Birmingham Law Society Bulletin March 2019

BULLETIN

THE MAGAZINE OF THE BIRMINGHAM LAW SOCIETY

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THIS ISSUE

ADVERTISE HERE THE BIRMINGHAM LAW SOCIETY BULLETIN IS PUBLISHED BY FRASER URQUHART MEDIA. To advertise your business to Birmingham Law Society members call Fraser Urquhart Media on 0116 2533445 or email carey@fu-media.co.uk or kevin@fu-media.co.uk Editorial enquiries to info@fu-media.co.uk and editorial@birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

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CONTACT US Birmingham Law Society Suite 101, Cheltenham House 14-16 Temple Street Birmingham B2 5BG Tel 0121 227 8700 info@birminghamlawsociety.co.uk www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk @birminghamlawsociety Officers April 2018 - April 2019 President: James Turner Vice President: Linden Thomas Deputy Vice President: Inez Brown Joint Honorary Secretaries: Chaitali Desai and Sophie Samani Board of Directors 2017 - 2018 Chairman: Eileen Schofield Ex-Officio: Andrew Beedham Vice Chairman & Director: Prof. Bernardette Griffin Finance Director: Ben Henry Director: Caroline Coates Director: Laura Daly Director: Catherine Edwards Director: Dee Kundi Director: Tony McDaid Director: Regan Peggs Ex-Officio: James Turner Contact c/o Birmingham Law Society

Birmingham Law Society Quiz NIght Winners

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 4.

President’s Letter Birmingham Law Society’s President, James Turner.

6.

Society News. A round up of what's been happening at the Society and members' news.

8.

BTSS Update. Jas Atwel reviews the last few months of BTSS activity.

12.

Birmingham Law Society Legal Awards 2019.

This year's shortlisted nominations.

14. Willetts on Freelance Solicitors

Regulation Report. New Models of Practice - Jayne

16.

Regulation Report. New Models of Practice - Bronwen Still on Solicitors in Unregulated Entities

18.

Best Practice. Preena Ranpuria on Electronic Working Launches in Birmingham

20. Out of Hours. When it comes to your interior, Think Pink!

22. Out of Hours. Blue Trends and Complection Perfection 24. Out of Hours. BMW's New 7 Series. www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk 3

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

STUDENT U During my year as President I have enjoyed the opportunity to meet with and learn about the work undertaken by members working across the profession. The Society enjoys an incredibly diverse membership at all levels of the legal sector. My engagements have included events run at a number of our Universities by academic colleagues and students who have joined the Society.

On 13 February 2019 I joined Criminal Law Committee Chair Regan Peggs in attending the 2019 Student Conference held at Birmingham City University. The students had organised the event and put on a very impressive range of topics for presentation and discussion. The conference had a competitive element. Regan and I look forward to hosting some of the winning candidates when they attend our respective practices for work experience later this Spring.

It was a great pleasure to attend the Human Rights and Social Justice Career Event held by the University of Law on 6 February. There a panel of speakers spoke of their route to the profession aiming to inspire students to follow in their footsteps.

I spoke up for criminal defence and colleagues addressed other areas including public law, immigration, personal injury and the work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

The University of Birmingham held a panel event for its students in the first week of the new term back in September 2018 and 4 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

again that provided a similar opportunity to engage with over 400 aspiring new lawyers. The connection we have with law students in Birmingham and the surrounding cities has been improved by these events and student attendance at our networking evenings.

I have observed a pattern on each of these instances. The student body is overwhelmingly female and has an impressive representation in terms of ethnicity, religion and social diversity.

It is pleasing to see that some of the barriers which prevented the entry of aspiring lawyers from all parts of our broader community are being overcome. That is not to say that there is no further work to do to improve social mobility or how the profession reflects its community but the starting point of access to education has clearly been improved by the work of the Universities. It is then for firms, chambers and the business community more generally to take up the baton and ensure the employability of that resource of home grown talent generated in this area. If we aim for our judiciary to better reflect the community it serves we have to work hard to ensure equality of opportunity and access for these aspiring new lawyers.

I have been incredibly impressed with the quality of the student lawyers I meet. They present as highly articulate, ambitious and insightful. If you sign up to attend on a panel event or to assist the Alumni department of your own university you will take my point. Be prepared to field the difficult questions. The challenge for me has been encouraging a new generation to get involved in areas of the law that have been attacked and talked down by the press. The message has to be realistic about the hurdles to overcome but at a time when the pool of lawyers engaging in human rights and social justice work is ageing we need to encourage the next generation to see the benefits of getting involved. The good news story is that there are still

UPCOMING EVENTS BIRMINGHAM WOMEN IN LAW: HOW TO GET AHEAD IN YOUR LEGAL CAREER 13th March 2019 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM St Philips Chambers 55 Temple Row Birmingham, B2 5LS United Kingdom BIRMINGHAM LAW SOCIETY LEGAL AWARDS 2019 14th March 2019 18.45- Late ICC, Broad St, Birmingham B1 2EA ADVOCACY TRAINING *** LIMITED SPACES 19th March 2019 12:30 PM - 4:00 PM St Philips Chambers 55 Temple Row Birmingham, B2 5LS

UNION

JUDGE JOSEPH A. GREENAWAY JR. LECTURE SERIES ON LAW AND JUSTICE 21st March 2019 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Birmingham City University - Faculty of Business, Law and Sciences Curzon Building Cardigan Street Birmingham, B4 7BD

PRESIDENT'S - FUTURE OF THE PROFESSION 2nd April 2019 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM St Philips Chambers 55 Temple Row Birmingham, B2 5LS

LUNCH CLUB WITH CHARLOTTE (BETTY) WEBB 5th April 2019 12:00 PM -2:30 PM Revolution De Cuba 8 Temple Street Birmingham, B2 5BN

CRIMINAL LAW UPDATE SPRING 2019 9th April 2019 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM BPP University 32-34 Colmore Circus Birmingham, B4 6BN

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2019 30th April 2019 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Irwin MItchell LLP Imperial House 31 Temple Street Birmingham, B2 5DB

To book: www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk or email: events@birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

students keen to be trained and to qualify in to those areas. Increasingly they are realistic about the time frame that will involve. What is required next is a progressive approach from Government to ensure that firms and chambers in those practice areas can afford to invest in the next generation.

