The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 introduces important new rules about non-disclosure agreements, NDAs, and settlement agreements from 1 October 2025.

This article explores how the new By Lawyers AI prompts can enhance efficiency in criminal matters, providing structured guidance for sentencing and bail submissions directly within the workflow.

The recent ruling condemns marriage value as unearned profit and dismisses ground rent as money for nothing.

The biggest overhaul of renters’ rights in decades, redefining the line between tenant security and landlord flexibility.

AI prompts are transforming the way legal documents are drafted. When crafted with technical precision, prompts can greatly enhance the utility and credibility of AI-generated content, especially when the AI relies exclusively on data contained in client matters, without incorporating outside sources. Read more...

A new guide, Electronic Signing and Witnessing, has been added to the Reference Materials folder in all By Lawyers matter plans. Read more…

Following a recent request, and in consultation with our family law author, we have developed a Questions on the financial statement precedent for the Financial remedy guide. Read more...

Following a recent in-depth author review, commentary on Legal Aid tendering, cybercrime prevention and business continuity planning have been enriched. Read more...

The Immigration Appeals guide has been updated to include new forms for proceedings in the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). The matter plan now also includes precedents for a Brief to counsel, Skeleton argument and Witness statement for use in Immigration matters. We invite you to explore this updated publication. Comments and feedback are always welcomed.

We have published a new article on Using Retainer Instructions which we hope By Lawyers users will find helpful.

Following the government announcements that breathing spaces are being extended for business tenants and companies, the Dealing with legal issues during COVID-19 publication has been updated.

Many quality schemes, including LEAP’s own ‘Best Practice Scheme’, require firms to obtain feedback from clients. We recognise that this is often dealt with by way of a survey platform and there is space in the Firm Details table for a feedback weblink to be listed. This link now drops into the By Lawyers letters to clients finalising matters, if the firm has the link set up.

Following a user request, a new Deed of Variation of Rentcharge has been added to the Sale of Land guide. The new deed enables parties to relinquish any remedies for breaching an existing rentcharge deed. As lenders become more anxious about the possible effects of s 121 of the Law of Property Act 1925 and the potential for leases to be granted where rentcharges are outstanding, we believe that this deed will be a useful tool for conveyancers in mitigating these risks for their lender and lay clients.

As practitioners may be aware, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme increased the length of time that temporary high balances were protected in bank accounts from 6 months to 12 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. This protection has been reduced to 6 months again from 1 February 2021. The Practice Management guide has been amended accordingly.

A valid Energy Performance Certificate must be provided in order to market a property. The Purchase of Property and Sale of Property commentaries have been updated to provide information about where Energy Performance Certificates and reports are centrally registered including details of the new location for the Energy Performance of Buildings Register. These certificates can be downloaded for free by anybody. We invite you to explore these updated publications and welcome Comments & Suggestions as always.