Hampshire Legal May 2020

HAMPSHIRE

LEGAL The Official Journal of THE HAMPSHIRE LAW SOCIETY

Stay home Stay safe

Inside this issue: ■ Covid-19 ■ Remote Working

MAY 2020

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Contents PUBLISHER Benham Publishing Aintree Building, Aintree Way, Aintree Business Park, Liverpool L9 5AQ Tel: 0151 236 4141 Fax: 0151 236 0440 Email: admin@benhampublishing.com Web: www.benhampublishing.com

05 President’s Review

ADVERTISING & FEATURES EDITOR Anna Woodhams

07 CPD & Training

06 HLS Contacts

DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER Lee Finney ACCOUNTS DIRECTOR Joanne Casey

08 HLS Annual Dinner

Page 07

MEDIA No. 1702

& Awards 2020

Page 15

PUBLISHED MAY 2020 © Benham Publishing Ltd. LEGAL NOTICE © Benham Publishing.

None of the editorial or photographs may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publishers. Benham Publishing would like to point out that all editorial comment and articles are the responsibility of the originators and may or may not reflect the opinions of Benham Media. No responsibility can be accepted for any inaccuracies that may occur, correct at time of going to press.

Benham Publishing cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in web or email links supplied to us.

10 Happenings in Hampshire

14 Coping with anxiety and building resilience

DISCLAIMER The Hampshire Incorporated Law Society welcomes all persons eligible for membership regardless of sex, race, religion, age or sexual orientation.

Page 19

15 SRA Covid-19 cyber

All views expressed in this publication are the views of the individual writers and not the society unless specifically stated to be otherwise. All statements as to the law are for discussion between members and should not be relied upon as an accurate statement of the law, are of a general nature and do not constitute advice in any particular case or circumstance.

security warning

16 Guide to Phishing

Members of the public should not seek to rely on anything published in this magazine in court but seek qualified Legal Advice.

during Covid-19

17 How to minimise the

COVER INFORMATION Image by Syaibatul Hamdi from Pixabay.

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cost of Covid-19 to your practice

19 4 reasons why now’s the time to get social

Copy Deadlines Summer Autumn Winter

09 HLS Membership

30 Remote working

2nd August 2020 31st October 2020 3rd February 2021

34 Working from home

Members wishing to submit material please contact the Editor, Alison Plenderleith, before copy deadline.

Email: bdo@hampshirelawsociety.co.uk Anyone else wishing to advertise or submit editorial for publication in Hampshire Legal please contact Anna Woodhams before copy deadline.

Email: anna@benhampublishing.com Tel: 0151 236 4141

Hampshire Law Society is focussing on improving its presence on Social Media

Please follow us on Twitter @hampshirelawsoc and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hampshire-incorporated-law-society/

HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 3

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Introduction

President’s Review May 2020

F

irstly, I hope that everyone remains safe and well in this time.

I sit here as the lockdown period has been extended, writing this and wondering what the future will look like for us all. Both inside and outside of the legal profession.

Many people talk about how this time has changed them and changed their perspective on things and about how they will go back to supporting local business, whether it is for the weekly shopping or for other aspects of their life once the lockdown is lifted and they are able to go out again. For others it has also meant a change in the way that they work. From my perspective, I rarely worked at home previously but living in the world we live in with technology as it is, it has meant I have been able to carry on as normal, just from a different office so to speak and had “meetings” via video conference rather than face to face to be able to give my clients the same service they enjoyed prior to Covid-19, could this be the new way of working going forward? Only time will tell what law firms decide to do once restrictions are lifted and I am sure that different firms will have different ideas.

the restrictions are lifted. So whilst it is a shame that many of the social events have had to be postponed, such as the quiz and our annual dinner, we are aiming to still provide our members with as full a service as we can and we are still here, should you need to contact us or have any ideas going forward.

In terms of what else has been happening during this period, we are still looking to move forward with creating links with our local universities with the aim of ensuring that graduating law students remain in the area to ensure that Hampshire continues to offer the high level of legal services that we currently provide, well into the future. Whilst discussion need to be had via telephone, email, or video conference, we do not want to stand still on this and will continue to push this forward.

Due to the current situation, there is not really much else to say at the moment other than stay safe and I will see you all on the other side of this pandemic! ■

James Gleisner

President Hampshire Law Society

At Hampshire Law Society we are still going ahead with as many plans as we can whilst keeping within the Governments guidelines. We have had our first meeting by video conference for our education sub-committee. This was a good test to check functionality before rolling our lecture programme via the same method. This is something that, should our members wish, can continue into the future once HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 5

Contacts

Hampshire Law Society Contacts The following is an up-to-date list of committee members’ names and addresses and the sub committees to which they belong:

President James Gleisner Trethowans Botleigh Grange Business Park, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2AF DX 154120 Southampton 48 Tel: 02380 820465 Email: james.gleisner@trethowans.com Deputy President Mo Aldridge Jasper Vincent 44 Queensway, Southampton SO14 3GT Tel: 023 8063 3225 Email: maldridge@jaspervincent.com Deputy Vice President Toom Mitchell Trethowans Botleigh Grange Business Park, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2AF DX 154120 Southampton 48 Tel: 02380 820465 Email: tom.mitchell@trethowans.com Honorary Secretary Ian Robinson Churchers Solicitors 13-18 Kings Terrace, Portsmouth PO5 3AL DX 2205 Portsmouth Tel: 0239 288 2001 Fax: 0239 286 2831 Email: irobinson@churchers.co.uk Honorary Treasurer Tom Mitchell Trethowans Botleigh Grange Business Park, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2AF DX 154120 Southampton 48 Tel: 02380 820465 Email: tom.mitchell@trethowans.com Immediate Past President Joe Robertson Email: jrobertson2006@hotmail.co.uk

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Business Development Officer Alison Plenderleith Tel: 07429 523183 Email: bdo@hampshirelawsociety.co.uk

Membership Sarah Coates James Gleisner Sarah Huck

Law Society Council Members Nick Gurney-Champion (Hampshire & Isle of Wight) Biscoes 67 Union Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight PO33 2LN Tel: 01983 615615 Email: ngc@biscoes-law.co.uk

Non Contentious Matthew Robbins Nick Gurney-Champion Alex O'Sullivan

Razi Shah (North Hampshire) Appleby Shaw Trinity House, 15a Trinity Place, Windsor SL4 3AS DX 3830 Windsor Tel: 01753 860606 Fax: 01753 860620 Email: rshah@applebyshaw.com

Publicity Mo Aldridge (Chair) maldridge@jaspervincent.com Jonathan Rees Kristina Colmer Sarah Hallett Regulatory Adrienne Edgerley Harris (Chair) Adrienneedgerleyharris@gmail.com Ian Robinson Roderick Hursthouse

Administrator Nicola Jennings Tel: 023 8044 7022 Fax: 023 8044 7022 Email: administration@ hampshirelawsociety.co.uk

Social Mo Aldridge (Chair) maldridge@jaspervincent.com Jonathan Rees Kristina Colmer Sarah Hallett

Complaints Mo Aldridge maldridge@jaspervincent.com

Student University Liaison Russell Evans Russell.david@yahoo.co.uk

Education & Training Anthony Harris (Chair) ajharris@clara.co.uk Anastasia Ttofis David Ankcorn Tom Mitchell Litigation & Disputes Resolution Russell Evans (Chair) russell.david@yahoo.co.uk Kevin Richardson Joe Robertson

Follow us on Twitter @hampshirelawsoc Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/ company/hampshireincorporated-law-society/

CPD & Training

CPD & Training T

he Society is investigating delivering your training and CPD online via Zoom.

In terms of our structured CPD programme, the usual 3 hour sessions will be divided into two shorter sessions (to minimise screen time) You will receive instructions on how to access the session the day before along with a copy of the handouts.

If any of our members would like to provide a 45 minute talk on a topic of interest to others, please let us know. We would aim to deliver some of these for free to minimise your costs during this difficult time. ■

A message from Countess Mountbatten Hospice – President’s Charity of the Year –

fantastic job of looking after her as well as her mum. There’s a bit more about the story on our website here: www.mountbatten-hampshire.org.uk/news/mountbattenstaff-help-to-prom-wish-come-true

I

hope you’re all well and coping through everything that’s going on at the moment.

I know a lot of you are working remotely, which is providing a lot of new challenges (particularly if you have small children at home - which I can sympathise with!), and many of you are also dealing with the stress of self-employment or being furloughed at the moment. We’ve set up a page on our website with some advice around the virus and bereavement in particular, so if you feel it might be helpful for you or anyone you know, please do have a look or pass it on: www.mountbatten-hampshire.org.uk/Listing/Category/ covid-19-advice We’ve had to change the way that we’re working at the hospice over the last few weeks, and as the virus has continued to spread across the country, we’re had to reduce the number of visitors allowed in. We’re still absolutely committed to looking after all of our patients and their families as best we can, and we’re looking at getting some iPads in so that patients can facetime with friends or family who don’t live in the same household as them. We’ll also be looking at cases individually on compassionate grounds if someone is in the last few days of their life, doing our best to make sure that final wishes are honoured wherever possible.

You may have seen in the news that our staff recently helped a patient and her teenage daughter hold a ‘prom night’ for the 2 of them at the hospice in the final hours of our patient’s life. I’m always amazed at how incredible our nursing staff are, and how they all pull together with such strength for our patients. In this case, the patient’s daughter had been living at the hospice with her for 3 weeks, and our staff did such a

I also wanted to let you know about our appeal that was launched recently, www.mountbatten-hampshire.org.uk/ Appeal/urgent-appeal. We’ve had to close our 3 charity shops and cancel all fundraising events over the next few months. The finance team have crunched the numbers, and it’s likely that because of this we’re going to lose around £1million. As a charity, we’ve been really lucky that the government have set funds aside specifically for hospices, but we’re not sure on the final amount that we’ll be receiving from this yet and it won’t be covering anywhere near all of the shortfall. If you could help us to share our appeal far and wide, that would be such a great help! We have various virtual initiatives happening over the next few months to support the appeal, so please keep an eye on our social media if you’d like to join in. Or if you have an idea of your own that you’d like to set up, please let me know and I’d be more than happy to support you!