Many of the Universities and some secondary schools run mentoring programs. What I hear from the student body is that keen mentors are much in demand but short in supply. I have mentored students from the University of Law for over a decade and can highly recommend others to get involved. Mentoring can be hugely satisfying for the mentor who gets to send the elevator back down to collect a student in need of a lift up to qualification.

James Turner. President, Birmingham Law Society

Birmingham Law Society is proud to work in partnership with our sponsors:

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SOCIETY NEWS

LEGALLY BRUM ONLINE

Legally Brum is an exciting new initiative set up by Jas Atwal (a Trainee Solicitor at Anthony Collins Solicitors) and Rupi Chandla (an Associate at Gowling WLG).

PARALEGAL DAY

Legally Brum is a YouTube channel which focuses on the Birmingham legal market. The show comprises of interviews with professionals of different levels of seniority within the legal sector and each series has a different theme. The first theme of the show is ‘how to secure a training contract’. To date, guests have included Paul McConnell, Head of Careers at the University of Birmingham; Jai Singh, a Trainee Solicitor at Eversheds Sutherland; Adam McGiveron, a Corporate Partner at Shakespeare Martineau; Bal Atwal, an Associate at DLA Piper UK; Emily Aldridge, a Solicitor at Anthony Collins Solicitors; Sam Holland, a Partner and the Training Principal at Gowling WLG; Karen Bailey, the Principal Solicitor of Bailey Wright & Co; and Sarah Oakes (Head of Law) of BPP University in Birmingham.

The National Association of Licenced Paralegals is pleased to announce the launch of National Paralegal Day on March 14th is with an inaugural event being held at The House of Commons from 6pm.

The first series has provided aspiring lawyers with an insight into how best to tackle training contract and vacation scheme applications and how to truly stand out from the crowd. By drawing upon a variety of opinions, they want to demonstrate to their viewers that you do not have to fit into a preconceived perception of a lawyer. Everyone’s journey into law is different and it’s important for people to understand that although it may feel, at times, like an unachievable destination, you’ll get there in the end! They also hope to encourage aspiring lawyers to start and progress their legal careers in the city of Birmingham. Birmingham is the second city and one of the biggest legal hubs in the country, so the plan is to use this channel to effectively promote the invaluable opportunities the city provides.

LAUNCHED

Designed as a day to celebrate the contribution Paralegals make to the legal profession, National Paralegal Day is an opportunity to celebrate, to network, to meet old friends and new, and to learn more about the role of paralegals within the legal profession. There will also be an awards ceremony to recognise Paralegals who have made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

Legally Brum is active on all key social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Whether they are working within a solicitor’s practice, in house at a large organisation or independently in their practice – Paralegals fill a void that has been created by the reduction in legal aid and the increase in the costs of training to be a lawyer. Paralegals are often the unsung, members of the legal profession – and yet, each year, they help thousands of people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford legal representation.

Just search “Legally Brum” to view and share content and give us a follow!

Find out more at nationalparalegals.co.uk

Their next series will focus on “Life at the Bar” and will include interviews with a variety of professionals in the Bar covering applications right through to a day in the life of a Barrister.

In addition to their themed series, they will have several episodes throughout the year which will focus specifically on topical issues to increase awareness and encourage engagement.

Their next spotlight episode will be for International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March, where they will be interviewing the incoming President of the Birmingham Law Society, Linden Thomas.

KANG & CO PARTNER WITH ACORNS CHILDREN’S HOSPICE The children and young people Acorns helps are not expected to reach adulthood and require specialist care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In the last year Acorns has supported more than 870 children and over 1,140 families, including those who are bereaved.

Kang & Co Solicitors have chosen Acorns Children’s Hospice as their charity partner for 2019. Established in 1988, Acorns Children’s Hospice is a registered 6 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

charity offering specialist palliative care for life limited and life threatened babies, children and young people, and support for their families, across the heart of England.

Manjinder Kang said “We are delighted to have Acorns Children’s Hospice as our Charity Partner throughout 2019 and we will be supporting them through donations, raising awareness of the work they do and volunteering.”

Natalia Keene, Corporate and Community Fundraising

Manager at Acorns, said: “We are thrilled that Kang and Co Solicitors has chosen Acorns as its charity of the year for 2019. We must raise nearly £10 million every year to provide our vital care services and we rely on donations and fundraising by local businesses and the community for 70% of this income. So, this support is invaluable.”

For more details on Acorns Hospice, visit: www.acorns. org.uk Donations can be made to Acorns via the Kang & Co Solicitors JustGiving fundraising page: https://www. justgiving.com/fundraising/ kang-co-solicitors1

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SOCIETY EVENTS

which enabled students to speak to lawyers across our firms as well as have a better understanding of how law firms operate and the physical layout of each of the firms that took part. Thank you to Pinsent Masons, Eversheds Sutherland, Shakespeare Martineau and Anthony Collins Solicitors for organising these tours for students.

BTSS UPDATE Written by Jas Atwal, Chair of the Birmingham Trainee Solicitor Society and Trainee Solicitor at Anthony Collins Solicitors It’s been a busy few months for the BTSS committee as we have organised a number of events for our members, ranging from educational to social!

November saw us host our annual flagship event, the Annual Winter Ball.

Our company secretaries worked hard over the months to organise an incredible event which was very well received by all of our guests. The 2018 theme for the Ball was ‘Rio Carnival’ with each table representing a different city in Brazil and entertainment including Carnival Dancers! We raised a whopping £1,500 for our Charity of the Year, Free@Last so a huge thank you goes to all of our sponsors for the raffle. Thank you also to everyone that attended and took part in the raffle as we wouldn’t have raised so much without you!

The night also saw Eversheds Sutherland being crowned winner of the Inter-Firm Sports Tournament so massive congratulations to them. The

next IFST will begin around June and the new committee will forward details to our members in due course. In addition to IFST, your firm can also enter a team for the BTSS Netball and Football Leagues and details of how to enter a team will be circulated over the next month so keep an eye out for this.

In addition to our Annual Winter Ball, the committee have been very busy attending several speed networking events for universities including the University of Law and BPP University in Birmingham. Speed networking has provided us with an invaluable opportunity to assist and inspire aspiring lawyers currently going through the process of securing a training contract.

