Lbl 63 public version

light blue law I s s ue 6 3 W int e r 2013

The Cambridgeshire and District Law Society Newsletter

Cambridgeshire & District Law Society (CDLS) website is at www.cambslawsoc.co.uk. It has a Public Area which includes a Find A Lawyer page, and a separate Members Area which includes an Events Diary, Minutes of Meetings, Reports, Accounts, Newsletter archive, and a Forum. Log in to the Members Area at the bottom left of the Public Area home page – for a reminder of your username and password contact the Administrator at the address below.

CDLS, 6 Crossways, The Green, Haddenham, Ely CB6 3TP Phone/fax 01353 741530 Tweet us @cambslawsoc and join our LinkedIn group CambsLawSoc

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contents

The Cambridgeshire and District Law Society Newsletter

CDLS V-P meets ARU Award Winner New Justice Minister profile CILEx report CJLD report Who’s Who in CDLS: Grace Brass CDLS Dinner The Guideline Rates Survey Questionnaire Conveyancing: The Value of a Flood Report ‘Take Note!’

Document and Records Management Care - the Muddle The Jackson reforms, so where do your experts fit in?

Timely Outsourcing and Smarter Work DNA - the true test of any relationship LawWare Case Studies Have you reviewed your clients’ portfolios?

Our cover illustration, taken from William Barr’s Troyboys cover, is by Cambridge & London artist Seb Antoniou, whose family used to run the Hills Road restaurant Panos

Published by: EAST PARK COMMUNICATIONS Ltd. Maritime House, Balls Road, Birkenhead, Wirral CH43 5RE Tel: 0151 651 2776 simon@epc.gb.com www.epc.gb.com

Advertising Simon Castell Helen Davies

Design David Coffey East Park Studio

Editor Colin Lester

Accounts Michaela Hogan

Marketing Denise Challener

Published December 2013

Media No. 1126

© East Park Communications Ltd.

Legal Notice © East Park Communications Ltd. None of the editorial or photographs may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publishers.

East Park Communications Ltd or CDLS 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 East Park Communications Ltd. or CDLS. Correct at time of going to press.

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Advertorial

Conveyancing: The value of a flood report The essence of the Practice Note on Flood Risk (issued May 2013) is that, when acting for a prospective buyer or lender, solicitors should raise the issue of flood risk and, if appropriate, make further investigations. A flood report includes a more thorough level of information and assessment than most environmental reports, and therefore provides a greater level of protection for all involved in the transaction.

The value of a flood report over a standard environmental report however, is not always clear to those acting on behalf of the homebuyer or lender. Search reports use a variety of different datasets and include varying levels of assessment and advice and this can make it difficult to select the best option for the client. At Geodesys we are often asked about the value of ordering an additional flood report when some flooding information is already contained in environmental reports.

In answering this question, the first thing to point out is that all environmental reports are slightly different so it’s always worth checking on the datasets that are included. Our best-selling environmental reports are Landmark Envirosearch and Homecheck Professional Environmental. Both of these searches include some information on flooding including JBA flood data, maps with river / tidal detail and surface water risk levels and they both flag up where the property is at risk of flooding.

3. An insurability statement: This is really important as a lack of affordable insurance can impact on availability of a mortgage and future value. The insurance statement confirms whether the property is likely to be insurable at standard terms.

4. Recommendations – Advice on what to do if there is flood risk, including flood resilience measures where risk is identified (an assessment of “further action” does not need to be a deal-breaker).

Geodesys website customers can get an instant indication of whether a flood report is recommended on a specific property – this happens automatically via our Search Alert tool once property address details are entered on the site.

The Homecheck Professional Flood report is available from us at a cost of £20.00 + VAT.

What neither report includes, however, is a complete professional flood risk assessment. The Homecheck Professional Flood Report provides you with this as part of a number of benefits detailed below: 1. A “professional opinion”: This assesses the multiple factors contributing to flood risk and removes the need for a solicitor to try and interpret these for the client. For example, a property-specific professional opinion may provide a “pass” on a property in areas previously blighted by flood and perceived as being “at risk” by insurers.

