The Estates commentary has been enhanced to include discussion of recent case law pertaining to the forfeiture rule and a helpful section on locating a will.

As a response to a user request, the matter plan has been amended to include a letter sending a blank form FP8 Notice of Change of Solicitor to a client at the start of the matter, to assist practitioners in ensuring that a signed copy of this is on file should the need arise later in the matter. The user who requested it kindly let us know that it is ‘wonderful to have such amazing speedy support from By Lawyers’. The matter plan also now provides a link to the new interactive PDF version of the form E Financial Statement. The interactive PDF will populate fields, calculate figures and guide practitioners through the form. More information about this form is available from the LEAP Content Blog.

The Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) Regulations 2019 enabling opposite-sex couples to enter into a civil partnership come into force on 2 December. This means that after a 28-day notice period, the first heterosexual civil partnership ceremonies could take place any time from the 31st December.

Following user feedback, a new letter has been added to the Divorce publication providing advice on judicial separation as an alternative to divorce or dissolution.

The rush of applications to avoid the coming fee rise sees probate registries accepting applications noting that inheritance tax forms will follow. This is but a brief respite and will end once the new fees are introduced.

The Law Society has advised members to stop using outdated language that is no longer inclusive.

Part of our series of common legal questions and their answers, we look at the criteria for eligibility for the Cladding Safety Scheme. Read more...

Part of our series of common legal questions and their answers, we look at the legal rights and obligations for personal data protection and privacy. Read more...

The By Lawyers Criminal Offences App has been updated to reflect changes to several sentencing guidelines published by the Sentencing Council and effective from 1 April 2024. Read more...

For centuries, a litigant's recurring nightmare of their costs bill can be found in a murky corner of every firm. Here, mischievous goblins weigh files, triple the weight, and calculate a figure by multiplying it with an arbitrary hourly rate determined by the senior partner’s mood of the day. The only perceived certainty is, that pound for pound, they will be paying a pound for every word in their legal documents. Therefore, the final bill is anyone’s guess. Read more...

Clients often ask for advice about the types of business structures available, and which might be best suited to their situation. The Business structures and the comparative table reference manual has been added to the Resource materials folder in a number of business and corporate guides. Read more...

At By Lawyers, we believe that matters are more than checklists and simply ticking boxes doesn’t get the job done. But there are times when an easy way to see where the file is up to, allowing others in the office to quickly pick up the threads, is essential. Our To do lists help to manage risk, guide the unfamiliar, and ensure nothing is missed. We have recently carried out a full and thorough review of the To do lists to provide consistency of language and format. This makes them easier to read, easier to complete and easier to keep updated. If you have any comments or suggestions about the changes, do please let us know.

Most of the requirements for possession claims set out in Practice Direction 55C are no longer in force, and our commentaries have been amended accordingly.

The By Lawyers Sale of Land and Purchase of Land guides have been reviewed and updated to ensure that the commentaries and precedents are in line with current law and practice. The extensive review takes a practical approach, drawing on our considerable experience to cover all aspects of procedure with a focus on practical tips that will help practitioners confidently run a sale matter to completion. Commentary has been included covering the village green cases of Oxfordshire County Council v Oxford City Council & Ors (2005) and others [2006] UKHL 25 and TW Logistics Ltd v Essex County Council & Anor [2021] UKSC 4, the recent adverse possession case of Amirtharaja & Anor v White & Ano [2021] EWHC 330 (Ch) and the recent vacant possession case of Capitol Park Leeds Plc v Global Radio Services Ltd [2020] EWHC 2750 (Ch). Commentary regarding conditional auctions, sometimes called the ‘modern method’, has been included and the section regarding high rise cladding has been expanded to include the guidance from the Royal Chartered Institute of Surveyors. Guidance on the requirements for a septic tank permit has also been included. A new precedent letter has been included in the Sale of Land guide for use when requesting a contribution from the Land Registry for indemnity insurance to cover a defect in the title which they have created. We invite you to explore this updated publication and to consider the wealth of assistance the updated Sale of Land and Purchase of Land guides offer. Comments and feedback are always welcomed.

InfoTrack’s property report is an opportunity to do conveyancing differently. Having seen a couple of demonstrations of the new ‘property report’ feature from InfoTrack it is clear that the use of clever technology to simplify the lives of conveyancers is here to stay. Drawing information from a number of sources into one place, the property report is mostly completed before a practitioner has even touched their keyboard, but is fully customisable to ensure that clients receive tailored information. Land Registry information, search results and replies to enquiries are all included. The InfoTrack enquiries platform was a revelation, and a revolution, to this author. Hyperlinks to InfoTrack have been incorporated into the matter plan and there is a new Letter to seller’s solicitor with amended contract and draft transfer – Enquiries via InfoTrack which alerts the other side to the process.