The committee represents a number of firms in Birmingham ranging from international to boutique, so students have appreciated the variety of advice we were able to provide during these sessions. We also recently hosted a law firm tour for students of BPP University

We’re now well into the New Year which means many of our second year trainee members will be thinking about qualification in September. As such, it is the BTSS tradition to host several NQ seminars for interested members so that our expert recruiter sponsors can impart wisdom to members with providing an insight into the legal market. In January, we had the BCL Legal seminar at Revolucion de Cuba with guest speakers from Eversheds Sutherland and DLA Piper UK and in February we had the Bygott Biggs seminar with guest speakers from Trowers & Hamlin and Gowling WLG. Our next seminar will be in conjunction with Robert Walters and will take place at the Anthony Collins Solicitors offices in Birmingham. The guest speaker will be Richard Brooks, a Partner at Anthony Collins and Robert Walters will also be providing 1-2-1 CV drop in sessions throughout the evening whilst guests can network and mingle with current NQs over drinks and pizza.

If you are interested in attending this final NQ event, please book via our website: www.thebtss.co.uk Finally, March brings us to the end of our committee year and we are excited to announce that our AGM will be taking place on Friday 15 March 2019 at Lost & Found in Birmingham. BTSS members will get the opportunity to put themselves forward for the various committee roles and the new committee will be announced that evening. Thank you to BCL Legal for sponsoring our AGM and for their continued support throughout our committee year!

If you interested in becoming a member of the BTSS or interested in sponsoring any of our events, please do not hesitate to contact our Chair, Jas Atwal at jas.atwal@ anthonycollins.com.

IMPACT REPORT REVEALS FIRM’S COMMITMENT TO SOCIETY The firm commissioned leading social, economic and environmental value consultants, the Connectives, to produce the Report. Covered in the Report is the firm's role in establishing and registering 120 new charities. The law firm also advised UK housing associations on how to access £1.2bn of additional funding to build 12,240 homes – providing 28,000 people with a place to live.

Anthony Collins Solicitors has published its first Social Impact Report, recording that in 2017/18 the Birmingham-based national law firm attributed 91% of its work to directly improving lives, communities and society.

8 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

The work of Anthony Collins Solicitors has been national in its reach, with its health and social care team representing Care England in its intervention on sleep-in care shifts.

Taking the case to the Court of Appeal, the firm helped overturn a £400m back-pay bill allegedly owed to care workers deemed to be underpaid for overnight shifts.

By relinquishing providers from the responsibility of paying the substantial arrears, the law firm protected over two-

thirds from entering bankruptcy. A motion that would have spelt disaster for the sector and jeopardised the care of 1.2m people in the UK.

Senior Partner, Peter Hubbard, said “We are committed to improving lives, communities and society but, until today, people have had to take our word for it. Now, we have independent assurance that helps quantify the positive social value we contribute each year and the real-life impact of our work.”

In 2018, the firm was responsible for creating legal history after establishing a new precedent in the High Court addressing parental responsibility in road accidents caused by a third party. This decision arrived after it successfully defended a mother from a legal suit brought forward by an insurance company that claimed she was responsible for the life-changing injuries sustained by her son when hit by a speeding driver.

SPECIAL FEATURE

carried into their working lives and the focus from firms must be on providing products and solutions that meet these expectations, both for their millennial employees and customers.

Particularly in a procedure heavy industry like conveyancing, great technology can mitigate many of the frustrations that arise from inefficient processes and can make the industry more attractive to a new generation of conveyancers, while retaining them for years to come. A recent report from the SRA has recognised that artificial intelligence will not replace staff in firms, but instead free up solicitors’ time to focus on the more enjoyable aspects of their role; guiding people through the biggest, and often most stressful, purchase of their lives.

HOW MILLENNIALS ARE RESHAPING THE CONVEYANCING SECTOR Written By Adam Bullion, General Manager Of Marketing, InfoTrack There’s a wave of change happening within the conveyancing sector at present. From regulatory changes and technological advancements to a new generation of home movers and conveyancers, things are looking a little different in the industry.

I recently read an article from Valerie Holmes reflecting on the conveyancing sector. One point she made really resonated, and that was the industry heading toward a skills shortage, specifically a shortage of conveyancers. We are on the cusp of a major shift for the industry attributed primarily to a new age workforce, and the habits of the clients they are servicing, but firms need to employ the right tools to appeal to a new generation of conveyancer.

By 2020, millennials will form 50% of the global workforce, and these numbers are also reflected by the modern home mover. The Financial Times

reported first-time buyers made up 51% of the market in 2018, and the average first-time buyer is now 31. This very generation, synonymous with taking technology and rapid advancement in their stride, will be influential in evolving both the consumer and business sides. So, how do firms address this new era?

It begins with what millennials expect in employment.

Despite the ideals Silicon Valley start-ups have made us believe, they aren’t only looking for free breakfast, slides in the office and yoga retreats. As digital natives, millennials are early adopters of new technologies and implement these daily to make menial tasks more efficient. Whether that’s booking appointments with their doctor via an app or preparing for the day by asking their voice assistant for the weather forecast, they’ve come to expect solutions facilitated by technology. These expectations have

The enjoyment of using said technologies doesn’t end with the solicitor, the benefits can also be experienced by the end user; the home mover.

Providing access to complete compulsory homemoving forms via an online portal will exponentially improve the client experience. When everything else they do is accessible online, they don’t want to wait to action elements of their home moving process by post. And that is just one example, there are many areas of conveyancing that can be improved by the introduction of technology, I am sure you can think of a few immediately.

Millennials are already the majority of first-time buyers, and soon they will be the majority of our workforce and the next generation will be even more digitally lead. They will utilise technology to their advantage to better communicate and build relationships with their customers.

There will always be a place for human-to-human service, it’s just about harnessing technology to better facilitate more time to achieve it. Providing this generation with the right tools to generate positive user and customer experiences will ensure the skill of conveyancing is not a lost art and overall align the home moving process with the digital age.

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SOCIETY NEWS

GIN NETWORKING AT BANK This sold out in an hour event, was a wonderful collaboration between BLS & Midland Circuit Women's Forum. Sponsors: No5 Chambers, Midland Circuit & Glimpse Opticians.

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CONTEMPORARY STYLE AND AMENITIES

OBITUARY Jim Crocker, one of the founding partners of Howell & Co, sadly died on Tuesday 22 January 2019 after battling cancer for 18 months.