I’m already looking forward to being able to come out to see you all when life starts to get back to ‘normal’, but in the meantime please all keep safe and don’t hesitate to get in touch about anything! ■

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Membership

Thank you for your membership I would like to thank you for your membership which finished at the end of December.

This time of year is very busy and the whirlwind of life and business takes over and occasionally renewal of membership slips your mind and membership lapses. It’s not until later in the year that the oversight is noticed with some regret.

Would you like to avoid that happening? If yes, then please do not ignore your renewal letter which has been sent to you. Please request a further copy if required Membership in 2019 provided; ■ 200 new business referrals from the Society ■ Free editorial in the Society Magazine ■ Over 1,000 copies of our Magazine, featuring members’ articles, delivered to firms across the County ■ Free find a solicitor service ■ Regular e-news updates with items of local and national interest ■ The most successful annual dinner to date ■ Opportunity to enter the prestigious legal awards

■ Improved press coverage ■ An extensive lecture programme with reduced rates for members. Attending just one session will practically pay for itself ■ Hampshire hosting a highly successful national conference which showcased the county nationally to other law societies The plans for 2020 are no less thrilling and include: ■ A gala dinner and awards ceremony at Hilton Ageas Bowl on 23rd October ■ A focus on social media with a wish to improve our presence locally to the benefit of both our members and the Society as a whole ■ More focus on well-being and how to minimize mental health issues ■ More social/networking events including the quiz and family summer event Annual subscription rates represent excellent value for money particularly if you take out a corporate membership which covers all employees from the same firm without limit for only £800.00.

Type of Membership

Rate

Full Members (except those not in private practice and non-practising Ordinary members)

£80.00

Corporate Members (which will cover all eligible firm members without limit)

£800.00

Educational Establishment

£800.00

Associate Members

£50.00

Non-practicing Members and those not in private practice

£20.00

Associate Trainee Members

£15.00

Junior Lawyers who are not Student Members (to cover joint membership of JLD and HILS – £35 to JLD and £15 to HILS)

£50.00

For details on the different types of membership please visit www.hampshirelawsociety.co.uk If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with Nicola Jennings, our Administrator on 223 8044 7022 or administration@hampshirelawsociety.co.uk HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 9

Happenings in Hampshire

Future proofing has safeguarded Phillips F

uture proofing has been instrumental in ensuring a leading Hampshire law firm weathers the Coronavirus storm.

Like many law firms, COVID-19 has meant that Phillips Solicitors incorporating Brain Chase Coles has had to adapt and make more use of technologies like Software as a Service (SaaS) and increased video conferencing platforms such as Microsoft TEAMS, Zoom and FaceTime, to ensure the smooth running of its work.

It has certainly come at an interesting time for the firm as in February, Phillips Solicitors merged with Brain Chase Coles, forming a strong dynamic regional law firm, employing over 80 people.

The merger of the two well established firms has proved to be a great success, allowing Phillips to provide a greater depth and breadth of legal expertise, including: Commercial and Residential Property, Corporate and Commercial, Commercial and Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Notary Public, Family, Wills and Probate, Estate Planning, Employment, Insurance and Education Law. Fortunately, due to an ongoing policy of future proofing Phillips, the firm is well placed to tackle the unexpected challenges of the Coronavirus lockdown and has remained fully open for business.

Prior to the merger, Phillips had been implementing more agile working, while making significant productivity gains and cost savings. A new cloud-based client database system called LEAP was adopted, which allows the firm to work in a more efficient and increasingly paper-less way.

The firm has also moved to the cloud-based Microsoft Office 365, with Microsoft Exchange email, allowing for much improved business continuity. Integrated alongside this is BigHand Professional digital dictation, another SaaS product that includes dictation, speech recognition and agile workflows.

The firm has also recently moved to a new integrated landline and mobile phone communication system called 3CX. The

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phone system lives on the cloud and works across the internet.

It can be accessed via PC, lap-top and mobile phone through an app. It has worked seamlessly, proving to be invaluable while lawyers and staff are working remotely from home.

The IT business change plan was led and driven forward by the firm’s Head of IT, Mike Worth. He said: “Decisions made were based on finding the right products that fit our business goals, with the right partners who could understand and support our requirements, with responsive support and at the right cost.”

Mike Worth

Mike added: “We needed to have straightforward, yet secure access to information wherever our lawyers and staff are working from. These applications work together seamlessly to enable this.”

Phillips Director Max Hope said: “The strategy for the firm going forward is a continuation of our existing strategy: to grow the business over the next three to five years, continuing to drive efficiencies through technology and change, and servicing our clients in the Max Hope same way as a City based law firm but at regional prices by delivering value back to the client through investment in technology and our staff.”

It appears for Phillips the lockdown has resulted in long-term positive changes within the practice, particularly regarding greater use of virtual meetings and building on existing agile ways of working.

This is nothing new for Phillips which has always believed in being innovative and embracing change. ■

Happenings in Hampshire

Churchers Solicitors joins forces with Isle of Wight based Walter Gray

Churchers merge with Diana Deacon Ltd

C

C

hurchers Solicitors, who maintain an office in Ryde, has confirmed the planned acquisition of fellow Isle of Wight firm, Walter Gray & Co. Founded in 1888 Churchers Solicitors currently operates five south coast offices, in addition to Ryde, meaning this new association will provide a wider range of professional legal services to Isle of Wight residents and businesses.

Moving forward the two Walter Gray offices in Ryde and Cowes will remain open and will be known as Churchers – Walter Gray.

Ian Robinson

Ian Robinson, Managing Partner, Churchers Solicitors, said: “We are thrilled to be associated with such a wellrespected law firm on the Isle of Wight. This move will give Island residents the same high quality service they have always received but they will now have access to a wider range of services and resources.

“Our investment in the Walter Gray brand will ensure continuity and future development enriching the services residents are already offered by this outstanding team.”

Rosemary Hardwicke, Senior Director of Walter Gray & Co, said: “We are passionate about serving the community on the Island and having the Churchers team alongside us will be able to offer more legal services whilst still giving the friendly and local service for which we are known. Our loyal staff very much look forward to working with their new colleagues at Churchers.” ■

hurchers are delighted to announce a merge with the Cowes based Isle of Wight solicitors, Diana Deacon Ltd and welcome Diana, along with her secretary Julie, to the firm.

Diana Deacon founded her business in 2014 and specialises in Commercial Property, Residential Property and Private Client work. Now the merger has taken place, Diana will be able to offer a wider range of services and more specialised expertise to her existing client base.

Diana & Julie

Churchers’ knowledge and existing services will also be enriched as a result of the merger. “We are delighted to be merging with local law firm Diana Deacon” says Churchers Managing Partner, Ian Robinson “The joining of the two firms will strengthen our involvement in the Isle of Wight and ensure we are able to reach more residents in offering a broad range of legal services”.

Existing clients of Diana Deacon Ltd have been contacted and all files have been transferred over to Churchers unless individuals have specified otherwise.

Diana Deacon is proud to still be providing the same personal service as before, now with the additional resources and expertise of a leading Hampshire and Isle of Wight law firm.

If you are a client of Diana Deacon and would like more information on this new development, please visit DianaDeacon.com ■

AWD Legal Services Ltd are seeking a

Residential Property Conveyancer/Solicitor PQE 3+ years Competitive salary & Bonus scheme AWD Law, a leading Hampshire Law Firm, are seeking an experienced residential property solicitor with a proven record of managing a busy residential property caseload to head the Conveyancing Department The successful applicant will work independently with minimal supervision and be responsible for a full range of residential property matters, including high net worth clients, from inception to post completion. They will be encouraged to develop a new caseload by building and maintaining appropriate local contacts. The successful applicant will benefit from working as part of a strong, established firm, which has an excellent reputation for delivering expert legal advice which tailored to the individual needs of our clients.

If you are interested in this fantastic opportunity to develop and run your own department please forward your CV by email to paul@awdlaw.co.uk, or send by post to: AWD Law, 4 The Potteries, Wickham Road, Fareham, Hampshire, PO16 7ET.

HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 11

Happenings in Hampshire

Ed Whittington & Helen Goatley

Moore Blatch and Barlow Robbins to merge Combination creates new Top 100 regional powerhouse with significant specialisms including private client, property and personal injury

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eading UK law firms Moore Blatch and Barlow Robbins have agreed to merge, creating a new regional powerhouse firm with a significant geographic footprint across the South East. The merger has been approved unanimously by the two firms’ respective partnerships.

The firm combined will have offices in Southampton, Guildford, Woking and Lymington, as well as two locations in London (Richmond and the City). It will also be the sole UK legal advisor within Ecovis, an international network of more than 7,500 lawyers, accountants and consultants with capability around the globe.

Set to begin trading as Moore Barlow from 1 May, the new firm will comprise 70 partners, 272 lawyers and legal professionals, and a total staff of nearly 500 across six UK offices. Moore Barlow will have a combined turnover of almost £40 million, putting it well within the roster of the UK’s top 100 law firms.

In terms of clients, Moore Barlow will be focused primarily on meeting the needs of private individuals & families, owners and managers of fast-moving organisations and businesses, and people whose lives have been affected by serious accidents or negligence. Each of these groups require relationship-oriented legal advisors who are dedicated to helping them find the best path through complex, difficult or stressful situations, a focus and approach which will set Moore Barlow apart in the marketplace.

At the heart of the firm’s proposition will be a singular focus on people, both when it comes to clients and the firm’s 500-strong workforce across the UK.

