal…

Couples who live together are often under the mistaken belief that they are "common law" husband and wife and that therefore they have the same rights on a Relationship Breakdown as a married couple. There is however no such legal status. Couples who live together have hardly any of the legal rights that a married couple do. As the law stands, the only solution for cohabiting couples who want legal…

6^th March 2013

Stella English, the 2010 winner of BBC One’s hit show The Apprentice, is suing her ex-boss Lord Alan Sugar for constructive unfair dismissal claiming that she was forced to resign after being told that her contract with his company would not be renewed.

She claims that the job was a “sham” from the start and that she was nothing more than an “overpaid lackey” in the £100,000 a year role.

Ms English, 34, was crowned the winner of the sixth…

As yet another Banking crisis appears over the horizon and trust in the sector is damaged once more I ask myself “should the Law Society create a Bank”?  What do you think?  Of course there are pros and cons and I am sure it is not easy as demonstrated by Dave Fishwick in the Channel 4 programme but I believe the time has come for the Law Society to do something…

Historic divorce records revealed

Information on how Victorian families lived, including details of their marriages, affairs and divorces have recently become available to the public. The UK Civil Divorce Records for 1858 to 1911 are now available online, thanks to family history website, Ancestry.co.uk.

Divorce records…

Update from the GLP’s criminal lawyers in Glasgow regarding the abolition of corroboration in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is consulting on possible new safeguards for the criminal justice system, in the event that the requirement for corroboration of evidence is abolished.

Senior High Court judge Lord Carloway proposed the abolition of corroboration as part of a review into…

Following Prime Minister’s Questions on 23rd January, law firms are beginning to fight back by writing to the Office of Fair Trading, calling for a meeting.

The Prime Minister said he wants to investigate mortgage…

Sharia Law has been operating in the UK, managed by locally-appointed councils in parallel to the British legal system since 1982. Thousands of Muslims turn to them to help resolve family, financial and commercial problems in accordance with Sharia Law principles.

However, these informal councils have no legal powers and they cannot impose any penalties. This could change in the wake of the latest High Court judgement. As a practising lawyer in London, I have witnessed the law of the…

MP Dan Rogerson asked the Prime Minister at Prime Minister’s Questions about the restrictive practices of mortgage lenders.

 "Given the keen interest of the Prime Minister in single markets, will you look at mortgage lenders restricting legal work to a small number of larger firms and depriving local practices of the work which keeps them at the heart of local high streets and the striving small business economy?"

The Prime Minister…

We are constantly being told we have to change if we are to survive in today's changing legal landscape. Who is it that is calling the shots here because our clients like what we do. Our town value the fact that we are here and add to the local economy.

The banks are not squeezing local firms out of the High Street because they not delivering quality services. They are squeezing…

Almost two million people in the UK have driven a car belonging to someone else in the mistaken belief that they were insured to do so, according to recent research. If caught, both the driver and car owner could be fined and have points added to their licence

Mistaken belief

The research, carried out on behalf of insurance provider LV, reveals that 2.2 million motorists have driven without insurance, with the majority of these (1.8 million) mistakenly believing they…

LinkedIn is a powerful tool that allows you to construct a personal brand and narrative and so present to industry professionals and potential employers a compelling personal story.  

Anyone in practice or looking for a position or training contract will…

Another week and another law firm franchise launches. Next up .... Local Law.



Local Law have designed their model to utilise two specifics; Retailers and a significant PR & Marketing package. Another Quality Solicitors I hear you say? Well,…

Yesterday Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister has announced that, from 2015 the government will introduce a new system of flexible parental leave and they will legislate to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees from 2014.

Nick Clegg stated that the current system of maternity leave is antiquated and “reform is long overdue and the changes we are making will shatter the perception that women have to be the primary care-givers. In future, both mothers and…