Jim was very proud of his East End roots, where he came from very humble beginnings. Whilst his father wanted him to follow his own career path working on the docks, Jim felt his future was headed in a different direction. With the help of his aunt, he secured his first job as a legal clerk working in a busy practice in the centre of London. Whizzing around the city on his bike, Jim served writs, filed divorce petitions at Court and, in his late teens, was even sent to the Bear Garden at the Royal Courts of Justice to deal with straight forward applications.

Jim’s intellect and tactical ability were, quite simply, outstanding. However, the greatest things he will be remembered for was his absolute fearless grit and determination when dealing with an opponent (which he managed to do with such style) and his unwavering commitment to look after his clients in the best way he could.

Jim will be missed by so many, not least by his wife, Barbara, and his children Nick and Beth, who he was so very proud of. He has left a huge hole in the office where he worked in Hall Green. Jim, quite simply, was one in a billion.

He was such a personality who has, without doubt, left his mark on the legal world.

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LEGAL EAGLES QUIZ The annual Legal Eagles quiz took place at Revolucion de Cuba on the 7th February in partnership with Birmingham Trainee Solicitors’ Group and Birmingham Solicitors Group.

The evening attracted over 125 attendees and was sponsored by 3PB and Robert Walters. No5 Chambers were crowned the winners with their team “The 5 from No5” followed by the runners up “Bevan Banalus”.

The event raised £215.00 for the charities Headway, the Brain Injury Association, Free at Last, the Jeff Astle Foundation and Lovebrum.

PHOTOS BY EDWIN LADD

www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk 11

SOCIETY NEWS

SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR BLS LEGAL AWARDS 2019

The Birmingham Law Society Legal Awards are almost upon us and will be showcasing the very best of the region’s legal talent.

Now in their 18th year, the Awards, taking place on the 14th March, have become a permanent fixture in the legal and business calendar, with the event attracting a capacity crowd yearon-year to celebrate the success and achievement of both individuals and firms over the last 12 months.

Chambers, practices and sole practitioners from Birmingham and the surrounding areas were invited to submit nominations in one of the 13 award categories with the judges being very impressed with the calibre of nominees and the quality of work being done in Birmingham. The shortlisted entries for this year’s nominations are below.

Trainee Solicitor of the Year Jaspreet Atwal, Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP Amy Beaumont, Shoosmiths LLP Stephanie Hadley, Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP Ellie Norton, Higgs & Sons Solicitors Francis Tsui, Fieldfisher LLP Apprentice of the Year Angelina Aitan, Bailey Wright & Co Solicitors Michelle Blackwell, Bevan Brittan Chloe Fay Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP Jack Mellor, Jonas Roy Bloom William Preston, Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP

12 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

Paralegal of the Year Charis Haynes, Harrison Clark Rickerbys Jessica Hopkinson, Gateley Plc Rachel Sutcliffe, Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP Amber Sutton, Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP Gemma Tibbatts, Regan Peggs Solicitors Solicitor of the Year Michelle Adams, Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP Alexandra Ireland, VWV Jennifer Morries, VWV Lucy Todd, Irwin Mitchell LLP Chrissie Wolfe, Irwin Mitchell LLP Barrister of the Year Elizabeth Hodgetts, St Philips Chambers Iqbal Mohammed, St Philips Chambers Adam Pipe, No.8 Chambers David Swinnerton, Cornwall Street Barristers Anthony Verduyn, St Philips Chambers Partner of the Year Nick Green, Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP Christopher Plumley, Trowers & Hamlins LLP Clive Read, VWV Melanie Williams, DWF LLP Clare Wiseman, Irwin Mitchell LLP Birmingham Law Society Pro Bono Award Bevan Brittan Hogan Lovells International LLP Caroline Brogan, Irwin Mitchell LLP Anne-Marie Dhillon, LawWorks Kevin Saunders, St Ives Chambers Sophie Garner, St Philips Chambers Excellence in Client Service - Business Clients Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP Housing Sector Team Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP -

Procurement, Projects & Construction Team Harrison Clark Rickerbys Irwin Mitchell LLP - Employment Team Sydney Mitchell Solicitors Dispute Resolution Team Excellence in Client Service - Private Clients Cartwright King Harrison Clark Rickerbys Irwin Mitchell LLP - Family Team Shakespeare Martineau Shoosmiths LLP / Access Legal Solicitors Weightmans LLP Law Firm of the Year (sole practitioners and firms up to 5 partners) Gordon Jones Solicitors Greens Solicitors Neil Davies & Partners Law Firm of the Year (Regional) Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP Enoch Evans LLP Harrison Clark Rickerbys Sydney Mitchell LLP Thursfields Solicitors Law Firm of the Year (National) DWF LLP Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP Freeths LLP Gateley Plc Shoosmiths LLP VWV The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 14th March 2019 at the International Convention Centre. See you there!

REGULATION REPORT

MTC. This lacuna will create an obvious issue for clients but also for freelancers who might want to return to a more traditional method of practice at a later date. Clients will however have access to the Compensation Fund but the SRA has no data on how such claims are likely to affect the Fund.

Freelancers will be entitled to hold limited categories of client money in their own name. However, this will be restricted to monies for the freelancer’s own fees and unpaid disbursements such as counsel’s fees. Freelancers will not be permitted to hold client funds such as for the proceeds of sale on conveyancing.

NEW MODELS OF PRACTICE: FREELANCE SOLICITORS Written by Jayne Willetts, Solictor Advocate at Jayne Willetts & Co Solicitors

Against the odds, the SRA proposal for “sole solicitors” to act outside the protections of a recognised sole practice is to come into effect in 2019. Freelance solicitors as they have become known will not be subject to entity regulation and will be able to deliver legal services direct to the public.

This innovation which removes some of the protections that clients benefit from if they use a regulated firm was loudly condemned during the consultation process by the Law Society and the profession and the Legal Services Consumer Panel who responded: “The Panel cannot support these proposals because the reduction in consumer protection is tilted too far against consumers, without any quantifiable benefits. There is a lack of robust costbenefit analysis which must accompany such a seismic shift in regulatory policy and reductions in consumer protection”.

These and other very vocal objections were ignored by the Legal Services Board and the change will be introduced later this year – now likely to be late summer 2019.

Guidance will be published at some point by the SRA but what we know now is that a freelance solicitor who has been qualified for more than three years will be able to provide reserved legal services to the public. Those who are qualified less 14 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

than three years will be allowed to provide non-reserved services to the public. It has been predicted that this new model of practice will be particularly attractive to the newly qualified i.e. those with the least experience.