Ed Whittington, managing partner of Moore Blatch, commented: “There is a unique opportunity to bring together the absolute best of our two organisations – both outstanding firms with deep regional roots, strong areas of specialism, and dedicated teams of exceptional talent. By combining our respective and highly complementary areas of expertise within a culture of excellence and support, we will be one of very few firms with the breadth, depth and resources to meet all the needs of our core client groups. Moving forward with a clear vision and building on a shared set of values, Moore Barlow is poised to become a national leader in our chosen fields.”

Bringing together both firms’ respective and highly complementary areas of expertise, Moore Barlow will boast some of the largest and most comprehensive teams of legal advisors in areas such as private client, clinical negligence and residential property, among others.

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Helen Goatley, chairman of Barlow Robbins, added: “We feel strongly that the focus on people which lies at the heart of Moore Barlow will truly set us apart in the marketplace. For clients looking for a relationship-led service, we offer a strong commitment to achieving better outcomes for people, whether they are individuals, families, managers, leaders or entrepreneurs, and particularly those encountering opportunity, challenge or life-altering circumstances. Today’s top talent also want the right mix of a stimulating, rewarding career alongside a fulfilling work-life balance, an experience which we feel Moore Barlow will be uniquely suited to offer, and from which our clients can only benefit.” ■

Happenings in Hampshire

Moore Barlow. Even more together…

In May 2020, Barlow Robbins and Moore Blatch joined forces to become Moore Barlow. Bringing together the legacy of our past, but looking to the future — our new law firm offers you more. More expertise & knowledge.

More solutions & outcomes. More locations & coverage. Visit moorebarlow.com for further information.

Guildford London Lymington Richmond Southampton Woking

SBA – Personal hardship fund Covid-19 Personal Hardship Fund for Solicitors

The Solicitors’ Charity has developed a unique COVID-19 Personal Hardship Fund to support solicitors who find themselves in personal hardship caused by the pandemic.

The charity has committed to initial funding of £1,000,000.

The fund will help solicitors that find themselves financially in need due to COVID-19. Full details on the fund and how to apply can be found on the charity’s website: www.sba.org.uk/covid-19 In addition, you can access the COVID-19 Support Hub. Here you can find up to date information and resources to support you during the outbreak. ■

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Coping with anxiety and building resilience

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ll of us have experienced a seismic change in the way we work and live. Overnight our lives have been completely turned upside down. Human beings are creatures of habit, and disruption to our daily routines can cause anxiety – feelings of unease, worry and fear.

These are triggered by our ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response – our normal biological reaction to feeling threatened.

Anxiety incorporates both the emotional and the physical sensations you might experience when you are worried or nervous.

SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY ■ Panic, fear, and uneasiness ■ Sleep problems ■ Not being able to stay calm and still ■ Cold, sweaty, numb or tingling hands or feet

■ Shortness of breath ■ Heart palpitations ■ Dry mouth ■ Nausea ■ Tense muscles ■ Dizziness ■ Overeating

Whilst it is completely normal to be feeling anxious at this time for some it will be overwhelming. We will all need to learn to cope with the new normal or we may develop unhealthy thinking styles or develop or resort to coping mechanisms such as drinking too much. Learning to cope is also known as resilience. Resilient people are able to use their skill and strengths to help them to face difficulties head on and weather the storm.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK, 18–24 MAY We are encouraging people to share moments in their legal career when someone showed them kindness on social media during the week, using #momentofkindness and tagging us in. Details and resources will follow on our social media platforms.

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TIPS FOR COPING WITH ANXIETY 1. Focus on the here and now – what is actually happening in this moment. Try not to think of worst case scenarios or wonder too much about the future. Remember that this situation is temporary and constantly changing – and whilst this is a particularly unusual time, you ,and the human race, have survived difficult situations before. This too will pass 2. Build a support network. Video call friends, family and colleagues who encourage and strengthen you and talk to them about your feelings.

3. Limit your exposure to the news. Don’t be tempted to check news updates every few minutes.

4. Distract yourself – read a book, do some exercise, sort out a cupboard, take a walk outside.

5. Breathe – if you can feel yourself getting anxious try taking ten deep breaths, inhaling for 5 seconds and exhaling for 10 seconds. It really calms you down.

6. Be kind to yourself, talk to yourself as you would a close friend and make sure you are getting enough sleep, exercise and nutritious food.

7. Take breaks. Even if you are working at home it’s still important to take time off work, make sure you take breaks during the working day and use your annual leave entitlement.

8. Try to focus on the positive, happy things. The weather, more time with your children, a chance to get all those jobs done at home, connecting with people you’ve not had contact with in a while.

9. Treat yourself. Whilst you can’t get out and about you can still cook a nice meal at home, have a relaxing bath or rent a movie online.

10. Seek help. If you’re finding it hard to cope, just talking to someone, a friend, LawCare, another helpline can make you feel less worried and many GPs are still offering online appointments. ■

If you are finding things difficult and need to talk, LawCare can help. We provide emotional support to all legal professionals, support staff and their families. You can call our confidential helpline on 0800 279 6888, email us at support@lawcare.org.uk or access webchat and other resources at www.lawcare.org.uk

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SRA Covid-19 cyber security warning

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re your incident management plans fit for purpose in the new normal?

SRA warning On April 9th 2020, the SRA advised “criminals have taken advantage of concern over the Covid-19 outbreak” noting that “The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has reported a 400% increase in Coronavirus related fraud reports in March” and warning that remote working as a result of Coronavirus “will present many with new cyber security challenges”.

The new normal The way that the majority of us now work has changed beyond recognition in a few short weeks. IT departments have worked tirelessly to enable us to continue to do business, irrespective of our location. This has often meant the introduction of new online tools for both communication and the delivery of work. As we have seen with security concerns over some remote meeting tools, these new ways of working have sadly often brought new opportunities for cyber criminals to exploit. Couple this with a widely reported increase in phishing emails of over 600% since Covid-19, and there is clearly a need to not only review and strengthen our cyber security, but to ensure that we are prepared for a successful cyber attack.

What do the SRA advise?

In October 2019, the SRA posed the question “It may be better to ask when, not if, you will be targeted by online criminals” advising that firms need to “make sure … that you know what to do in the event of an incident” and “use exercises to test your preparedness, resilience and responses”. With an increased cyber threat, this advice has never been more pertinent.

What is incident management?

Incident Management refers to the development of a framework that enables you to prepare for, respond to and learn from a cyber incident. Incident management planning should cover: 1. Defined processes for incident detection 2. Detailed incident response plan 3. Clear definition of roles and responsibilities 4. Resources to contain and resolve any incident

5. Secure back-up procedures to ensure efficient data recovery 6. Communication and reporting process 7. Test scenarios which can be rehearsed Why is incident management important?

For those of you with incident management plans already in place, you’ll know that the purpose of such a plan is to enable a quick and relatively painless return to business as usual, with limited financial and reputational damage.

The Travelex ransomware incident on New Year’s Eve 2019, highlights the reason why effective incident management plans are key to achieving this goal. Initially reporting that systems were down due to ‘planned maintenance’, Travelex were forced to resort to pen and paper to operate for a number of weeks, impacting more than a dozen UK banks in the process.

Damage to brand and reputation, irrespective of the financial cost to the company cannot be understated. As Mark Sangster of infosecurity magazine concludes, in this excellent article on the incident “this event reinforces corporate need for tested incident response plans”.

What if I already have a plan?

If you already have a plan in place, it’s worth asking not only how well the plan would work with a distributed workforce and key staff potentially unavailable, but also if the plan covers recently adopted tools, processes and procedures.

In the Covid-19 world, there is actually a very strong argument for development of multiple plans based on different scenarios. As we move forward through 2020, it’s important that we prepare for a range of options, from fully office-based through to complete remote working and stages in between.

How do I know if my plan is fit for purpose?

In our experience, the only way to check if your plan is fit for purpose is through, as the SRA advises, “preparedness, resilience and responses”. Only with regular testing and rehearsing can you be sure that your plan(s) give you the best chance of limiting the brand, financial and reputational damage that a successful cyber attack can bring. ■

HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 15

Article

Guide to Phishing during Covid-19 How to protect yourself and your organisation from cyber attack What is Phishing?

Phishing is a disguised email, that aims to hook the recipient into clicking a link or attachment that enables a cyber-attack to take place.

Health advice Emails purportedly from medical experts in China, claiming to help protect against Covid-19 have also been circulating:

Why have Phishing attacks increased since Covid-19?

In late March 2020, the Telegraph reported that phishing “attacks have increased 667pc since the end of February”. There are two main reasons for this increase: 1. Attackers like to masquerade as a trusted entity and a pandemic provides the perfect opportunity for impersonation.

2. The move to remote working makes employees more vulnerable to cyber attack, from both a technical and behavioural perspective.

What are the known Covid-19 phishing scams?

On the 4th April. The Guardian reported that “The number of Coronavirus-themed phishing attempts stands at 2,192”, and although it would be impossible to cover even a proportion of these, it is worth highlighting some of the more ‘convincing’ phishing scams: HMRC Cyber criminals are masquerading as HMRC via email and SMS. An example of a phishing email is detailed below. For further information, visit the dedicated HMRC page.

World Health Organisation (WHO) WHO, the primary provider of Covid-19 information, has issued a stark warning “Beware of criminals pretending to be WHO”. An example phishing email is detailed below, with detailed advice and guidance from WHO on their dedicated page.

Workplace policy Cyber criminals are known to have been impersonating HR and IT departments, with emails such as the one below:

How can I protect myself and my organisation from phishing attacks?

With a 667% increase in phishing emails reported between February and March, then we all need to be extra vigilant: 1. Don’t click on links in emails from people that you don’t know.

2. Avoid emails that insist that you act now.

3. Watch for emails that include generic greetings.

4. Don’t open emails purporting to contain important updates from your organisation, especially those that ask you to validate your credentials or install additional software to permit remote connectivity.

