By Lawyers has published new precedents to help practitioners assist landlords renting properties under assured shorthold tenancies. The new precedents advise landlords on the proposed changes contained in the Renters’ Rights Bill. Changes to their ability to seek possession are outlined, together with additional obligations that the Bill seeks to bring into force. Read more ...

The landmark decision that established the ability for children to consent to medical treatment.

Part of our series of common legal questions and their answers, we look at the difference between holding a deposit as stakeholder or agent for the seller, and holding to order on the sale of land. Read more...

A new article about cohabitees rights sets out the problems and solutions that currently exist. Read more...

A folder containing ALL of the By Lawyers Retainer Instructions precedents has been added to the Practice Management guide. One of the most important tasks when acting in all areas of law is taking the initial instructions. At the commencement of the engagement with the client it is crucial to take accurate, comprehensive instructions covering every necessary aspect of the matter, so the scope of the retainer can be agreed, the issues identified and understood and the client properly advised. Every By Lawyers matter plan has these Retainer Instructions precedents, drafted and refined by experienced practitioners to make this critical process as efficient as possible. They assist practitioners to obtain all relevant information up-front. To make it easier to access these key precedents, especially when seeing new clients where a file has not yet been opened, all 28 of them are now available from a dedicated Library of retainer instructions in the By Lawyers Practice Management guide, under Folder A: The Practice. The availability of these precedents all together in one guide makes it very easy to save or print the relevant Retainer Instructions for any matter type to use in the initial conference with a client even before a dedicated client file is opened. As always, comments and feedback are welcomed.

This is a landmark judgment of the European Court of Human Rights concerning the limits on deportation where there is a risk of torture or ill treatment.

As the first steps when opening a matter are so important, we have reviewed this section of our commentaries. Read more…

The Individual Insolvency guide is now live. The guide provides commentary to take a practitioner through the practical steps involved in advising on individual debt alternatives, including debt respite schemes, individual voluntary arrangements and bankruptcy. Read more...

The landmark decision that established the test for testamentary capacity.

The landmark decision that a court can order parties to engage in alternative dispute resolution.

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...

The Scale-up Visa is for talented individuals who have the skills needed to enable the UK economy to grow. Both sponsored and unsponsored applications can be made but the unsponsored route is only available to applicants after they have had sponsored permission for a while. Read more...

The Sale of Property, Purchase of Property, Mortgages and Leases guides have been enhanced with the inclusion of guidance around the Safe Harbour Standard which is being introduced by HM Land Registry. The standard is designed to assist practitioners in meeting the strict requirements for verifying client identification and provides practical clarity in this area.

The Debt Recovery – Acting for the Defendant commentary now includes greater detail on the process for applying to set aside a default judgment order. Example content has also been written for a Draft order – Setting aside default judgment on the basis of a real prospect of defending the claim. This, together with all the other forms needed for this application, are in matter plan folder F. Default judgment and summary judgment. We invite you to explore this updated publication. Comments and feedback are always welcomed.

Our Financial Remedy Guide underwent a recent review with considerable commentary enhancements to include greater practical detail on topics such as financial dispute resolution appointments, costs and clean break lump sums. The Retainer Instructions – Financial Remedy, which is a useful risk management tool, was also further developed to include sections for clients to consider their financial position in order to assist in the completion of a Form E Financial Statement. This is an excellent publication providing practical and useful information for practitioners when conducting a Financial Remedy matter.