One of the key issues is that a regulated firm must have professional indemnity insurance equivalent to the SRA’s Minimum Terms & Conditions (“MTC”), whereas the freelance solicitor would not need to purchase insurance to the same level. Freelancers will however be required to hold “adequate and appropriate” insurance. The SRA has not yet provided any guidance on what is meant by “adequate & appropriate”.

The apprehensions of the insurance industry are summarised by James Frost of the JLT Legal Practices Group: “This represents a significant risk to protecting the public (not to mention the risk to the solicitor themselves) as of course there are no rules governing the quality of the policy wording. Insurers are free to offer cover on whatever wording they choose which could be significantly less extensive than the cover provided under the current minimum terms. This means that a claim brought against a freelance solicitor could be declined where the same insurer covering a regulated firm would have provided cover” An additional problem relates to run-off cover when firms close or merge. Insurers of regulated firms are obliged to provide run-off cover under the SRA MTC but this will not apply to insurers not subject to the

On a practical level, there is much to consider in relation to running the freelance office. It is recognised that the freelancer will be governed by the Code for Individuals rather than the Code for Firms and that it is only the latter that has a requirement for systems & procedures to be in place for managing a firm. However, just because a solicitor is freelance does not exempt him from the usual methods of best practice. The freelancer will need to keep proper records of work undertaken for clients – either in hard copy or electronically. Arrangements will need to be made for archiving the files.

Freelancers will not escape the need for adequate IT systems with cyber security.

Clients, the courts, and other solicitors are entitled to expect the office to be manned during office hours and for phone calls and emails to be attended to. Clients will require a practising address open to the public where they can meet their solicitor.

Unless it is a very small practice, the freelancer will need to operate as if he practised as a regulated entity. Insurers and clients will expect this as a minimum standard even if the SRA does not insist upon it.

A freelancer will not be permitted to employ any staff if he is providing reserved legal services to the public but there will be no such restriction if he is providing non-reserved legal services – Rule 10.2 (b) (iii) Authorisation Rules for Individuals.

So, a freelancer will not even be able to employ a non-fee earner to assist with administration and secretarial work if his practice includes reserved work. However, if the practice consists of non-reserved work he can employ both support staff and fee earners.

And what about the hapless clients? A new term has been coined to describe the problem – “Consumer Confusion”.

There will be so many different models of practice that the client will have very little chance to understand the protections that are or are not available to them.

The freelancer will need to communicate with clients so that they understand their regulatory positon before engagement, particularly in relation to insurance.

However, it is not reasonable or realistic to expect clients to understand the difference between a recognised sole practice and a freelancer.

At present, there are more questions than answers in relation to this new model of practice. We can only hope that there is some sensible guidance from the SRA before clients and young solicitors have their fingers burnt by this radical hot potato.

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REGULATION REPORT NEW MODELS OF PRACTICE: SOLICITORS IN UNREGULATED ENTITIES Written by Bronwen Still Consultant Solicitor Jayne Willetts & Co & Director Infolegal Ltd www.infolegal.co.uk The new SRA Standards and Regulations which come into force later this year will permit solicitors employed by unregulated entities to provide legal services to the public.

The only proviso being that they cannot provide reserved legal services in this way as the Legal Services Act 2007 requires that these must always be provided through a regulated firm.

Further, if they are going to provide immigration, claims management or financial services this must be though an appropriately regulated entity.

Strong representations from both the Law Society and others that this form of practice, as with freelance solicitors, would create confusion for the public and lessen essential public protections were ultimately overruled by the SRA and the Legal Services Board (LSB).

Their view was that the potential for increased access to justice and greater competition for legal services outweighed the risk of confusion over regulatory protections. In approving the changes, the LSB decided that the risks would be adequately dealt with in the new rules requiring solicitors employed in this way to explain to their clients the limits of the regulatory protection available. More specifically, the rules will require that they must explain: • their insurance arrangements and make clear they are not covered by the SRA Minimum Terms & Conditions (“MTC”); • that their clients are not eligible to apply to the Compensation Fund; and • which activities will be carried out by them as a solicitor, ensuring that their employer is not held out as SRA regulated.

Additionally, these solicitors will not be able to hold client money and must ensure that the clients understand all the regulatory protections available to them.

16 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

The extent to which the clients, who will often be unsophisticated, understand all this remains to be seen. The implications of this change are huge. In practical terms, it means that, when the new rules come into effect later this year, solicitors will be able to be employed by any commercial organisation to provide legal services to its customers. To give a simple example, unregulated will writing companies will be able to employ solicitors to advise clients generally and prepare wills for them. Insurers, banks, supermarkets and many others will doubtless be pondering their options. For individual solicitors, the change gives new employment opportunities but these may well carry hidden dangers simply because they will be a regulated individual operating in an unregulated firm. The commercial pressures on them to operate unethically could be quite considerable. For some firms, the change will undoubtedly lead to greater competition so they will need to develop a strategy to meet this challenge.

One appealing option is that of offering all, or most, non-reserved legal services through a separate business employing solicitors to do the work or supervise it. The attraction of this option is that no regulation fee will need to be paid, there will be no need to obtain insurance from a participating insurer under the MTC and the business can operate free without SRA interference, subject to the requirements placed on the individual solicitors employed within it explained above.

It is not, however, an option entirely without strings attached. First, the regulated firm will need to be aware of the new standards governing referrals to a separate business which require the client’s informed consent and the SRA has current guidance which warns that “actions by a separate business may lead to you being in breach of the SRA rules, especially where you have an element of control over the separate business or actively participate in it.”

This suggests some regulation through the back door. If the separate business was badly

run and provided a poor service to clients, for example, it is not hard to envisage the SRA alleging the partners of the regulated firm have breached the Principle concerning trust and confidence in the solicitors’ profession, especially where referrals were being made to the separate business.

The other option for those firms that do not want to go down the separate business route, is to trade very clearly and loudly on the fact that they are fully regulated and that clients who instruct them get all the protections which go with SRA regulation. These are not just insurance and Compensation Fund protection, but the assurance that the firm is well managed, has an approved COLP and COFA and has effective policies, systems and procedures in place to cover important issues such as client confidentiality and conflicts of interest. Some clients will undoubtedly continue to want this security.