2. Flood risk assessment: Reviews the five types of flooding that contribute to overall flood risk – these are river, coastal, groundwater, surface and other flooding.

If you would like further information (including fact sheets to pass to your client) on flood risk and flood reports, please contact Lauren Lieser, your Client Account Executive in Cambridgeshire on 07885 135314 or email lauren.lieser@geodesys.com.

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Advertorial

‘Take Note!’

I have been drafting bills of costs for more than 30 years, but it never ceases to amaze me how blasé many solicitors are about noting their files - or more to the point, not noting their files. Fee earners work for nothing unless they have razor sharp memories and can remember what they did, and when they did it, on every file over several months. Not a gift many of us are blessed with. Time is, after all money, and not noting it costs. So l have adapted a File Management Note that I previously put up on our website into an article to try to assist. This ‘guide’ is primarily aimed at the situation where a bill of costs will ultimately need to be assessed on a litigious file, but is also useful for more general file management. There is a similar note on our website dealing with non-litigious matters in the Court of Protection - see the ‘Resource Centre’ page on our website (www. bedsonandchard.com/resource-centre). To cut to the chase, here are some basic points on file noting.

1. Always prepare a brief note for the file of what work was done.

Do not rely upon computer entries.

2. Be succinct - you can summarise the content of a longer note should you need the latter for the file.

3. Note different elements of work separately. It is difficult for the cost draftsman tasked with preparing the bill to apportion times between different classes of work when global times are given. So separate out the following elements:• Attending people

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who, why and length of time

• Drafting documents

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what and length of time

• Dictating long letters

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to whom and time spent

• Dictating file notes

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about what and time spent

• Travelling

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the reason and time spent

4. Try not to duplicate work done by others. If it is essential to look at something someone else has done, say why. If you cannot justify it personally, what hope has the draftsman of doing so when preparing the bill or appearing at an Assessment Hearing?

5. Note time that you have not claimed on file so that the Court can see that you are not seeking costs to which you do not think there is an entitlement. For example, ‘reading-in’ and copying are both items which should not be claimed for, but one should note the time spent on file and say ‘not claimed’. This will show the Costs Judge that you are not trying to wring every last penny from a case. In showing that you are doing unpaid work it might, perhaps, make it less likely that the Costs Judge will disallow other work.

6. Explain unusual courses of action in file notes - for example, the reason why you needed to see a particular witness more than once in quick succession was because they were going abroad and their statement needed to be perfect before they went, perhaps.

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7 . E x p l a i n i n fi l e n o te s th e re a s o n w h y a n y p a rti c u l ar piece o f w o rk to o k l o n g e r th a n o n e m i g h t h a v e e x p e c te d i t t o o th e rw i s e th e Co s ts J u d g e m a y th i n k y o u a re i n e ffi cient and d i s a l l o w ti m e .

8. Make it easy for the Costs Judge to do their job. If they have difficulty finding a note of what was done, or understanding why it was done, they will not trouble and may disallow the work. If the fee earner cannot be bothered to note what they are doing and the reason why they are doing it, why should the Judge be troubled to spend time searching for non-existent notes or deciphering poorly prepared ones (they won’t!).

9. A Costs Judge will expect you to use the lowest grade of fee earner it is possible to use and still conduct matters properly. A court will not usually allow Partner rates for work a Trainee could have done. If there is any reason why a Trainee could not have done a task usually suited to them, say why.

10. Consider that to achieve the goal of making the Costs Judge’s job easy, it helps to make the Costs Draftsman’s job easier too. The same thing applies to them in relation to searching for notes and such like - it is difficult to draft a robust bill if the file is not noted properly and will also be more time consuming for the draftsman to complete their work. This leads to higher fees and bills that are likely to be more heavily reduced on assessment than would have been the case if supported by a better documented file.