5. Check the grammar, punctuation and spelling of the email – in many cases, these are clear signs of a phishing email.

6. If you are at all in doubt, then the advice is to call the sender to verify the details.

If you would like to learn more about how to build your resilience to cyber threats during these uncertain times, then please contact us on Al.Sweet@wmr.co.uk or 07778 322230. ■

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Article

How to minimise the cost of Covid-19 to your practice C

ovid-19 has created a range of additional risks for law firms. In this article, James Robins and Ivan Roots of Womble Bond Dickinson, who are specialists in defending professional negligence claims, discuss some of the key risks that may arise and how best to mitigate them.

History teaches us that there is a correlation between recessions and professional negligence claims against solicitors. Recent weeks have seen a transformation in how law firms operate, with most moving to remote working. Many firms have invested heavily in their IT systems and have well developed business continuity plans but some do not.

Firms have also had to respond to the practical and evolving challenges of providing a legal service in lockdown. Litigation deadlines still need to be met. Trials will continue. Commercial deals will still go through. Private client solicitors have seen a huge surge in demand for wills. Many law firms are embracing technology and other creative solutions (for example “wills through the window”) but not all law firms will be agile enough to adapt quickly to these practical challenges and some may be using untested solutions.

Below we set out some of the more common problems firms will face and what steps they can take to mitigate their effects.

IT systems failing and critical deadlines being missed: ■ Risks of this nature can be mitigated by ensuring that a full review of all critical dates across teams is completed and then recorded in a location that can be accessed by all of the relevant people across the firm. For example, by recording all relevant critical dates within each file and then additionally in a central database or diary as well.

Cyber fraud especially on smaller firms with limited IT protection thereby increasing the firm’s exposure to breach of trust type claims: ■ Be extra vigilant of criminals taking advantage of the circumstances and phishing. Never download or open attachments from unsolicited emails. Do not follow links that you are unsure of and ensure that you do not give out any information unless you are completely sure it is not a scam.

■ All staff should be trained to recognise these types of scams and firms should consider if refresher training is necessary.

them to someone working from their own personal devices in order to protect this information.

Insufficiently developed business continuity plans and/or partners having to focus on managing the firm’s response to the crisis over client needs: ■ Everyone has been affected by Covid-19, including your clients. Make sure that you update all clients with regards to the firm’s situation wherever possible. If you are unable to provide a service to your client at all you must notify them as soon as you can, and advise that they find another solicitor.

■ Some firms may fail to notify claims or circumstances to insurers in accordance with policy terms because risks are harder to monitor remotely or simply due to operational and other pressures. The key here is to notify all claims or circumstances as promptly as possible as soon as they are discovered.

A material number of solicitors or other employees being sick or furloughed: ■ If you are operating with skeleton staff it is very important to make sure that all the staff are fully aware of policies relating to things such as handling client monies and other high risk areas, to prevent any potential claims arising.

■ Make sure that all staff on sick/furlough leave have updated out of office messages with appropriate alternative contacts.

Supervision regimes faltering: ■ The SRA still expects firms and their solicitors to meet the high standards that are usually expected even during these unprecedented times. However, they have made it clear that if any complaints are made against a firm or solicitor during, or as a result of these times, they will take a proportionate approach and take all of the factors into consideration.

■ If you do come across difficulties relating to supervision regimes faltering, it is very important that the approach taken is clearly documented. This means that it can easily be distinguished that you were trying to do the right thing. ■

James Robins & Ivan Roots Womble Bond Dickinson

Data breaches: ■ In order to prevent this, ensure all staff are using work devices provided by the firm (mobile phones, laptops) as far as possible. Ensure that you keep your all of your systems up to date, particularly remote connection software, as this will protect you from the latest known cyber vulnerabilities.

■ If members of staff do not have access to secure IT equipment, they must not handle client’s information. If it is absolutely necessary, redact any documents before sending

HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 17

Article

The Similar Sequel: Re Debenhams Retail Ltd [2020] EWHC 921 (Ch) following Re Carluccio’s Ltd [2020] EWHC 886 (Ch)

Background According to the Enterprise Research Centre, 21,000 more UK businesses collapsed in March 2020 compared with a year ago. With the uncertainty for businesses in the current Covid-19 crisis, the High Court decided that it should assist the insolvency profession. In absence of representative employees, it has recently handed down two non-binding decisions in response to urgent applications from high street brands.

In Re Carluccio’s Ltd [2020] EWHC 886 (Ch), for the purposes of paragraph 99, Schedule B1 of the Insolvency Act 1986, the Court decided when an employment contract would be ‘adopted’ where administrators use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“CJRS”). Under paragraph 99, where an employment contract is adopted (with no act within the first 14 days of the administrator’s appointment amounting to an adoption), liabilities under it qualifies as a super-priority in the administration, above the administrator’s remuneration, expenses and other creditors.

After their appointment on 30th March 2020, the Administrators sent out variation letters to most of the company’s employees, seeking agreement for their participation in the CJRS by 3rd April 2020. By 7th April 2020, whilst most had consented, a number had objected or not responded.

With the 14 day ‘safe period’ under paragraph 99 ending soon, the Administrators were keen to understand: how to lawfully give effect to the furlough arrangements with consenting employees; and whether they could avoid the adoption of the unvaried contracts so that they need not make the non-responding employees redundant before the end of the ‘safe period’.

The High Court held that: 1. An offer to place an employee into the CJRS, once accepted, constituted a variation of the employment contract.

2. A mere failure to terminate an employee’s contract within the 14 days will not automatically lead to adoption. For consenting employees, their varied contract will be adopted when the Administrators engage in conduct that amounts to an election to treat the contract as giving rise to a separate liability, such as making an application in respect of the employee under the CJRS, or paying the employee’s salary (Powdrill v Watson & Anor (Paramount Airways Ltd) [1995] 2 A.C. 394). This was irrespective of furloughed employees not rendering services or unilateral attempts to exclude adoption within the variation letter.

3. For objecting employees, their current contracts will not be considered varied or adopted and would likely be terminated by redundancy. For non-responding employees, if they consented within the 14 days or belatedly thereafter, assuming the variation letters had not been withdrawn, they will be in the same position as the consenting employees.

Otherwise, they will continue to be employed under their unvaried contract until it is terminated, but it will not be adopted where they do not work and the Administrators do nothing to amount to an adoption.

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Re Debenhams Retail Ltd [2020] EWHC 921 (Ch) concerned similar circumstances. However, the directors had placed most employees on furlough prior to administration and had not sought consent. On 10th April 2020, the day after the Administrators were appointed, variation letters were sent out asking employees to agree, which most consented to by the date of the hearing.

The Administrators challenged Re Carluccio’s and sought a declaration that if they merely kept employees on furlough and paid their salaries, the contracts would not be adopted.

Decision The High Court held that: 1. Re Carluccio’s should be followed and so after the initial 14 days, where a company made payments to an employee, or made an application in respect of that employee to the CJRS, their contract will be adopted.

2. A company that furloughed employees before administration and kept them on furlough, with payments merely being made to them pursuant to the CJRS, would not avoid adoption (Paramount Airways Ltd). This was irrespective of the intentions of administrators.

3. Payments to employees by way of reliance on paragraph 66, Schedule B1 of the Insolvency Act 1986 would not circumvent the adoption of such contracts.

Commentary 1. Administrators will welcome the consistency of these two decisions, dealing with circumstances in which employees have been furloughed before and after administration. This is especially considering the understandable lack of detail as to how the CJRS should operate with insolvency legislation.

2. However, whilst these decisions are not binding, administrators may be concerned that they represent a widening of the meaning of ‘adoption’ within paragraph 99, beyond the CJRS. This is particularly with regards to making payments to employees.

3. In these two cases, most employees consented to the variation letters with respect to the CJRS. For administrators to minimise the risk of potentially adopting liabilities under unvaried employment contracts, for non-responding employees, it is advisable for consent to be sought as quickly as possible. In this same respect, administrators and employees should remain alive to new developments in these exceptional times. ■

Edward Bates

Second Six Pupil Barrister 5 Pump Court Edward is a Second Six Pupil Barrister at 5 Pump Court. Prior to coming to the Bar, he worked in academia as a Lecturer-inLaw and Co-Director of the LLB Programme at City, University of London. He is also a Chartered Management Accountant (CGMA, ACMA) and started his professional career in Management Consulting at KPMG LLP.

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4 reasons why now’s the time to get social W

hether you have been furloughed or are working hard to juggle working from home with keeping sane during this current lockdown period we’re finding ourselves in, one thing is for sure: people are spending more time online than ever before. Whilst it’s too early for official research to confirm what the longer-term impact of COVID-19 will be on use of social platforms, we are seeing increased use and engagement on established social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

In a global survey of over 13,000 consumers, conducted between 16th-20th March, GWI found that 45% of global consumers spending more time on social media.* 1. People are looking for guidance: we find ourselves in a situation that nobody has ever experienced before, so people are understandably confused and anxious. Social platforms provide another way for consumers to look for professional advice to guide them through these tough times – from relationship advice to how to draw up a will, or indeed the probate process. Professionals such as lawyers are ideally placed to use their compassion and expert knowledge to provide much-needed guidance.

in #ClapfortheNHS) and people are more open to sharing their own experiences and positive reviews with their network.

So if you are offering free advice clinics or calls, encourage people to share their experiences on social media.

If you’d like any assistance, please get in touch with lara@consortiumbiz.co.uk ■

Lara Squires

Consortium Business Solutions * Source of data was https://econsultancy.com/stats-roundupCoronavirus-impact-on-marketing-ecommerce-advertising/

2. More time: chances are that with the daily commute and face-to-face socialising removed, people are more likely to spend more time on social channels. For those unfortunate individuals who have lost their jobs, they are likely to become more active on professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn, to look for new opportunities and expand their professional network.

3. Promotion in times of a crisis: Now is a great time to be promoting your business. The competition is likely to scale back on advertising and marketing activities so there is a genuine opportunity to raise your brand awareness and obtain a bigger share of the market. Getting the messaging right is key here – you want to be seen as compassionate, helpful and professional rather than overtly salesy.

