Off-payroll legislative reform comes into force 6 April 2021 for medium to large businesses. For further details see the Contracts for employment section in our Employment Law – Non-contentious commentary.

From 1 April 2021, a new Help to Buy scheme comes into force. For further details see the Help to Buy section in our Purchase of Land commentary. From 1 April 2021, The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 will apply to all private rented sector landlords of residential premises in England, including licences to occupy and houses in multiple occupation, with costly sanctions for non-compliance. For further details see the Buy to Let section in our Purchase of Land commentary.

We are very pleased to announce the release of two new By Lawyers publications: Employment Law – Non-Contentious; and Employment Law - Contentious. These two publications cover all aspects of practice and procedure whether acting for employees or for employers. They assist practitioners with representing clients, document drafting through to managing matters within the employment tribunals. The commentaries are practical and easy to understand and are supported by numerous helpful precedents. Key content includes: Commentary on contracts of employment, human resources, policies and procedures, transfer of undertakings, redundancy and unfair and wrongful dismissal. Commentary on conciliation, mediation and arbitration in the employee/employer relationship. Law and procedure relating to employment tribunals, including the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Comprehensive To Do Lists and Retainer Instructions ensure all necessary instructions are taken and followed. Letters to clients and third parties when establishing the employment relationship and when disputes arise. These Employment Law publications are an invaluable resource for practitioners who regularly conduct employment matters, as well as those with limited experience or those supervising junior lawyers. We invite you to explore these new guides. Comments and feedback are always welcomed.

To complement the new ‘Your Finances’ app for gathering financial information from clients, two new letters have been added to the Financial Remedy guide. The first, Letter to client instructed to commence proceedings with financial remedy – Form E shared via LawConnect, contains step-by-step instructions for using LawConnect which clients can follow. The second, Letter to client with financial statement for signing – eSignature, contains guidance for clients on signing the Financial Statement using DocuSign. We invite you to explore these new letters. Comments and feedback are always welcomed.

In accordance with the recent approval of a new Practice Direction 57AC promoting and enforcing best practice during the preparation of witness statements, the general precedent Witness Statement – Civil matters has been amended to include the new required wording. This can be found in the C. Blank Deeds, Agreements, Statements, Declarations, Consents & Execution Clauses folder which is on every matter plan. The wording is required in all witness statements which are signed on or after 6 April 2021 and are for trials in the Business and Property Courts. We are including the changes now so that practitioners are able to plan ahead and prepare their witnesses accordingly. Comments and feedback are always welcomed.

With criminal practitioners being busier than ever, we have enhanced our Criminal guide with a library of new initial letters to clients. Designed to accompany the Client Care and Terms of Business which are sent after the first meeting with a client, these letters have sufficient space for case-specific details and advice and already include the sentencing guidelines for an offence. The library can be found in the B. Getting the matter underway folder of the Criminal Magistrates Court matter plan and includes letters for the following offences: Drink driving Possession of Class A drugs Possession of Class B drugs Possession of Class C drugs Criminal damage Robbery – Street and less sophisticated commercial Wounding with intent Rape We encourage practitioners to use these letters, and welcome feedback and suggestions, particularly if other offences may be useful.

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.

As practitioners are no doubt aware, the government has recently promised to finally reform the way that leasehold works, and to address the issues with commonhold. This has prompted By Lawyers to include three new precedents in the Enfranchisement guide: Memorandum of Association – Commonhold limited company Articles of Association – Commonhold limited company Community statement – Commonhold limited company Wholesale reformation of the property ownership system is long overdue and it is hoped that amendments to the legislation will reassure lenders and developers, persuading them to leave the cosy confines of leasehold and finally embrace the brave new world of the commonhold system, 20 years after it was created. When the new rules are announced, we will, of course, review and amend our materials to ensure that users have access to the most up-to-date information. In the meantime, we will be keeping a close eye on the most positive news item of 2021 so far.

An exciting and useful new guide to Leasehold property disputes has been published, with extensive commentary discussing commercial and residential properties from the point of view of both landlord and tenant clients. Matter plans which are tailored to acting for landlord or tenant claimants and defendants will assist practitioners to ensure that the right precedent is used at the right time. The commentary covers: Overviews of the court and tribunal systems, funding and alternative dispute resolution; Breaches of lease covenants by tenants; Breaches of lease covenants by landlords; Remediation and forfeiture; Commercial dilapidations and residential hazard reporting; Going to court under Parts 7 and 8 of the Civil Procedure Rules; Going to the First-tier tribunal. A number of precedents are included such as: Initial letters before action; Letters of response covering various situations; Notice before forfeiture under s 146 of the Law of Property Act 1925; Counter-notice claiming the benefit of the Leasehold Property (Repairs) Act 1938; Notice of landlord’s breaches of repairing covenants; Notice to former tenant regarding goods left and commercial premises; Example content for particulars of claim for a variety of circumstances; Quantified demand and schedule of dilapidations; Tenant’s response to dilapidations documents; Notice before tribunal application under s 22 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985; All the standard forms and letters for court and tribunal proceedings. We invite you to explore this new publication and to consider the wealth of assistance the Leasehold Property Disputes publication offers.

To enhance our Practice Management guide, a precedent Referral Fee Agreement has been added helping firms to comply with regulator requirements around transparency and due diligence when accepting introductions from third parties.

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 Estates guide has been enhanced with the addition of some clarification of the operation of the Insolvency Act 1986 when assets pass by survivorship out of insolvent estates. Beneficiaries could be asked to make a payment to the estate within five years of the death if an insolvency administration order is made.

The Commercial Lease guide has been enhanced with points to note from the recent case of Sara & Hossein Asset Holdings Ltd v Blacks Outdoor Retail Ltd [2020] EWHC 1263 (Ch) regarding service charge certificates.

New precedents have been added to the By Lawyers Family and Debt Recovery publications: The Family Court – Court bundle cover page and spine and Family Court – Court bundle index have been added to the Financial Remedy and Private Child Arrangements guides. The County Court, High Court and Appeal Court – Trial bundle cover page and County Court, High Court and Appeal Court – Trial bundle index have been added to the Debt Recovery guides. The precedents are customised for each court and comply with each court's requirements. The precedents will assist practitioners to create an indexed collection of documents that the parties rely on during the hearing. A properly compiled and indexed court bundle or trial bundle allows solicitors, counsel and the bench to easily navigate the matter.

The Criminal commentary has been enhanced with information about the new technology and case management platforms being introduced in police stations, prisons and courts. More detail has also been added around the practical aspects of hearings, including video and telephone hearings. New guidance leaflets for clients Enclosure – Checklist for client going to court, Enclosure – Information sheet – Magistrates’ Court process and Enclosure – Information sheet – Crown Court process have been added to assist practitioners in preparing their clients.