11. When noting work, it is a good discipline to place yourself in the position of the Costs Judge who will ultimately be deciding if the work was reasonably done and is reasonable in amount. Ensure that the note you are preparing properly explains why this is so. If there is anything unusual about the work done, make the note more detailed. If there is any doubt in the Costs Judge’s mind about whether costs were reasonably incurred or reasonable in amount, on the standard basis of costs assessment he will disallow them.

More of the work done should be allowed once you are in the habit of noting properly and adopting the mind-set of a Costs Judge when preparing your notes.

The final thought I would like to leave you with is this – that the imperative is, please make a note, just that - make a note! Any note is better than none. Once in the happy habit of effective noting, like with anything else it is hoped that practice will make perfect. The basic points I have set out here should help. They are by no means a complete recipe for the perfectly noted file, but they are at least a start along the way. Reading and thinking about effective file noting is in itself a positive step and one that might ignite a spark of inspiration as to how you can improve your own noting.

Adrian Chard is a Costs Lawyer and a Director of Bedson and Chard Ltd Law Costs Draftsmen, a firm established more than 30 years ago.

Tel: 01256 363944 Fax: 01256 412655 Email: adrianchard@gmail.com

Advertorial

Document and Records Management You are a busy solicitor so the ongoing storage of your records is certainly not at the forefront of your mind.

working environment enabling you to be more productive. Rapid retrievals of your files or boxes avoids wasted staff time searching for files or subsequent re-filing.

However the good offsite control of your files when you have completed a matter will give you benefits you may not realise.

The filing is often the last thing anyone wants to do but that is something Anglian Archives are extremely good at.

Your work has natural end points, the end of a legal matter, the end of a calendar or financial year so keeping those files on site indefinitely is not generally the best thing to do. Regular storage of your records off site will release valuable office space which could be utilised for income generation. Free your time for more pleasurable activities if you are acting as the office junior in the evenings or weekends scrabbling around searching for that elusive file in your loft or basement.

Perhaps your records space is the cupboard under the stairs that is now bursting at the seams and someone has dumped the old computers or monitors at the front making access a pain in the neck.

By densely storing offsite in a purpose built secure store you gain the benefits of releasing that expensive office space to create a more pleasant and safer

“That was quick” is a comment we often hear from our clients.

Don’t just think of a “box of documents” but of the service embodied in the management of that box and its contents.

Anglian Archives offer a service which is tailored to your requirements ensuring you get the best value from our services.

Other points for consideration are: do you back-up your computer data and store it remote from your premises? There are several ways you can do this, keep the disk or tape under your pillow at night, use a regular service of tape/disk backup rotation or use an online overnight back-up service.

Do you know where you can put your hands on the software loaded to your computer? What happens if disaster strikes; which may be theft, fire or flood, do you have a remotely stored disaster recovery box?

Advertorial

Care - the Muddle Home care for elderly people can be accessed from two financial directions. Either the Government pays/ part pays or individuals pay from their own funds.

In reality, the amount of home care that Government is paying for is decreasing. Five years ago the majority of Angela Gifford councils would pay for low, moderate, substantial and critical care. In 2013, 80% of councils will now only fund substantial or critical care.

Many councils purchase home care on behalf of people being financially assessed as being able to contribute and five years ago the majority of the councils had a financial cap limiting the amount.

These financial caps are now being removed or the level of the cap is raised, the average cap now being £297.50 per week. Only 39 councils in England currently operate a weekly cap, all councils in Wales operate a cap of £50.00 per week and personal care in Scotland and Northern Ireland is free.

It may be the case that in some areas of England, having care via a council contract is more expensive than purchasing home care privately from a local care agency.

Purchasing private home care may also give more flexibility and choice.

Many people choose to move into a care home. The current Government proposal is to set a cap on the amount of care home fees that a person has to pay. In effect this is not quite as it seems. What the cap will actually apply to is the cost of the personal care that a person will receive but does not cover accommodation or food costs. As care home costs are made up of these three factors, in effect older people and their families

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will have to pay around £150,000 upwards before they reach the cap of the suggested £75,000 relating to personal care costs. An example is that in some areas you may have to pay for upwards of two years before you reached the level of £75,000 re. personal care and after that you would still have to pay accommodation and food costs. Estimates are given that only 10% of older people going into care homes will benefit.

