Category Archives: Law firms

Our excellent free drop-in legal surgeries

By Tim Bishop | Published: April 30, 2012

Just a quick blog to remind you that if you live locally to our offices in Salisbury, Amesbury and Andover, we run three drop-in legal advice surgeries which are absolutely free. • Salisbury office- every Tuesday evening between 515 PM and 7 PM in Salisbury • Andover office – Wednesday evenings between 5 PM and [...]

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Alternative business structures – the first three are revealed

By Tim Bishop | Published: March 30, 2012

Groundbreaking news yesterday when the SRA (the Solicitors Regulation Authority whose role, up until now, has simply been to regulate Solicitors) revealed the identities of the first three businesses to become alternative business structures (ABSs) authorised by the SRA. This follows the grant of the first ABS licence last October, when Premier Property Lawyers were [...]

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How To Make The Most Of Your Solicitor!

By Tim Bishop | Published: February 29, 2012

Most of these blog posts are about specific situations and areas of law, but sometimes you need to get back to basics. For most people, engaging the services of a law firm isn’t something they do every day, and the process can seem a little overwhelming. Here, then, is a quick guide to making the [...]

Also posted in Accident Claims, Conveyancing, Family law, Intellectual Property, Wills | Comments closed

Crystal ball gazing [part 1] – more work for solicitors

By Tim Bishop | Published: February 6, 2012

The next five years will see unprecedented changes in the legal world. The new legal services act will prove one of the main drivers of change – allowing non lawyers to own law firms – a revolution for most solicitors. But what will it mean in practical terms for the average high Street law firm. [...]

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How To Choose A Solicitor

By Tim Bishop | Published: January 19, 2012

Finding a solicitor is easy, but choosing the right one can often be more of a challenge. Narrowing it down by location and practice area is always a good start, but you can still find yourself with a list of firms who, on the face of it, seem equally good. So how do you choose [...]

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Should all legal services be regulated?

By Tim Bishop | Published: November 18, 2011

The answer is an emphatic yes – at least according to the Solicitors Regulation Authority [SRA], the body that already regulates all solicitors in England and Wales- in response to a consultation by the Legal Services Board [LSB] in respect of what are referred to as “reserved activities” i.e. things only a solicitor can do. [...]

Also posted in Wills | Comments closed

What happens at an Inquest Hearing?

By Tim Bishop | Published: November 2, 2011

An Inquest is an official court hearing and the Coroner has the same status as a Judge.  Inquests are held in a variety of places; some are held in Courts, some in meeting rooms and some in police stations.  Often in depends which venue is free at the time and how many witnesses will need [...]

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Inquests – Do I need a solicitor to attend with me?

By Tim Bishop | Published: September 2, 2011

It is a personal decision whether or not you need a Solicitor.  Some families are represented by a solicitor or a barrister and other families manage on their own or with the help of friends.  Solicitors or barristers are likely to be involved in more complicated cases or where the family is so distraught that [...]

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Government ignore £1.3bn uncollected fines

By Tim Bishop | Published: August 19, 2011

No – your eyes do not deceive you. That’s the incredible amount of uncollected fines that the government have failed to collect – or at least according to figures in a National Audit Office report released back in July 2009 but which hasn’t received much publicity. And it’s going up rapidly – comparable figures of [...]

Also posted in Justice | Leave a comment

Lawyers ranked 3rd in survey of trustworthy professions

By Tim Bishop | Published: June 24, 2011

According to a survey carried out by poll company, YouGov, of 1277 people for the Legal Services Consumer Panel, lawyers were ranked 3rd, behind doctors and teachers, in a poll of “trustworthy professions”. Furthermore of 31% of the general public who had made use of legal services in the last two years, a huge 84% [...]

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