The extent to which this argument will win support with the public at large, however, remains to be seen. As has been amply demonstrated by the online market for insurance, cost tends to be the key motivation when people are faced with a confusing array of products. It is only when things go wrong that they look more closely at what they were buying.

It is anticipated that the SRA will issue guidance in the near future to cover the practice of “freelance” solicitors and in-house solicitors providing legal services to the public because of the associated risks to the public. Given these risks, the SRA has given assurances to the LSB that it will conduct two evaluations to look at the beneficial impacts and to identify any unintended or detrimental impacts of the changes. These evaluations will be carried out in 2020 and 2022.

Whatever the outcome, it seems unlikely that the genie will be capable of being put back in the bottle.

ACT BY 5 APRIL

YOUR TAX Y EAR-E N D C H E C K LIS T As the 5 April deadline approaches, so does the last chance to use the reliefs and allowances that would otherwise be lost. Here are some ideas to consider.

Make use of your ISA allowance of £20,000.

Check your spouse or partner has maximised their ISA allowance to fully utilise the combined allowance of £40,000.

Take advantage of your annual Capital Gains Tax (CGT) exemption by realising gains of £11,700 in this tax year. Those with larger liabilities might look to take gains over two tax years and make use of tax-free inter-spouse transfers.

Make contributions of up to £4,260 per child into Junior ISAs to help them get a head start.

Use your IHT gifting exemption of £3,000 for this year.

Those wishing to maximise pension saving should consider fully utilising their annual allowance.

Unused allowances can be carried forward, but only from the three previous tax years. If your 2018/19 allowance is fully utilised, you should review whether you have any unused allowances from the 2015/16 tax year first.

If you’re thinking of making a large pension withdrawal, it could make sense to spread the withdrawal over two or more tax years to minimise your Income Tax liability.

High earners could take steps to bring their taxable income down by making pension contributions or charitable donations. These can help individuals: • Bring their income to below the additional rate tax band, which starts at £150,000.

• Regain their Personal Allowance, which starts to be withdrawn for incomes over £100,000.

• Avoid losing Child Benefit, which is gradually removed if one parent in the household earns more than £50,000.

If you own a business and depending on your earnings, consider taking dividend income instead of salary to avoid National Insurance contributions (NICs). The first £2,000 of dividend income is tax-free.

Divert your company’s pre-tax profits into a personal pension to reduce your company’s liability to Corporation Tax, Income Tax (including on dividends) and NICs. Contributions will need to be paid before your company’s financial yearend in order for the business to qualify for the deduction in that accounting period. In many cases, that deadline will be 31 March 2019.

The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.

The levels and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time and are generally dependent on individual circumstances.

S T. J A M E S ’ S P L AC E H O U S E C EN TR A L BOULEVARD B LY TH E VA L L E Y PA R K S H IR LEY S O LI HULL B9 0 8 AR 0121 2 1 5 0 9 2 6

andrew.whiting@sjpp.co.uk www.andrewwhiting.co.uk

The Partner Practice is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products.

The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives H2SP31204 02/19

BEST PRACTICE

and practical points such as the format in which documents should be e-filed and the maximum size of documents which can be e-filed. It is important to follow PD51O, along with the remainder of the CPR and any relevant Court guide when using CE-File.

5. What about the other regions?

CE-File was also extended to the B&PCs in Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle on 25th February 2019.

6. Will I still have the option of paper filing documents?

To begin with, the present paper based filing system will remain in place alongside CE-File so e-filing is currently optional. It will become compulsory for professional users to issue all new proceedings and file electronically from 30th April 2019.

From that date, we will no longer be able to issue claims or file documents by hard copy or electronically other than through CE-File.

The exception to this is for cases issued electronically by a Claimant on or after 25th February 2019 – in those cases it is mandatory for professional users to e-file.

Practitioners should also note that during January 2019 Court staff have been using CE-File for new cases issued in Birmingham (and the other regions) so parties have had the option of e-filing for those cases from 25th February 2019 (although again it will not be mandatory to e-file until 30th April 2019).

7. Should we e-file for cases issued before January 2019?

ELECTRONIC WORKING LAUNCHES IN BIRMINGHAM

Written by Preena Ranpuria Lal Solicitor in the Dispute Resolution Department at Sydney Mitchell LLP As some of you may already be aware the wonderful world of electronic filing (e-filing) has come to the Business and Property Courts (B&PCs) in Birmingham which means that finally, we will all be able to e-file as we have been doing for the past few years in the Rolls Building Courts in London. Whilst it is unclear why it has taken so long to extend the Court’s e-filing system (CE-File) to the regions, the good news is that it is now here and it is a welcome move.

For those of you who are not familiar with CE-File, please read on and hopefully this article will offer you a reasonable introduction.

1. What is CE-File?

CE-File is the Court’s electronic filing and case management system which allows practitioners to issue claims, file documents and communicate with the Court electronically 24 hours a day, every day including weekends and bank holidays. Court fees are also paid 18 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

electronically, either by card or via a ‘fee account’ (which needs to be applied for).

The fee account is a quick and convenient way of paying Court fees for practitioners who pay Court fees on a regular basis.

2. When did CE-File go live in Birmingham?

E-filing became available to professional users from 25th February 2019.

3. Will it apply to all courts in the Birmingham Civil Justice Centre?

No, it only applies to High Court matters in the B&PCs. 4. How do I get started on CE-File and what rules apply?

Users need to register as an e-filer on the CE-File homepage and apply for a fee account (if required).

The procedure and rules which apply to electronic working are set out Practice Direction 51O which deals with, amongst other matters, the types of proceedings to which electronic working applies, exceptions to the use of electronic working

I understand from speaking with Court staff that there are ongoing discussions regarding this although there are no current plans to use CE-File for these cases. Therefore we should continue to file on paper for cases issued pre-January 2019.

8. What if I post or email documents that should be filed through CE-File?

In these circumstances the Court will return your paper filing/reject your email filing and direct you to e-file. Obviously this could mean missing key Court deadlines (or even limitation!) so if you are unsure as to whether a document requires e-filing, check with the Court well in advance of your deadline!

9. What happens if I have other questions about CE-File?

The Court’s guidance note titled ‘CE-File system information and support advice’ on the gov.uk website provides a lot of useful information about CE-File. You can also contact the High Court section of the B&PCs in Birmingham directly – the Court staff were very helpful when I spoke with them.