The idea that a person’s home will not have to be sold to fund a person’s care costs is also not as it seems. What it means is that the person’s home will not have to be sold to pay for care whilst they are alive. Local government will take a charge on the property to fund care costs and after death when the property is sold, the loan will be repaid plus interest.

(One thought is what do you do with an empty property? Some families may rent the property out and this practice is carried out now by some families).

In the mix of who pays for care is a third party; the NHS. Under the NHS Continuing Care package, many older people with specific clinical needs, e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease, palliative care needs, etc. can apply to have their care paid for by the recently formed Clinical Commissioning Groups.

The muddle of the care system for those trying to find a way through, is confusing and frustrating. Solicitors for the Elderly and specifically qualified financial advisors in products and investments relative to the payment of aged care bills are available to help find a way through the maze.

Angela Gifford, MD. Able Community Care Ltd. www.uk-care.com

Advertorial

Jackson reforms, so where do your experts fit in?

The Jackson reforms are slowing bedding in, and for better of worse we have to learn to live with them. As an expert witness from a financial background I was fascinated at a recent speech by Professor Dominic Regan who was involved in monitoring he trials of the reforms. Amongst other things he suggested that a tranche of satellite litigation may well follow flowing from poorly prepared or presented budgets. As an accountant I know how hard any budget can be if there is no previous experience to base it on, and the thought of people such as lawyers who historically most of whom have not had to prepare a budget since they were doing exams being expected to get it right every time fills me with wonder.

That being said what can you do to make your life easier. Well the first thing is to have a system. I presume all of your firms will have a spreadsheet based pro-forma in place already, but even if you have it might be worth getting a budgeting expert from outside the firm to have a look at it. It is an extra level of backup if things go wrong. Secondly insist on all your external providers giving you a budget. So your expert witnesses, it is no longer enough to ask how much, now they need to tell you how much for each stage, rates and hours and work to be done. We have spent time and money devising a costing budget sheet for all cases because we know it is something you will be expecting Then you need a review system in place, so perhaps every 2 months an automated requirement to review the budget and check progress, and at

the same time check with your experts that they are on budget still Next step is bill on account, and request bills on account from anyone working for you. There is a problem with the early build up of WIP that this might entail, but that is less of a problem than getting to trial and finding that you have a big debt everyone is not paying. Personally I have always done bills on account if the solicitor shows any interest, but they are seldom paid before trial. There is no problem with this, beyond a lack of experience in this approach from some professionals, Next consider fixed fees. We have done loss of pension work on a fixed fee basis for many years, and some other work if requested. I see some law firms have now started advertising fixed fee services, so why not consider it. Even if you do not offer this to clients or cannot get it from your experts, the discipline of working as if you are on a fixed fee is brilliant for your budgeting, and will make future budgets so much more accurate.

Finally after the case is over look back on it and see how close to the original budget you were, and spend 10 minuets working out where you over or under spent and why. If you do not do this you will never get more accurate. And you will be just storing up problems for the future.

Tim Vogel is a Forensic accountant and founder of The Chamber of Experts, a group of like minded expert witnesses working in east Anglia and further afield.

Emmerson A S S O C I A T E S

Forensic Science Services, Accident Investigators and Expert Witnesses

F

or over 26 years, Emmerson Associates has maintained their leading position within the Forensic Science sector by drawing on the vast experience of their dedicated team of Forensic Consultants who provide a wide range of services for clients throughout the UK and abroad, dealing with many serious and high profile cases. Some of their experts are accredited experts for the ICC at The Hague.