4. User generated content is king: In tough times, communities come together to support each other. Values such as kindness and gratefulness are celebrated (as shown

HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 19

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Did you close your firm or retire after 30 September 2000 or are you now thinking about retirement or closing your firm?

I

f so, please read this important message from Nick Gurney-Champion, Chair, of the Law Society Professional Indemnity Insurance Committee: The Problem At present, the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) provides ongoing professional indemnity insurance (PII) to closed firms from the expiration of their mandatory 6 year run-off cover. However, after 30 September 2020 SIF will close to new claims.

This means that unless alternative arrangements are made, principals of closed firms, their estates, and perhaps individual employees, may be held liable for losses arising from previous work.

If your firm is in compulsory 6 year run-off, take action now!

If your firm is still in run-off, contact your broker as soon as possible to see if they can extend the policy beyond the end of its 6 year term.

What is SIF? When solicitors in England and Wales voted to move from a mutual insurance system to purchasing PII on the open market, the SIF fund was retained to meet claims and provide ongoing cover for firms that closed prior to that decision. Later, it was decided that SIF would extend ongoing cover for firms closing after 2000 until 2020 or when their mandatory 6 year run-off cover expired.

Why might you need post 6 year run-off cover?

Most general insurance policies operate on a ‘claims occurring’ basis. This means that they meet claims that occur during the policy period, regardless of when the claim is made. However, PII operates on a ‘claims made’ basis, which means that a policy will only meet claims that are made and reported during the period when a policy is in place. Unless you have a PII policy in place when a claim is made, it will not be covered.

When a firm closes without a successor practice, it goes into a mandatory 6 year run-off period. The 6 year requirement matches the primary limitation period within which negligence claims must be made. However, in certain circumstances claims can be made up to 15 years after the triggering event (and

20 HAMPSHIRE LEGAL

sometimes even longer). With the closure of SIF, solicitors may be found personally liable for claims made after 6 years.

What is the risk of claims arising after 6 years?

There is a significant risk of a claim arising after six years. Around 10% of claims arise after the compulsory 6 years’ run off has expired. If you operated in areas such as conveyancing, wills or child personal injury settlements, claims can occur decades after work was completed.

If you are currently protected by SIF, and are aware of any circumstances that could give rise to a claim, you should seriously consider contacting the former clients affected (or their beneficiaries), and encourage them to lodge claims with SIF by the 30 September 2020 deadline.

Who would benefit from a SIF replacement?

Solicitors carrying out certain types of work are more susceptible to post 6 year run-off claims. Two-thirds of claims arising more than 6 years after firms’ closures are in conveyancing, where negligence might not emerge until the property is resold many years later. The other long-tail claims category is wills and trusts.

SIF’s records suggest the number and value of post 6 year runoff claims can be broken down by category as follows: Area of Work

Volume of claims (%)

Value of claims (%)

Conveyancing

66

80

Wills, trusts and probate

28

10

Personal injury

5

9

Other litigation

1

1

Firms that carried out work which does not fit into these major categories may be less likely to benefit from a SIF replacement, but should in any event consider their potential liability before deciding against making alternative arrangements.

How can you get replacement cover?

You should contact your broker to see if they can arrange replacement cover. If they cannot, or they cannot provide it on acceptable terms, contact other brokers in good time.

Article

Replacement cover would not have to be on the SRA’s minimum terms, and less comprehensive cover may meet your needs.

Your chances of finding replacement cover will be improved if you can provide evidence of: ■ The amount of work in low risk areas, ■ Nature of risk management systems, ■ Details about the close down of your firm, ■ Having had a good claims history.

Evidence is crucial, so if you don’t have other records you should approach your previous insurer as soon as possible to request copies of your 3 most recent proposal forms, details of your last 6-10 years claims history and start gathering any other relevant papers that may still be available.

Who does not require replacement cover?

Firms that closed on or before 30 September 2000 will be covered by SIF in perpetuity.

How can you help?

I am anxious to ensure that as many people as possible who

may be affected are aware of action they should take as a result of the closure of SIF. Please pass this information on to retired colleagues, legal networks, and others who may otherwise be unaware of the closure of SIF. What is the Law Society doing about this?

The Law Society is still investigating whether it or the market will offer some form of replacement for SIF, but this may well not be possible. So, I recommend that you attempt to find as soon as possible a solution that will provide you with an appropriate level of cover.

As a result of the Covid-19 situation making any form of replacement for SIF even less likely, moves are underway to see whether the SRA would be prepared to alter their previous decision and postpone the closure of SIF. If the Law Society is successful with either of these, this will be announced on the website and in the legal press.

Where can you find further information?

Visit the Law Society website: www.lawsociety.org.uk/supportservices/advice/closure-of-SIF/ ■

LEAP software keeps law firms working remotely

B

en Aslet, LEAP UK Marketing Manager, explains how law firms using LEAP’s cloud-based practice management solution are successfully adapting to remote working and how it’s as near as can be business as normal for law firms using LEAP. He said LEAP have talked to several law firms using the software to find out how they are managing with life away from the office.

The current health crisis means that more and more legal professionals are working from home. Many are showing resilience and agility in the face of the lockdown and those firms that are equipped and have remote-friendly software are faring much better than those have not.

Mike Leeman, BLJ Solicitors comments “We now have 50 members of staff working seamlessly from home, thanks to LEAP Legal Software UK.” We have been working hard to support our clients to acclimatise during lockdown and the feedback that we have received has been incredibly encouraging with many very grateful that they made the transition to cloud software when they did so that their business can continue functioning remotely. Eliot Hibbert of Nexa Law adds: “LEAP is helping our lawyers continue to offer a seamless service in what is a challenging and unprecedented environment.”

Our Helpdesk and Client success teams have been touching base with our clients to ensure that they can continue to remain productive during the crisis and in many cases our clients are now beginning to understand the true value of LEAP. Paula Langley, Practice Manager, Bookers & Bolton says: “We love it! We are all happily working from home immediately and by taking our work machines home we have fully functioning desktops immediately.”

We are finding that firms are benefitting from LEAP’s existing integrations with leading software providers such as

LawConnect, for secure document sharing and collaboration with their client. As Stephanie Richardson, Office Manager, Evolve Family Law Ltd puts it: “We are able to create correspondence with all the enclosures without printing a single piece of paper, building bundles and briefs virtually with a click of a button and sharing securely via LawConnect.”

Many LEAP firms are using RapidPay which lets your clients pay you quickly and conveniently online. Ms. Bushra Ali, Director and Head of Practice of Bushra Ali Solicitors and Immediate Past President of the Leicestershire Law Society says: “We can claim fees from clients much quicker and more efficiently.

LEAP made it possible for us to shift all our staff to work from home and to be able to operate the entire firm remotely.”

We also hope that our clients will appreciate our continued development of the software to help law firms to work from home during this difficult time. Since the beginning of lockdown LEAP have launched some additional exciting new features that will benefit law firms when working from home. Via the LEAP Mobile App, iPhone and iPad users can now make FaceTime video and audio calls to clients and other parties, time record these calls and can invite clients to prearranged FaceTime meetings.

LEAP now integrates with Microsoft Teams, meaning law firms can work across multiple locations and staff can share and collaborate on documents and matters, conduct audio or video calls across the team and schedule client call backs directly from LEAP using Microsoft Teams’ instant messaging service.

At LEAP we are committed to making our software ever easier to use and more versatile so that our law firms can get on with doing what they do best – practising law. We were one of the first legal software vendors to utilise cloud technology and the fact that our clients are able to function remotely so well is a validation of the work our research and development teams have been undertaking for many years. Stay safe everybody, and keep your clients happy! ■

HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 21

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22 HAMPSHIRE LEGAL

Auctioneers

Clive Emson’s late March sales were hurriedly, but successfully moved to an on-line format and the sale, held on April 1st proved to be anything but an April Fool with strong success achieved and many sellers delighted at the prices that were achieved on their behalf.

With virtual tours, video and photography providing information to buyers, a good many would be buyers were still keen to bid and compete for many of the Lots that were offered, with the bidding window for each Lot extended if a bid was made in the last 5 minutes of on-line bidding, ensuring that all other interested parties had chance to bid afresh and that the seller had the satisfaction of knowing that best price had been achieved on the fall of the electronic gavel.

Land and run-down properties were particularly popular in the 1st April sale, but property of all types was successfully sold including Freehold Ground Rents, residential and commercial investments, lock up garages and even a former reservoir!

F

or over 30 years, Clive Emson Land & Property Auctioneers have been offering a bespoke auction service across the south of England, with some 40 auctions held across the region publicised in eight auction catalogues, which includes eight sales a year held at the Solent Hotel at Whiteley covering Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight.

While the onset of the Covid-19 virus has stopped most conventional property transactions in their tracks, on-line auctions have allowed the opportunity for business to continue for those wishing to sell sooner rather than later.

A further on-line sale is being held on 6th May with over 60 Lots from across the region being offered for sale and with a further on-line sale planned for 17th June, Clive Emson Auctioneers are doing their best to keep the property wheels turning for all of those with pressing disposal or purchase requirements.

For further details on the on-line auction process or conventional auction selling when life returns to normal, contact Rob Marchant, the Auctioneer and Regional Director for Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, 01489 564606. â–

The Leading Independent Regional Land & Property Auctioneers Covering Southern England

DISCOVER a great way to buy and sell land and property

Our next land and property auctions will be held on:> 6th May - Catalogue available now. Bidding live from 8am on Wednesday 6th May > 17th June - Catalogue available from 29th May. Entries close 27th May

ENTRIES CONTINUALLY INVITED FOR OUR UPCOMING SALES

SUITABLE LOTS INCLUDE:

Vacant Residential for Improvement; Residential and Commercial Investments; Vacant Commercial; All Types of

Land; Development Sites & Conversion Projects; Garages (lock-up & compounds); Freehold Ground Rents and the Unique and Unusual.

