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President’s Jottings
President’s Jottings
WINTER 2025
Once again, the Awards event was a resounding success, with an incredible turnout that exceeded all expectations. The atmosphere was electric, and the evening flowed seamlessly—thanks to the impeccable organisation of Helen and Elouise, who truly outdid themselves in putting together such a memorable occasion.
A special shoutout goes to Alex Macqueen, whose engaging and entertaining speech added an extra layer of charm to the evening. His wit and insight had the crowd captivated, leaving everyone both entertained and inspired.
Many congratulations to all the winners on the night! Your hard work and dedication are truly deserving of this recognition. As always, the Awards presented an excellent opportunity to shine a spotlight on the outstanding legal talent within Surrey, celebrating the remarkable achievements that continue to raise the bar in the industry.
It was a night filled with great energy, inspiring stories, and the undeniable sense of pride in the incredible legal community here in Surrey.
This week, I had the privilege of attending the Senior and Managing Partners Dinner hosted by Evelyn Partners, where the findings of the annual Law Firm Survey were discussed. The conversation that followed was both insightful and thought-provoking. For those interested, a copy of the full report is available at www.evelyn.com/campaigns/law-firmsurvey-2024/download-report/.
Next week will see the return of the Annual Quiz & Pizza Night! I hope to see several of you there and good luck to all who are taking part!
This year, conveyancers across Surrey and the UK came together in opposition to the introduction of a new version of the TA6 form. Concerns were raised that the revised form would lead to further delays, place conveyancers in the position of offering guidance intended for estate agents, contradict the principle of caveat emptor, and undermine the spirit of the CQS protocol. There were also fears that it would increase conveyancers' potential liabilities, leading to higher professional indemnity insurance premiums.
This strong wave of concern led to a call for a Vote of No Confidence in the CEO of the Law Society, Ian Jeffery, and the then President, Nick Emmerson. The motion was ultimately defeated with 207 votes against, 123 in favour, and 20 abstentions, though the Law Society promised to engage more closely with its members on the issue. Following this, a consultation was conducted with over 1,200 members, involving surveys, interviews, research-led group discussions, online webinars, workshops, and roundtables. As a result, the Law Society announced the postponement of the TA6 5th Edition until 15 January.
However, earlier this month, Law Society CEO Ian Jeffery issued another update stating, "It has become clear that January next year is not a realistic date by which to analyse all the evidence and take the next steps to ensure we have the best outcome possible. We have therefore decided to extend the period that both forms can be used until we have completed that work." A further update will be issued in the new year.
The Law Society confirmed that members of the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) will remain compliant if they use either the TA6 (4th Edition, second revision, 2020) or the TA6 (5th Edition, 2024). Having attended several of the consultations, I was truly impressed by the overwhelming solidarity and near-unanimous support for abandoning the new version of the form. It was remarkable to see so many conveyancers united on this issue. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next!
As my term draws to a close, it’s been a pleasure getting to know so many of you. Thank you to everyone who supported my fundraising efforts.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year!
Dawn Lawson
President Surrey Law Society
Correction and Apology – Autumn Issue of Surrey Lawyer
We regret to inform readers of an error in the Autumn Issue of Surrey Lawyer magazine, specifically in the article by Bella Stuart-Bourne and Laura Bushaway on the Renters’ Rights Bill: Top Ten Key Changes for Landlords and Tenants, found on pages 22 to 23.
Due to an error in the design and setting phase by our publishing team, the table detailing notice periods for landlords obtaining possession of a property included incorrect information. It incorrectly stated the notice period for Grounds 5E, 5F, 5G, 8, 10, 11, 18 as 4 months instead of 4 weeks, and for Grounds 4, 7B, 12, 13, 14ZA, 14A, 15, 17 as 2 months instead of 2 weeks.
We would like to clarify that this error is the responsibility of Benham Publishing and Surrey Law Society, not the article’s authors or Charles Russell Speechlys. The digital version of the magazine has been corrected, but we regret that the error remains in the Autumn print edition.
We apologise sincerely for any confusion this may have caused and thank our readers for their understanding.