Our services include: • EXHIBIT EXAMINATION • AUDIO, VIDEO, HANDWRITING

• MOTORING OFFENCES • PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS

Collectively, our forensic experts and accident investigators have many years’ experience within the Government forensic laboratories, as well as Police and private practice. This knowledge enables us to provide reliable and independent forensic science services, as well as acting as Expert Witnesses.

A sign of the esteem in which Emmersons experts are held is evidenced by the number of commissions received to re-examine cases previously examined by the Crown’s experts. We review this work and report upon it.

Emmerson Associates, 2A Merryland, St Ives, Cambridge PE27 5ED Tel:+44 (0)1480 460 116 Fax:+44 (0)1480 460 117 Email: info@emmerson-forensic.co.uk

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Advertorial

Timely outsourcing guide helps law firms to work smarter In an effort to introduce legal practices to smarter and commercially focused ways of working, Quill Pinpoint has published a guide on how outsourced cashiering works.

As the profession continues to suffer mass redundancies and law firm closures, as well as face increased competition from the growing number of ABSs and newly merged adversaries, the handy guide aims to instruct the uninitiated on the merits of outsourcing as a means of surviving and thriving in a challenging marketplace.

The guide explains in layman’s terms the procedure for outsourcing legal accounts as a simplified 5-step process, along with the extensive range of benefits to be gained from alleviating the burden of this heavily regulated back office function.

Quill Pinpoint has over 20 years’ experience in outsourced cashiering. Their expertise brings a tried-and-tested cashiering solution direct to law firms.

Benefits cited in the report include higher earning power by refocusing on fee earning and marketing; financial savings with less manpower and infrastructure requirements; healthier cash flow

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resulting from up-to-date bookkeeping; business continuity and disaster recovery planning with continuous cashier support and 24/7 software availability; streamlined annual accounting with a current set of accounts and privileged accountants access to your data; and automatic compliance as the cashiering service adheres to the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules and other regulatory guidelines.

Julian Bryan, Managing Director at Quill Pinpoint, explains how the “difficult market conditions are hitting law firms hard”.

“In this harsh economic climate, firms are finding it difficult enough to stay afloat, let alone make a profit”, Julian adds. “We’ve published the guide now because practices need all the help they can get, and may not yet have considered the possibility and advantages of outsourced support. Outsourcing is a survival strategy”.

Julian admits to having an ulterior motive for the guide’s publication – dispelling any myths about outsourcing being an expensive and complicated solution.

“The guide gives me the opportunity to set the record straight”, states Julian. “Contrary to often-held beliefs, outsourcing is much more cost effective than running an inhouse cashiering team. The monthly fee is based upon activity levels on a pay-asyou-go contract. Moving to an outsourced environment couldn’t be easier. There’s no software to install locally and firms have their own assigned cashier so it’s a friendly service.

If practices are just setting up in business or their cashier has recently resigned, they should give us a call”.

The guide is published on the Internet Newsletter for Lawyers website at http:// www.infolaw.co.uk/newsletter/2013/07/quillpinpoint-how-outsourced-cashiering-works/.

As well as its Pinpoint Interactive legal accounts outsourcing service, Quill Pinpoint offers a payroll service for companies who want to reap the full benefits of outsourced support.

If you want to find out more on Quill Pinpoint’s products and services, get in touch by email at info@quill. co.uk, call 0161 236 2910 or visit www.quill.co.uk.

Advertorial

DNA - the true test of any relationship The use of DNA testing is a fine example of the devolution of complex technology into our society, through testing for ancestry (the recent exhumation of Richard III is a good example), to testing for possible criminal activity in forensics and the use of DNA technology to identify and quantify horsemeat in beef.

But it is the application of DNA testing to family law where the technology has found its greatest proponent. Television programmes such as “Trisha”, “The Jeremy Kyle Show” and various soap operas have made DNA testing accessible and acceptable to the general public.

DNA technology can be just as useful for deciphering other biological relationships, e.g. in cases where the parents are not available we can establish a presumed parentage via use of grandparents or uncles and aunties.

While the figures for relatedness will not be as strong as for a direct paternity test, we can often gain probabilities of relatedness of 85% to 95%, which can be a very useful supporting figure when taken

together with other evidence.