Clive Emson Auctioneers was founded in 1989 to supply a high profile auctioneering facility.

Selling by auction is often the BEST method of sale.

Telephone: 01489 564606 Website: cliveemson.co.uk Email: hampshire@cliveemson.co.uk Hampshire Legal - half page - H134mm x W183mm - new.indd 1

Join us on: 20/04/20 15:17:0523 HAMPSHIRE LEGAL

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The knowledge you need, the service you value.

For over 20 years, Geodesys has been perfecting its comprehensive suite of conveyancing search solutions to clients throughout the UK. Today our bespoke service – including impartial advice, EU-compliant due diligence, secure file management and dedicated support – provides total peace of mind and total compliance every time.

Geodesys. All you need to know.

Call 0800 085 8050 Email customer.services@geodesys.com 24 HAMPSHIRE LEGAL

www.geodesys.com

Conveyancing

Change is a constant in conveyancing Law Society outlines changes to the Conveyancing Quality Scheme

T

he recent Geodesys CPD event saw Eleanor O’ReillyJoe, Head of Accreditation at the Law Society and Peter Rodd, CQS Chief Assessor, bring the packed room upto-speed on recent changes to the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS).

What’s new with the CQS? First launched in January 2011, the Law Society scheme offers a recognisable standard of excellence in the provision of residential conveyancing services.

In February 2019, the CQS Core Practice Management Standards were updated and expanded. All firms were required to update and embed the requirements by 1 May 2019.

Since the introduction of these changes, the Law Society has increased the level of support it has in place to drive continuous improvement. From November 2019 to January 2020 it carried out an assessment pilot to monitor compliance amongst members and provide feedback.

What did the pilot reveal?

The pilot included both desk-based assessment, focussing on typically high areas of risk such as file reviews, SDLT and leasehold conflict, and on-site visits, which also included the assessment of policies and procedures. Both types of assessment were designed to audit the law firm against the updated Core Practice Management Standards.

The assessments identified non-compliant aspects across all Core Practice Management Standards.

The solution: resolving non-compliance If a conveyancing practice is found to be non-compliant, it receives a letter from the Law Society laying out any breaches and suggesting a corrective course of action. They are then given a fixed period of time to correct infractions (21 days for minor breaches and three months for major breaches,) after which they are obligated to provide evidence of the corrective action they have taken.

The assessor’s view Peter Rodd stressed that risks in conveyancing had increased enormously in recent years and those involved in conveyancing could not afford to be complacent when it came to make the necessary changes to their processes. He urged firms to be particularly vigilant when it came to the following areas of risk: ■ Fraud: Peter advised that all conveyancing teams should have a list of red flags that could be indicators of fraud. For example, is it reasonable that the buyer could have saved a significant amount of money? There are various clues which should prompt a request to the seller’s solicitor to share due diligence.

■ SDLT: Every transaction should have its SDLT calculation double-checked to make sure it is based on the right information. SDLT threatens to become the next PPI scandal as unscrupulous companies encourage dissatisfied clients to put in a claim.

■ Client care: Client expectations are usually very different to the reality so it’s important to be as upfront as possible as to how long the transaction is going to take. To avoid buyers feeling that nothing is happening, conveyancers should agree levels of communication at the outset.

Conveyancing: change is a constant Peter also stressed that change would continue to be a constant theme in conveyancing so those involved in property transactions should keep an eye on the Law Society’s website for details of practice notes. Further changes to CQS will be announced in 2020 and the Law Society will be offering a number of briefing sessions to all those involved in conveyancing compliance.

Over the last year Geodesys has been working with the Law Society to promote the CQS in order to help our clients. We have also introduced the Geodesys Compliance Service which can help conveyancing teams ensure they are complying to the updated CQS Core Practice Management Standards. ■

HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 25

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evil bots lurk in every corner.

Sending sensitive client data by email puts you in their reach.

Thankfully we can make sure you are properly protected.

From instruction to completion, protect, share and obtain signatures.

Document Portal; a clever new solution, only available with Brighter Law. Find out more at poweredbypie.co.uk

26 HAMPSHIRE LEGAL

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poweredbypie accelerates introduction of online communication tool: Document Portal

W

ith many law firms now working from home, search and software provider poweredbypie, has announced an accelerated introduction of its new online communication tool Document Portal. Document Portal enables simple and secure electronic exchange of all documentation within the conveyancing process, particularly helpful when email is not secure and meeting clients in person is not possible.

Carole Ankers, chief product & technology officer, poweredbypie explains: “Working from home creates a new set of challenges when it comes to communicating with clients. Document Portal is directly integrated into poweredbypie’s Brighter Law tool kit and helps law firms stay in touch with clients by providing a safe, secure alternative to email and post for the exchange of sensitive information. It allows clients to sign and return documents, speeding up processes and keeping you on top of your workflow in this unusual situation.”

Chris Thomson, partner, McKeag & Co Solicitors confirms: “As a beta client for Document Portal we recently had a homebuyer register for Document Portal for a new property transaction.

They got the client care pack, opened the documents, signed and returned them securely within two hours! With this communication typically taking a week or more through the post, suddenly, we can see how to make the, often stressful, process of buying a new home much more convenient for customers, giving us as a law firm a real competitive edge and saving time throughout the workflow of the transaction. Online communication has become even more important recently and Document Portal now offers a convenient option to stay safe and communicate with our clients securely.”

Carole Ankers continues: “Home networks may be even more susceptible to a cyber-attack and so a secure way

to communicate with clients has never been so essential.

Document Portal removes the risk of fraud, providing secure 2 Factor Authentication to store and share legal documents which are accessible only to those with authorised access.

“Document Portal is both simple to use and set-up, we try and make life easy for law firms! A document portfolio can be created which includes intuitive, editable forms and digital signature facility provided by the leading eSignature brand DocuSign. Not only does this provide a secure, streamlined environment for client data, it also highlights to the client exactly what information needs to be filled-in, first time, every time. Clients can also upload their own documents, further negating the need for post.

“White label branding means that the end customer has a seamless experience of your brand: from getting a quote in our online calculator tool, to eSigning in Document Portal. The overall faster conveyancing process with real time notifications, leads to happier clients who are more likely to recommend your services in these tough market conditions. We take care of all the integration and setup, all that’s left for you to do is to use it and start to feel the benefits.”

To find out more or to book an online demo with your account manager please see: https://poweredbypie.co.uk/lp/document-portal.html In response to the current situation, we have also updated our online CPD training programme with several new courses to help you while working at home. To view available sessions and book your place, please see: https://mailchi.mp/poweredbypie/training For further information please see: www.poweredbypie.co.uk ■

HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 27

Finance

Cash Flow Modelling – Vital for Financial Planning and particularly on divorce

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key role, arguably the key role, of a financial planner is to help a client meet all of their financial objectives throughout their lifetime, and one of the most important objectives for most clients is to ensure that they have sufficient money saved to provide them with the retirement that they want.

The two key questions that need to be asked, and answered, are “When do you want to retire?” and “How much income will you require to live comfortably when you do?”. Without having the answers to these two questions I do not know how any financial planner can comment or advise on a client’s pensions, yet I often speak to new clients who have come to me for various reasons, whose previous adviser had never asked them these questions. Can you imagine a pilot flying a plane without knowing the destination or time of arrival?

With these two answers confirmed it is then possible to realistically create and work on a financial plan, which specifically targets the client’s objectives. Knowing when a client wishes to retire and on how much per month or year, enables me to calculate how much they need to have built up in their pension funds to enable them to generate the income that they need. From this it is then possible to calculate how much the client needs to save per month and what annual investment return is needed to achieve their retirement objectives.

I have met clients who have a personal investment manager (IM) who manages their portfolio, and at a review meeting the IM compares their performance against the benchmark, against the sector, against the FTSE 100 etc, thinking they have done a good job because they have provided a slightly better return compared to those. But the key return they should be focusing on is the return that the client needs to achieve their objective. If the IM hasn’t achieved this return, then their clients are not going to achieve their goal. So, whilst it is nice to beat a benchmark, it has no real relevance to a client’s financial plans, yet so many people focus on comparative returns.

A key tool that I use with clients to help calculate what annual return is needed for their portfolio is Cash Flow Planning. This involves software which takes account of a client’s current situation (assets, liabilities, income, expenditure) and then models how these factors will change up to and through retirement.

This then allows me to analyse various key outcomes and make changes to the client’s financial plan to improve their situation.

Areas such as minimising Inheritance Tax, calculating how much a client needs to save each month, how much can they spend in retirement, how much life cover they need, how resilient their investments are to a market crash, tax efficient decumulation, and as previously mentioned, what annual return do they need to meet all of their objectives and not run out of money.

Notably, Cash Flow Planning is also a hugely powerful tool when it comes to helping a client financially navigate their way through a divorce. I recently met a new client, Mr Stevens, in London who is going through divorce and he understandably wanted to discuss how any pension split would affect his retirement plans.

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Having input all his current information into the software, we looked at how his existing pensions were projecting to perform and whether he was on track for his desired retirement, which he was. I was then able to factor in a large loss in his pensions (in this case he was expecting to lose 40% of his pensions to his ex-wife), which allowed me to clearly illustrate how the divorce would affect his retirement plans. Unsurprisingly if Mr Stevens did lose 40% of his pension, this would have a noticeably detrimental impact on his retirement plans. Facing the prospect of running out of money midway through his retirement, or having a lot less to spend in retirement than he would like, I was then able to use the Cash Flow Planning software to calculate how much extra money he would have to save from now until retirement to ensure he had enough money accumulated to provide a suitable retirement income.

Mr Stevens was then able to use this newly calculated monthly pension contribution amount when it came to his financial settlement negotiations, because one major concern for him was being faced with a significant spousal maintenance obligation. He was planning to use this figure to argue how much of his income he needed to retain to ensure he wasn’t going to suffer in retirement.