If you are not familiar with CE-File, the best thing to do is to register for an account and have a look through the features of the system. Happy e-filing!

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OUT OF HOURS

THINK PINK!

WHEN IT COMES TO SPRING INTERIORS, IT PAYS TO BE IN THE PINK!

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8 is undou Pink 8 accessories, S 3 3

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5 7 20 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

ubtedly the colour of the moment. From scatter cusions, throws and furniture to wallcoverings and statem Spring is the time to be in the pink!.

1. Watch Out! Pink Wallpaper, £150 www.decoville.co.uk 2. Contemporary Pink Lips - Wall Art Print £5 www.abstracthouse.com 3. Wild & Wolf - Retro Telephone Dusky Pink £50 www.hurnandhurn.com 4. Pink Martini Glasses (set of 4) £38.95 www.audenza.com 5. Pink Faux Monstera Potted Plant. £54 www.audenza.com 6. Jackson 2 Seater Sofa, £649 www.cultfurniture.com 7. The French Bedroom Co, Kilim Vintage Rug £499 www.frenchbedroomcompany. co.uk 8. ‘Rock Pool Beach’ Mural by Lara Skinner.

Price dependent on wall size. www.wallsauce.

10 com 9. Polka Vase, Large, Pastel Pink ,£59.95 www.annabeljames.co.uk 10. Seletti Lipstick Plate Pink £34.95 www.smithersofstamford.com

9 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk 21

OUT OF HOURS

MENSWEAR EDIT: TRUE BLUE Add a splash of instant colour to your wardrobe with this season’s chicest colour trend for men. Sharp shades of cobalt, midnight, sky and navy were favourites on the SS19 catwalks at Dries Van Noten, Valentino, Ermenegildo Zegna. Here’s our edit of the new season from HARVEY NICHOLS BIRMINGHAM.

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All items featured are available from Harvey Nichols Birmingham, in store and via Style Concierge or online at harveynichols.com 1: Balenciaga Triple S blue mesh and nubuck trainers, £610 2: Balenciaga mirrored oval-frame sunglasses, £295. 3: Golden Goose Deluxe Brand suede trainers , £310. 4: DSquared2 logo-print vinyl backpack, £480. 5: Givenchy logo-jacquard jersey sweatshirt, £1,065. 6: J.Lindeberg cashmere-blend jumper, £190. 7: Kenzo jersey sweatpants, £270. 8: (and main image) Billionaire Boys Club reversible shell jacket, £375. 9: Stone Island nylon shell jacket, £330.

COMPLEXION PERFECTION From the perfect primer to Insta-ready foundation, raise your game with these makeup bag must-haves from Harvey Nichols Birmingham. LISA PIDDINGTON reveals her beauty essentials for a flawless finish.

THE BASE: Heaven Skincare’s Orange Flower Hydrogel, £19, not only works as a great primer but it also gives your complexion an instant hydration boost.

The added benefits of organic neroli and vitamin C promote skin rejuvenation while maintaining oil levels.

THE CONCEALER: Newly launched Instant Retouch Concealer from Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r, £19, is creamy, long-wear and crease-proof. It’s designed to deliver light-as-air, medium to full coverage in a ground-breaking range of 50 matte shades.

22 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

THE SKIN TINT: Hourglass’ superior Illusion Hyaluronic Skin Tint, £51, uses advanced technology to promote the appearance of a smoother, firmer and more youthful complexion. Fortified with Hyaluronan Complex, it plumps fine lines and wrinkles, tightens sagging skin and delivers a luminous glow.

THE FOUNDATION: For coverage that lasts for up to 24-hours, Marc Jacobs Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation Concentrate, £37, blends instantly to cover pores and blemishes. It also boasts patented golden mica pigments for a radiant, naturallooking glow.

THE HIGHLIGHTER: Stila’s Heaven’s Hue Highlighter, £29, has a gossamer-light, radiance-enhancing formula with a buttery texture that melts into skin for a barely-there feel. Ultra fine, light-diffusing particles help skin look perfectly lit with a soft, luminous, natural-looking glow.

THE POWDER: This Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder, £29, is formulated without talc for a translucent finish that sets makeup for all-day wear without adding any colour to the skin or overpowering the finish of your foundation.

Light-diffusing particles blur and smooth for a skinperfecting airbrushed effect that doesn’t look chalky or dry.

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OUT OF HOURS

NEW KING ON THE With a new engine line up that utilises six, eight and 12 cylinders as well as an electric hybrid offer the new BMW 7 Series is ready to take it’s place back at the head of the BMW Family and sets out its stall as the ultimate vehicle for luxurious driving pleasure.

First produced by the German manufacturer in 1977, this new generation of the 7 series introduces an all new face for the family.

Around 50mm taller at its foremost point the 7 series front end is dominated by the traditional BMW kidney grille, now set to loom even larger in your rear view mirror on the motorway. It’s a look that is undeniably aggressive and has all of the visual impact of Rolls Royce and Bentley. The grill is framed by large air intakes, that only open when the need for cooling air is increased, and an aerodynamically contoured front apron giving the 7 Series the look of a brutal blunt instrument that means business.

Hallmark BMW design cues such as the traditional Hofmeister kink (the upturned line towards the back of the side window) are still in place ensuring that this is still instantly recognisable as a BMW and for those who prefer to be driven than to drive there is still the choice of a long wheelbase model.

The rear of the BMW 7 Series offers a clean jewel like lighting bar with the wide air intakes of the front echoed in the rear apron.

Here the exhaust system’s tailpipes are edged in menacing, wide chrome surrounds, grounding the rear of the car, enforcing its purposeful stance. That stance comes about from wide alloy wheels that range from 18-inch to 21-inch designs.

Inside things are a little more familiar with the latest version of the BMW Touch Command unit able to controlled from every seat and 24 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

even outside of the vehicle. This removable tablet with a 7-inch screen lets the occupants operate comfort functions such as seat adjustment, interior lighting and climate control, as well as the infotainment, navigation and communication systems. It can also be used to play external audio and video files.

The rear-seat entertainment system comprises two 10-inch full-HD displays complete with a Blu-ray player that allows users to access the entertainment, navigation and online functions of the vehicle from the rear seats with even the viewing angle of the screens, which now have touchscreen functionality, being adjustable in accordance with the rear seat passengers’ existing seat position.