The use of DNA profiling is now embedded as a key tool for the legal profession and new applications of the technology will support casework for several years to come.

(trading as dadcheck®), is a company accredited by the Ministry of Justice as a body that may carry out parentage tests directed by the civil courts in England and Wales under section 20 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969.

* http://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/ paternity-testing/paternity-test

The dadcheckgold service can be contacted on 0203 603 1323.

Dr Neil Sullivan, General Manager, Complement Genomics Ltd

The website for professional use is: http://www.dadcheckgold.com

Not unsurprisingly, many family law, inheritance and social services cases are now being resolved satisfactorily by use of DNA technology, as the possibilities for the accurate determination of close biological relationships become understood by a wider audience.

The majority of cases requiring a DNA test are those where we are trying to prove that a tested male is, or is not, the true biological father of a tested child. To establish paternity the DNA is extracted from a few cells taken from the buccal cavity, a painless and noninvasive procedure. The DNA is then examined for regions of similarity between the tested persons. A DNA test report will then confirm that the tested man is (with a certainty in excess of 99.999%) or is not the biological father of the tested child (with 100% certainty).

The Ministry of Justice provides a list of companies it has accredited for section 20 paternity testing, by virtue of running laboratory services which meet the stringent ISO 17025 standard. If you are intending to order a DNA test on behalf of a client, for any purpose, then it is strongly recommended that you choose an accredited supplier such as dadcheck® from this list (*see link below). Staff at our dadcheckgold.com service, which is designed for family lawyers and social services, will be pleased to guide you through the DNA testing procedures, including sample collection.

A key issue is that in order to carry out a DNA test, we must have “appropriate and qualifying” consent, since this activity is regulated by the Human Tissue Act, 2004. This means that we require such consent from each adult party to be tested and if the test involves a child under 16, then we must have consent from a person with parental responsibility for that child. This is generally the mother, but may be the father under certain circumstances or indeed some other body (sometimes jointly shared with the parents), such as the local authority.

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Advertorial

LawWare Case Studies “The level of support is the main benefit using this system. The system itself once you have had training is simple and easy to use. We have a great relationship with LawWare and the ongoing support is second to none.”

“Every aspect of LawWare that we use is an absolute asset and the simplicity but effectiveness of the system is fantastic.”

Linda George Family Law: Case Study Sharon Rodger, Linda George Family Law, Hamilton Extending their existing System http://www.lindageorgefamilylaw.co.uk/ Linda George Family law is a well-respected Hamilton based law practice with a range of private and legally aided clients.

Sharon Rodger is LGFL’s office Manager and was instrumental in the process of extending their LawWare Accounting system to include Matter Management.

Sharon comments, “Having recently discussed our client management service it was decided that to efficiently access and update clients’ information, to make contact with clients and to swiftly and easily compile correspondence, we required a system that would be economical, trustworthy and easy to use.”

Scanlon Ewing: Cloud for Law Firms Case Study

Improved Feeing & efficiency of electronic filing

A friendly firm looking for friendly support

A main priority with the project was to incorporate email/Outlook, tally up fees and a ‘one stop shop’ for clients’ information whether that is a telephone call into the office, out of the office, correspondence sent in or out and feeing.

Scanlon Ewing is a small, friendly two partner legal practice based in Clydebank, specialising mainly in a range of family legal business.

Mairi Scanlon & Maureen Ewing have been practising in Clydebank for over 20 years and have a wealth of experience in the local area. They have an excellent reputation and strive to maintain that in all respects.

As an existing LawWare user for accounting purposes within the office on two machines, LGFL wanted to extend their usage for better efficiency.

Sharon Roger continues, “The majority of the preparation was undertaken by LawWare in transferring/copying from our previous CMS system to LawWare, however for ourselves as a firm, nothing more than setting aside time for training and the very brief time for downloading LawWare software onto the server and workstations.”