In conclusion therefore I hope this article has demonstrated that without knowing what a client is trying to achieve, it is impossible to know whether their portfolio is performing well for them, and that a financial planner, using cash flow modelling, is vital to work with family solicitors to assist both divorcees and divorcers to move forward with their financial lives post-divorce. ■

David Gibb

Chartered Financial Planner & Chartered Wealth Manager STEP Affiliate If you would like to find out more about cash flow modelling from Quilter Private Client Advisers or be put in touch with your local office please email QPCA@quilter.com or call Jane Birchall on 07471 354933. QPCA, as SIFA Professional members are proud to be feature on the SIFA Directory of Professional Advisers: www.sifa-directory.info

Finance

The Winners will be the firms who embrace Transparency and go beyond what is required

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n the 5th of March the SRA issued an update reminding firms of their obligations under the ‘Transparency’ rules, that came into force in December 2018.

“The aim is to help people, who currently struggle to shop around for legal services, more easily find the information they need to help them find the right legal help for them. The rules also include using our clickable logo, which became mandatory last November, which verifies that you are a law firm that we regulate and tells the public about the protections in place.”

It is crucial to understand that these rules were established to serve in the solicitor firm’s best interests. The regulator wants to ensure that potential customers are better able to compare different legal services providers. Indeed, the SRA highlighted that 71% of the consumers they surveyed spent over I hour researching providers. How positively your firm responds to the principles of Transparency may define future success.

This current climate where client activity is likely to be limited is an excellent time to reflect on how your website has embraced the rules and perhaps to go far beyond what is required and to differentiate yourselves from competitors who may not be recognising the opportunity.

The SRA’s first website sweep exercise in the spring of 2019 showed that 17% of regulated firms, after 6 months, had not done anything in compliance of the new rules. The regulator has now completed a second similar exercise and whilst the full outcome has not been published as I write, the following sound bite from the SRA suggests firms are still not embracing rules, aimed to benefit them and assist them attract new clients: “The second of these has been completed and where we found non-compliance, we are considering potential enforcement action. More checks on firm websites will follow.”

Obviously since November, in line with the new Standards and Regulations, we now have the whole picture, regarding exactly what is compulsory. This now includes prominently displaying the SRA Digital Badge, your own, the SRA’s and Legal Ombudsman complaints procedures and all the core areas when you must show costs, who is delivering the services, likely timescales and disbursements. Therefore, this article is not to cover old ground or the basic requirements of Transparency, more to look at some tips to embrace the challenge and show your business in the best possible light to potential customers, in need of legal advice or services, that are undertaking web based research.

The following ideas will be included in a new marketing leaflet for our SIFA Professional financial advisory members, to reach out and support their legal colleagues. Here is an insight and I hope it gives you food for thought:

SIFA Professional Guidance on going beyond ‘Transparency’ ■ It is not always about a low price; it is about value – So include as much information as you can about the services you are describing. Be aware that SRA research, however, does show consumers are attracted to known, fixed costs.

(SRA research indicates 32% of consumers see price as a key factor.)

■ Plain language is advisable – Avoid legal jargon and describe the processes and stages in easy to understand ways.

■ Why limit the exercise to the compulsory services in the rules? – To have full details on the costs and aspects of the compulsory services and not in others seems pointless.

The SRA began with core, most utilised services but this was just the start of the reforms but to a consumer, having full information for some services and less for others may look odd or even suspicious.

■ Staff Biographies are strongly recommended – You are required to include details and qualifications of the individuals involved in delivering the described services but why not go further. Full biographies with pictures of the solicitor and any support staff a new client is likely to deal with in the course of the process, personalises the experience from outset. More so if you can include personal non work-related background as well.

■ Encourage your key solicitors to write blogs about how they deliver their service and work with clients and use these on your website. This is a further comfort and personalisation factor in the potential client’s research.

■ Use social media – a profile demonstrating your firms and individual solicitors’ credentials and expertise linking back to your website could be a differentiator.

■ Display your firm’s awards, consumer service standards and kite marks of quality.

■ Ensure you have a testimonial section on your website.

Ideally one for each area of law/service. (Happy and satisfied clients are a crucial factor for consumers, with the SRA indicating that 42% of those surveyed seeing reputation as the key factor.)

■ Be proud to show work with other carefully selected third parties – Modern clients think holistically and require a holistic approach to their problems and needs. It is therefore beneficial if your website informs them that you operate that way and will refer them to other professionals, such as financial advisers, if a financial planning need arises from the legal service you are providing.

In essence, your website is the modern-day shop window and the more enticing and welcoming it looks, the more likely new customers are to walk in. Particularly important if your window is not the only one, they are looking in! ■

David Seager

Managing Director SIFA Professional

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Remote working

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OVID-19 is bringing a host of different challenges to junior law professionals, both in terms of their work and their mental well-being. Particularly as a trainee or newly qualified solicitor, working at home feels alien. A lot of junior lawyers live in a shared flats, which can add further pressure to the working day, particularly if you have 4 people sharing the already weak Wi-Fi.

updates on legal issues, perhaps with regard to remote hearings or the law surrounding pandemics or unexpected events. This is a great way for junior people to use their skills to help to support their department, if they have the capacity to do so. Junior lawyers also shouldn’t be afraid to keep up regular contact with those supervising them, which is fortunately easy over the telephone and also over video, via Zoom or Skype.

A common issue amongst fellow junior lawyers is that they are expected to learn from colleagues, particularly senior colleagues, at work. We absorb knowledge, experience and skills from working with these colleagues in an office environment.

Another common issue amongst fellow junior lawyers is that it they miss their friendships and the camaraderie of the office and feel isolated working from home. There are plenty of ways to keep connected with others in your team. Great ideas are organising quiz nights for the team, perhaps on Friday evening, as well as having regular team meetings. Even meeting up for a coffee break with a colleague over Zoom can help to make you feel more connected to your work-place.

Most firms arrange for trainees and junior lawyers to sit with or in proximity to more senior people and there is a good reason for that: there needs to be direct interaction between individuals for the training process to work at its best. That is not to say that remote working makes such interaction not possible, but it certainly makes it more difficult.

Picture a trainee solicitor, new to a department, who is asked to work from home after only one week in his or her department or team. They might be glad to have interesting work to do, and might have regular communication with several lawyers with whom they are working. They are, however, already at a big disadvantage from not knowing the individuals within the team, not having had an opportunity to chat to them in the kitchen, or to be asked to attend meetings with the people they are working with (perhaps at the last minute). There are many examples which make it clear that this is very far from an ideal scenario.

There is a big difference between the trainee and/or the newly qualified solicitor, and the junior lawyer who has been with the team for a little while. The latter already has the rapport with his or her peers. The former is at a significant disadvantage in that they are trying to make a good impression from a distance, despite the virtual meetings.

So, what can we do about it? It is the responsibility of everyone in the team to ensure that the junior lawyers feel properly integrated, including the other fellow junior lawyers in the team.

Anecdotally, the sort of things that can really help to keep junior lawyers integrated are the following: regular team meetings within a department, talks or training/ team-building sessions and offers for or from junior people to provide, for example,

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It can also be more difficult to wind down after working at home.

When working in a high pressure job, it is natural to want to unwind by, for example, going to meet friends, which we are currently unable to do. Developing a routine, eating healthily and taking regular exercise can really help with this. Although it is easy to carry on working past the time you normally would if you were at work when working from home, doing this can affect your sleep pattern and your energy and attention span the following day.

If you are feeling nervous about COVID-19, you are not alone.

There are people and organisations available to talk to. If you feel as though you need some emotional support, you can contact charities such as Mind, Samaritans or SBA, Solicitors’ Charity (please see their advert in this edition). For further information on how the Junior Lawyers’ Division are supporting junior solicitors during the COVID-19 outbreak, please see our website. ■

Olivia Longrigg Solicitor Dawson Cornwell

Internet

Is this a permanent change to working life?

Asks Trevor Cook, MD of Go Internet, www.gointernet.co.uk.

There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that many firms across the country are conducting their business. Employees who would ordinarily begin their working days in an office have begun to complete their work from home.

Will COVID-19 serve as the catalyst for change within businesses with home working becoming the norm?

Cloud computing has become more popular in recent years with many businesses offloading on-premise servers in favour cloud solutions like Office 365 or Googles G-Suite. Perhaps it’s also time to consider your office phone system. Traditionally, old fashioned IDSN phone systems have consisted of on-site PBX (wall mounted private exchange) offering little in the way of flexibility and mobility. It is also worth nothing that by 2025 BT are phasing out ISDN, the technology used to deliver multi-line telephony over an copper line – so the market it slowly shifting towards hosted VoIP Phone systems, so don’t leave it until the last minute to investigate alternative solutions.

internet product for most businesses considering a shift to Hosted VoIP is EoFTTC. Ethernet over FTTC is very similar to ordinary fibre broadband except it is assured for voice, and has a guaranteed fix time of 7 hours 24/7/365. What does this mean for your business? Because it is assured for VoIP the definition of a fault on this product is different. If there is excessive jitter or packet loss on the connection affecting the VoIP service we can have this looked into, whereas on an ordinary broadband connection this would not be possible.

Getting the end to end solution is the most important thing.

By providing the internet connectivity, a managed and monitored router and the hosted VoIP service, the journey for the user is all complete. Find out how this can transform your business working. ■ www.gointernet.co.uk

So what is VoIP and how can hosted VoIP help my business?

Hosted VoIP is a service where a virtual phone system is hosted on servers based in the service providers data-centres, meaning that your business can have a fully functioning phone system without needing to purchase or pay to maintain an on-site PBX. Hosted VoIP includes all of the features that you would expect from a modern telephone system. Those benefits include Interactive Voice Response (IVR) / Auto Attendant, Ring Groups, Music on Hold, Conference Calling, Voicemail to name a few.

Calls are delivered to the business over an internet connection.