Standard specification for the new BMW 7 Series includes the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant – an intelligent, digital helper who responds to the prompt “Hey BMW”. This technology learns routines, habits and preferences to help the driver get the best out of the in-car functionality such as the seat heating or the places they navigate to. Drivers can also give the Personal Assistant a name for even greater individuality and personality. The Assistant is familiar with the vehicle’s functions and is able to operate them as required. Saying “Hey BMW, I’m cold” will prompt the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant to adjust the temperature inside the car accordingly.

It can even attend to the driver’s sense of wellbeing by providing vitality and relaxation programmes and can activate air conditioning, seat massage, fragrance or music to refresh or relax the driver while they are at the wheel. The selected programme runs for a duration of three minutes. The new BMW 7 Series additionally offers three different Experience Modes for the interior

E BLOCK to choose from, which are geared to suit the driver’s current mood and can be activated for as long as desired.

So with all that luxury in the back who cares how it drives? Well BMW do as this is still very much a driver's car, even if that happens to be only on the chauffeur's day off. Petrol and diesel engines using six, eight and 12 cylinders as well as a plug-in hybrid drive system offering an increased electric range, enhanced performance and lower consumption are all on offer. The eight-speed Steptronic transmission fitted as standard on all model variants has also undergone further improvement as has the BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive system that can be combined not just with the petrol and diesel engines but with the hybrid drive too.

Spearheading the line-up of engines for the new BMW 7 Series is the 6.6 litre 12 cylinder petrol engine with 585hp. As you would expect top speed is electronically limited to 155mph but the benchmark zero to 62mph sprint can be achieved in 3.8 seconds putting this car into supercar territory. All that performance costs though with combined fuel consumption at 20.821.6mpg* and CO2 emissions are at 282g/km*.

The entry level petrol engine comes in the form of the BMW 740i and 740Li. With a power output of 340hp and a peak torque of 450Nm, the 740i

and the 740Li accelerates from 5.5 and 5.6 seconds, respectively. The fuel consumption figures are between 31.7-34.0mpg* and 31.033.6mpg*, the with CO2 emissions of 161g/km and 164g/km*.

For those looking at hybrid options there are the BMW 745e and the BMW 745Le xDrive. The plug-in hybrid models that will be available at the launch of the new BMW 7 Series feature a six-cylinder in-line petrol engine from the current BMW Efficient Dynamics family of power units with maximum output of 286hp and an electric motor with a rated output of 113hp and a peak torque of 265Nm. The new plug-in hybrid drive technology enables the BMW 745e and BMW 745Le xDrive models to record zero to 62mph times of between 5.3 and 5.1 seconds while achieving an electriconly range of between 32 and 36 miles*. BMW quote combined fuel consumption figures for the plug-in hybrid luxury versions of between 108.6134.5mpg* and The CO2 emissions produced when burning fuel average between 48 and 52g/ km*.

Handling all that power is the option of BMW’s xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive, which comes as standard on the V12 and V8 petrol models and the two most powerful diesel models, while it is available as an option for the BMW 730d.

All variants feature, as standard, adaptive suspension including electronically controlled dampers and two-axle air suspension with automatic self-levelling. Plus, the Driving Experience Control switch can be used to activate a range of damper settings to shift the emphasis of the driving experience further towards either comfort or sportiness. The rideheight can be adjusted manually. For example, it can be raised by 20 millimetres at the touch of a button on bumpy road surfaces or steeply angled ramps on the way into garages.

The new BMW 7 Series also features the optional Integral Active Steering system. This technology allows the driver to execute lowspeed manoeuvres with only small steering inputs and without having to change their grip on the steering wheel. At higher speeds, meanwhile, the car’s responses to movements of the wheel are less pronounced, improving both directional stability when driving in a straight line and precision on the way into corners.

By turning the rear wheels in either the same direction as or the opposite direction to the front ones, depending on the road speed, the system also makes the BMW 7 Series nimbler in city driving and increases its agility and tracking through corners. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels, easing the car’s manoeuvrability and significantly reducing its turning circle. By contrast, at higher speeds, the rear wheels follow the same direction as the front wheels, allowing the car to follow the course set by the driver even more quickly and accurately.

The new BMW 7 Series is on sale from 13 April 2019 with prices starting from £69,430 for the BMW 740i. To find out more visit www.bmw.co.uk www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk 25

OUT OF HOURS

SPECIAL FEATURE

A NEW HOME FOR CHINESE FOOD IN BIRMINGHAM Wing Wah, Birmingham’s long-established Chinese restaurant, has moved to fantastic new premises with a fresh and exciting menu.

Based for 21 years at the iconic Wing Yip Centre in Nechells, the restaurant has relocated to bustling Chinatown in the heart of the city and just a short stroll from the main railway station and shops.

Wing Wah has dropped the buffet menu that brought discerning diners flocking to its previous premises and now concentrates on dim sum and full a la carte.

Its smartly-decorated ground-floor location boasts more than 120 covers and an open-plan dim sum kitchen so diners can watch a team of highly-skilled chefs painstakingly prepare the beautifullycrafted small dishes.

Chefs in a separate kitchen prepare a range of sumptuous la carte dishes. Below, there are private rooms, each separately themed and with different capacities, where customers can enjoy freshly-prepared food, drinks and karaoke.

Above is the completely separate Ming Moon restaurant - in the same ownership - which offers a buffet service. The whole building boasts an astonishing 700 covers.

Wing Wah specialises in authentic, well-crafted Cantonese cuisine.

As well as lesser known Chinese dishes popular with the Chinese community, you’ll find familiar names on the menu such as sweet and sour - but cooked to the highest and most exacting standards and un recognisable from the versions served at most Cantonese restaurants.

Wing Wah’s owner Kin Bong Lam, a highly-skilled chef, says the restaurant is going back to its roots. He explains: “When we opened 21 years ago, we specialised in dim sum and a la carte and launched the buffet menu only later. Our exciting move to our new premises allows us to return to our first passion - letting our highly-talented chefs create wonderful dim sum and a la carte dishes using the finest ingredients. Cantonese food is well-known, but Wing Wah’s kitchens offer a truly authentic and scrumptious experience.”

These are early days at the new premises with, owner Dorian promises, further major changes to cement Wing Wah’s position as the region’s premier Cantonese restaurant.

Wing Wah, 8 Wrottesley Street, Birmingham B5 4RT. Tel. 0121 622 5588. www.wingwah.net 26 www.birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

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