Smooth migration, easy to use, Excellent Services “The implementation went very smoothly. The initial training was excellent; everyone understood what and how to deal with matters. Additional training was required for the administrator in relation to adding on templates etc. which was expected. Support was excellent.”

Coming out of a bigger firm, Mairi & Maureen decided to start their own new practice and finding a system that complied with Law Society Accounts rules and met their needs was the main factor.

Making the right decision Mairi & Maureen were clear in that they needed better access to client and business information and to improve overall practice efficiency with their system of choice. A vital element was keeping better track of client and firm’s accounts.

Mairi says “There was significant preparation required to configure the data to be imported from our old firm. We had to get all clients onto the new system and had to learn how to use it”.

We have seen a marked improvement with office staff on efficiency of administrative work.

A smooth start-up

The document creation is absolutely simple to use for all levels of staff from junior admin to senior solicitors.

“This all went smoothly and we were very happy with the implementation, installation and training. Support was excellent.”

The risk management is excellent, you can use productivity centre to highlight areas i.e. money laundering and expenditure limits

“We just find it very easy to use, much easier than the system we used before.”

We can see at a glance immediately what funds are available both in firm and client accounts

“We have always found everyone we have dealt with at LawCloud very prompt, proactive and helpful. They always seem to go the extra mile and are willing to help in every way that they can.”

Visibility of deadlines and tasks to accomplish is excellent, especially when using the reminders system

“We looked at a couple of other systems before we chose LawCloud and are very glad that we have. We have made the right choice”.

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Advertorial

Have you reviewed your clients’ portfolios?

As we approach the end of 2013 we have seen a strong rally in world stock-markets and all client valuations are looking much healthier than 12 months ago whether you are a cautious, balanced or adventurous investor.

However, there continues to be uncertainty and volatility in global bond and stock-markets. There remain many challenges for 2014 and beyond, both here in the UK and throughout the world.

It is very important that you continue to review your client portfolios to consider protecting recent gains, re-allocating funds to other sectors of the market and taxyear end planning.

However, the continued uncertainty in world markets is a further reminder why it is important to make sure your clients’ portfolios, pensions and trust funds are well positioned to meet their financial objectives, timescales and risk tolerances. Portfolio returns remain under pressure as are the income and capital these may be required to pay out to beneficiaries.

As wealth managers our role is to manage your clients’ money in these challenging times. In our armoury we have assets to defend them against volatility and which also aim to take advantage of growth opportunities. If your clients want a cautious portfolio we achieve this by using a prudent mix of cash, government and corporate bonds and fixed interest, commercial property and stock market equities. These asset classes individually perform differently and will overall soften the volatility of the portfolio. The balance of holdings will often depend not just on their tolerance of risk but also their timescale for money. A longer timescale gives clients the capacity

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to take more risk. A short timescale does not.

If on the other hand, clients are tolerant of risk and have a longer timescale, they can ignore the short term volatility of the markets and reduce cash, fixed interest, bond exposure and property, preferring the growth that they will gain from UK and global equity based investments. It may be a bumpy ride but, in the long term, typically they should do better.

At Money Matters Wealth Management we are financial planners and wealth management professionals, with the three directors totalling nearly 75 years experience in the profession, 14 technical support staff and the business in its 30th year of operation and managing in excess of £250m of client assets. Our clear aim is to work with professional connections to provide an impartial, professional service with choice and agree and implement a structured plan with you and your clients.

Through this relationship we meet on a regular basis to review requirements in line with changing circumstances, time horizons, attitude to investment risk, aims and objectives, agree and implement the changes required and where necessary hold three-way meetings with you. Our ultimate objective being to help create, preserve and manage family, trust funds and business wealth.