There are a variety of ways to connect to a hosted VoIP service, of course the most popular form is an IP desk phone – however there are alternatives. If your team work out of the office regularly, then a connected mobile app is perfect and can be used either exclusively or it can mirror your desk phone. Therefore, calls to an extension within the business can be picked up at the desk or on the move. Outbound calls from the mobile app also present your customers with your office number keeping your business calls on brand.

Remote Working Is Easier With VoIP Lower costs Complete portability Clearer voice quality Supports multitasking Higher scalability & flexibility

Hosted VoIP is perfect for businesses working out of multiple offices at different locations or where staff work from home.

By putting your telephone system into the cloud, all of the phones within the business become a part of a single phone system. Calls can be answered in London and transferred to Southampton with the press of a few buttons.

So what does this mean for my internet connection?

By moving your phone system to the cloud, it does increase the reliance on your business internet connection so choosing the right kind of internet connection is important. Choosing a broadband product with the correct SLA (Service Level Agreement) for your business is essential. A perfect entry level

For more information visit:

www.gointernet.co.uk HAMPSHIRE LEGAL 31

Software

Taking software integration from zero to hero When it comes to software, attempting to be ‘all things to everyone’ is a naïve goal necessitating a never-ending journey. You’re going to have a number of software applications, from business intelligence and case management to document management and legal accounting, plus everything in between.

Central to any law firm is, of course, your clients and matters: ■ It’s your clients you need to undertake checks for money laundering ■ It’s your clients for whom you need to complete statutory forms and e-submissions ■ It’s your clients for whom you need to present evidence for court ■ It’s your clients with whom and about whom you need to correspond ■ It’s your clients you need to service as best you can At Quill, we focus software development on integration relating to managing clients and matters. With our complete practice management software, pick ‘n’ mix solutions and third-party integrators, you get the right systems for optimum client and matter management. Whether you select Quill-only or Quill-and-other-suppliers, it’s best-of-breed IT with full and seamless integration.

Compared to running standalone systems with data stored disparately, integration streamlines processes, enhances efficiencies, simplifies administration, reduces costs, provides analytical insights, strengthens security, improves collaboration and more. These benefits add up to superior customer service provision. Happy clients who bring repeat instructions and recommend your legal services to others are good for business.

Let’s take a moment to think how you do your daily work. Your desktop is central, right? The majority of us begin, return to and end the working day on our desktop. It’s the central area behind the windows in our graphical user interface where we host shortcuts to our most-used systems and documents.

That’s why we’ve made integration with the desktop environment the focus of recent software development efforts. Integration between your desktop and our Interactive application keeps getting cleverer.

You can easily hop between a client’s matter in Interactive and Word or Outlook, and vice versa. With our new qSync application, you can send any documentation from your desktop to Interactive’s Document Hub with a right click allowing you to save the correct documents against the correct matter ready for reviewing or bundling (more on this later!) on another day.

Essentially, qSync empowers local working and global sharing.

To all intents and purposes, you work locally on your desktop.

In actuality, your desktop’s connected to the cloud so you work collaboratively as a team.

We also cater for the trend of spending each day working in Microsoft Word and Outlook with our MS Office add-ins. Add-ins create deep integration between your Microsoft systems and Interactive database and matter files, affording productivity enhancing features such as auto-detected-and-stored caserelated emails, auto-saved documentation and appointment calendaring. A comprehensive library of all Word-and-Outlook-

32 HAMPSHIRE LEGAL

generated correspondence is then readily accessible from your Document Hub. On the subject of correspondence, Interactive Forms is our latest integration addition. Comprising an extensive catalogue of legal forms, you sign in singly to Interactive, edit popular and template forms from the customisable control panel, enter data once which is populated from your database to merge fields, and assign part or fully completed forms to the relevant matter in your Document Hub. There’s a whole lot more to Interactive Forms than this, not least e-submissions to government agencies, document bundling for court packs, and sharing of forms with clients, peers and counsel.

Even better, choose outsourced typing for dictation via our Type App with typed-up forms saved straight back into your Document Hub. The bonus being that our pay-as-you-go outsourcing model can lead to 40% overheads reduction compared to in-house costs and you’ve got more time for servicing clients.

Taking into account the growing demand for remote working, due to court attendance and other off-site commitments, Interactive has its own smartphone app. This is another example of smooth integration in play. With an internet connection and using the same secure log-in, you can perform all manner of tasks to progress matters on the go. Functionality has pretty much the same capabilities as the standard version of Interactive.

At the outset of this client-centric activity is the requirement to execute due diligence with anti-money laundering and credit checks. Doing so ensures your customers’ identities are legitimate and they have sufficient funds. Our integrated AML tool gives protection against financial crime by enabling AML or AML-plus-credit checks during client set-up, with instant pass or fail status, and lifetime storage of results.

So far, we’ve covered only Quill products on their own and demonstrated how Interactive is more than just a legal accounts system. There’s Quill-and-other-suppliers as well. Our API with third-party vendors facilitates auto-transfer of data between the two systems. Whatever’s entered into the third-party system is auto-populated to ours. They operate as one.

We have integrations in place with various case management, legal forms, document bundling, compliance management and workflow automation software suppliers. And we’re dedicated to continued third-party integrations.

We offer these integration options on a pick ‘n’ mix basis. You’re in control. We sort out the integration accordingly. Every bespoke package is surprisingly affordable and comes with awardwinning support. ■

Julian Bryan

Managing Director, Quill

Software

Staff retention in the era of the Millennial Millennials comprise around half of today’s workforce and are set to takeover 75 percent of the global workforce by 2025. A generation often mislabelled as entitled are simply different than the generations past. In order to retain millennial talent in an unpredictable economic climate, businesses need to focus on what employees expect from their careers. What I can tell you is, it isn’t all about ping pong tables, bean bags and free drinks on a Friday.

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recent study from Gallup suggests a staggering 87 percent of employees worldwide are disengaged in the workplace. That translates into an ineffective workforce with reduced productivity, increased sick leave and general negativity.

However, there is good news! It isn’t too late to ensure we’re set up for the future.

First, we must recognise what expectations millennials have of their careers. For many, it is purpose, fulfilment and the appropriate tools to complete that work. As digital natives they have grown with technologisation of the modern world. Born in the 80’s and 90’s, they watched televisions and radios switch from analogue to digital, cassettes transform into CD’s and then streaming services, and personal computers became a part of everyday life. Taking this rapid uptake of tech in their stride, they understand the value of the right tools at home and in the workplace.

While addressing purpose and fulfilment will come from a cultural shift and a shared understanding of the ‘why’, technology still seems to be a sticking point. 67% of millennials said it was the biggest source of intergenerational conflict in the workplace,

according to research from Robert Walters. When staff, regardless of age, are bogged down by arduous administrative processes, they can struggle to find purpose in their work.

Especially those who have studied to specialise in law, who are spending their days saving, uploading, printing and posting documents. They demand automated processes using the right technology to free up time to practise their chosen career more efficiently and rewardingly.

The reality is, implementing this sort of valuable technology into your business model not only aids staff retention and satisfaction, but also provides rewarding customer experiences – more home movers than ever are millennials and expect the tech to match – as well as increased profitability and productivity. Embracing the evolution of workplace technology will not only keep you in stride with your employees, but also your customers. ■

Adam Bullion

General Manager of Marketing InfoTrack

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Working from home

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any of us will be working at home for a while which will be challenging. Being out of the office and a change in our routine combined with limited social interaction in these difficult and uncertain times might cause feelings of worry, fear and loneliness. At LawCare we don’t have an office space and all our team work remotely, so here are our tips from our own experiences to help you look after yourself when working at home.

Set up your space It’s important to try and create boundaries between work life and home life, and having a dedicated area to work in can help. Not all of us will have an office or spare room to work in, but try and find a quiet area of the house where you can set up a desk area.

Stick to a routine As tempting as it is to stay in your pyjamas all day or sit at your laptop at 10pm it’s important to get dressed and try and stick to a regular routine and your usual working pattern, where possible.

This will help you stay focused and keep work separate from home life.

Boundaries If you have to change your normal working hours or work flexibly due to childcare or other commitments set boundaries where possible. Perhaps you and your partner can do shifts, or you can work early in the morning or late at night in order to take some time off in the day. You might want to have a set time of day where you can’t be disturbed. Let other colleagues know about your routine and boundaries so you can manage their expectations.

Reach out Keep in regular contact with colleagues, friends and family using phone, Skype, Facetime rather than just sending emails and texts. It can be isolating working at home and we all need to feel connected to each other. It’s especially important to look out for those who live alone, make sure you are checking in with people.

34 HAMPSHIRE LEGAL

Disable notifications Avoid constantly checking your emails, whats apps and news feeds. It’s very easy to get distracted and sometimes too much information will trigger feelings of worry. Turn off alerts and check them every few hours so you can stay focused.

Take breaks Take regular breaks, including a lunch break, just as you would if you were at the office. If practical try and get out for a walk every day.

Prioritise self care It’s easy to let healthy habits slip when we are at home but make sure you eat well, get to bed at a reasonable time and find time to do some exercise. You might not be able to go to the gym but you can go for a run, do some gardening or do an online exercise video.

Sickness It can be harder to call in sick if you are at home anyway, and many of us will be tempted to do a few hours work even if we are unwell. If you are ill, you really should rest, follow any medical advice and not work at all to protect your future health.

Be mindful Mindfulness is about being in the present moment. None of us know what the future holds so try and focus on the here and now rather than the bigger picture.

Seek support We’re all in the same boat, but these difficult, uncertain times will affect some of us more than others. If you’re finding it hard to cope, just talking to someone can make you feel less worried.

LawCare offers a free, confidential emotional support service to all legal professionals, their support staff and families. We’re here to listen, with helpline calls, emails and webchats answered in confidence by trained staff and volunteers who have first-hand experience of working in the law. We also have a network of peer supporters.

If you need to talk call our free, independent and confidential helpline on 0800 279 6888, email support@lawcare.org.uk or visit www.lawcare.org.uk ■

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