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Court proceedings for evictions C
ourt proceedings for evictions can restart on September 21 but the government has introduced a measure preventing them from taking place, in certain circumstances. Keith Pearlman is a partner at city law firm DMH Stallard and an expert in property litigation. To speak to Keith directly contact Chris Gape at Cobb PR on chris@cobbpr.com or call 07779 252 860. Keith said: “It is a really sad and difficult situation for tenants living with the risk of losing their homes during the pandemic. However, the most recent government intervention should provide some solace over the winter months as enforcement for non payment of rent will remain extremely difficult. What was hard before, has become a whole lot harder for landlords as a result.” “From a tenant’s perspective, they should try to ensure that rent arrears remain less below six months, if at all possible. This will
mean that any notice periods stipulated in statutory termination notices served by landlords, cannot take effect for at least six months, with inevitable delays in possible future enforcement to follow. Where arrears exceed six months, the notice periods are just four weeks.” “Landlords remain in a difficult position. Their livelihoods are increasingly threatened at the prospect of not receiving any income for many months and/or failing to recover their properties before 31 March 2021 – in reality, way beyond this date by the time effective enforcement takes place. This is despite on-going obligations to continue serving their lenders and ensuring the property remains safe and habitable for their tenants.” “Landlords who want to regain possession of a property at the end of a tenancy, must now serve notice at least six months beforehand (the earliest date now extended to 31 March 2021), with proceedings being issued within a tight four month period to follow, failing which they have to start the process again.” ■
Five factors stopping junior lawyers from becoming high achievers A
survey with leading law firms has identified five factors which are holding law graduates back from becoming high achievers. The survey also showed that undergraduate law degrees are not effectively teaching the business skills that students need for a successful career in law. The survey with ten of the leading law firms in the South West, including Michelmores, Womble Bond Dickinson and Browne Jacobson, was conducted by Kies Consulting. Michael Schauer, Director of Kies Consulting said: “The transition from an academic to commercial world can be an uphill struggle for junior lawyers. Our research has shown that the factors that decide which junior lawyers will be high achievers is not just down to legal excellence. Practical business skills are vital and this is something that many new graduates struggle with.” The need for improved attention to detail among junior lawyers, particularly in business writing was identified by 92% of participants in the survey. Junior lawyers’ lack of emotional intelligence and the ability to build resilience and perseverance was highlighted as a barrier to success by 83% of the survey’s participants.
14 | The Bill of Middlesex
The survey also pin-pointed junior lawyers’ lack of commercial awareness and difficulty in establishing the necessary work ethos as issues. Finally respondents identified the need for a well-balanced mistake culture in a firm, where mistakes are seen as a starting point for a learning opportunity. Michael Schauer added: “We hope our research sparks discussion among law firms and law schools on how to address the root causes of the issues that are holding junior lawyers back.” “Irrespective of whether universities or law firms pick up the baton to resolve these issues, the feedback we have received suggests that unstructured learning by observation and imitation during a training contract is not enough. It seems unlikely that the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam next year will resolve these issues as it will focus on technical issues. “Learning programmes which are practice orientated will reduce the burden on senior staff coaching younger talent and will speed up the return on investment on a firm’s training contract.” Kies Consulting has developed a Junior Lawyer Career Programme to give junior talent the foundation to improve their professional and personal effectiveness. The full Junior Lawyer Effectiveness research report and more detail on the Junior Lawyer Career Programme is available at www.kiesconsulting.co.uk. ■