Now, more than ever, it is crucial your clients set financial objectives and timescales and understand the risk they are prepared to take. Do SEEK IMPARTIAL PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. If you would like to take advantage of the Money Matter’s Wealth Management Health Check call Adrian Atkinson today on 01223 233331 or email adrian@mmwm.co.uk

Residential Conveyancing Ref: DT11147 I Cambridgeshire I £25,000 - £35,000pa Leading Legal 500 firm is seeking a legal property professional to join their busy residential property team.The role will see you advising a range of clients, from high net worth individuals to property investors. Working within a team you will have strong interpersonal skills, be used to working to deadlines, meeting targets and taking on new challenges.

Conveyancing Case Handler Ref: KR10891 I Cambridgeshire I £17,000 - £20,000 pa An excellent opportunity has arisen to join a modern and dynamic legal property firm; specialists within their marketplace. They are seeking an enthusiastic case handler to join a busy conveyancing department. You will handle a high volume caseload and in return the firm offer a modern and friendly working environment with excellent staff benefits and incentives.

Residential Conveyancing Lawyer Ref: KR11141 I Cambridgeshire I £34,000 - £44,000 pa Multi office high street firm are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic legal professional to compliment their growing property team. You will have knowledge of all aspects of residential conveyancing. This is a fantastic opportunity to join an expanding but traditional law firm with the emphasis on offering the very best service to clients.

Private Client Solicitor Ref: DT11067 I Cambridgeshire I £40,000 - £60,000+ Highly regarded law firm with a reputation for excellence seek an associate/ partner to join them. You will need to promote marketing and business development initiatives in a dynamic way, whilst supporting the rest of the Private Client Department and Partners. This is a challenging role with opportunities to further develop your career in this excellent firm.

Clinical Negligence Solicitor Ref: DT11140 I Cambridgeshire I £34,000 - £44,000 pa Legal 500 firm seek a litigation solicitor to join their clinical negligence team; dealing with a wide range of clinical negligence claims. Your experience could be within clinical negligence, professional indemnity or catastrophic personal injury work. Strong communication and time management skills are essential.

This opportunity comes with excellent career development.

Commercial Litigation Solicitor Ref: DT11037 I Cambridgeshire I £35,000 - £45,000 pa Legal 500 firm require an experienced solicitor to join their busy department.

The firm undertake the full range of litigation work acting for local, national and international clients. You will enjoy working within a very busy team environment and be used to dealing with a large caseload of technically demanding litigation, compliance and contentious IP matters.

Residential Conveyancing Ref: DT11135 I Cambridgeshire I £25,000 - £35,000 pa An opportunity to join a busy and established property department with this High Street firm with strong ties to the Cambridge area. Dealing with a full range of residential property matters. You will manage your own caseload using a case management system and have knowledge of or worked under the Conveyancing Quality Scheme.

Conveyancing Team Manager Ref: KR11128 I Cambridgeshire I £30,000 - £40,000 pa An excellent opportunity has arisen to join a modern property law firm; specialists within their field they seek an enthusiastic and driven residential conveyancing manager. You will manage a high volume of cases using a case management system along with supporting and deputising for the Centre Director in their absence.

Wills, Trust & Probate Solicitor Ref: DT11136 I Cambridgeshire I £38,000 - £50,000 pa An excellent opportunity has arisen for a solicitor to join a reputable law firm dealing with a full range of private client matters including wills, probate and tax issues. You will be looking for a position where you can build upon your experience whilst joining a firm committed to offering a first class service.

Legal Locums Ref: PS10995 I Across the UK I £15-35 per hour Calling all Locums!! We are currently working with a number of law firms from the legal 500 to 2 partner private practices who are seeking temporary and contract legal professionals. In the ever changing legal market many of our well established clients are seeking professional locums in all areas of law. Call Pip Sanford for more information.

This is a small cross section of the current vacancies that we are working on and please visit www.lawconsultants.co.uk for more information on these and other vacancies.

Should you have any questions, would like to discuss your career or you have problems with registering on our website please let us know by calling 01279 464455 and speak to Debra Tofts, Kingsley Raffael for permanent roles and Pip Sanford for locum and temporary assignments.

debra@lawconsultants.co.uk I kingsley@lawconsultants.co.uk I pip@lawconsultants.co.uk

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