Financial stability. This the most important issue exercising the SRA with 600 law firms being RAG (Red/Amber/Green) rated. The regulator is contacting 2000 firms in all, almost 20% of the profession. With so many traditional areas of practice under threat, you cannot afford to be 'asleep at the wheel' in relation to your obligations. Principle 8 of the SRA Handbook.
AON Seminar Series 2013 PNCR Director, Tim Prior, is very pleased to be working with the PII team at Aon on the delivery of 20 seminars nationwide. This year's theme: Managing the complexities for COLP and COFA.
Risk scoring. The SRA is putting considerable energy into its risk scoring methodology. It has identified 182 risk incidents that can affect law firms and will be further refining its approach over coming months. As COLP or COFA, it is important to be fully up to speed. Email us for a free spreadsheet.
Compliance software. PNCR Legal is working in partnership with CLIENTCAREmonitor, the firm-wide compliance solution for law firms. Tim Prior has written much of its compliance content. Click here for more details
Mortgage fraud. Recent cases in the High Court show that firms are still making life easy for fraudsters by not spotting obvious signs. Although some firms have successfully defended lenders' breach of trust claims, taking steps to protect your panel membership has never been more important. For in-house training or support, contact PNCR legal.
COLP and COFA. You should be finding your feet by now but some are finding it more difficult than expected in a very fast moving world. We are not in the business of scaring firms. For a reassuring approach and knowledgeable guidance through the compliance maze, contact the compliance experts, PNCR Legal. For more on compliance, Click here.
Reporting obligations. The SRA's consultation on the reporting of compliance breaches (26 April - 28 June) will lead to changes to the Authorisation Rules from 1 October 2013. These will impact on what you say in your annual information report but the report itself has not gone away.
Compliance templates. Tim Prior has been drafting OFR compliance documentation since he became an external author for LexisNexis on risk and compliance issues over 2 years ago. Since then he has created many precedents and templates which he constantly strives to simplify to meet the changing needs of firms. Email us for an example.
ABSs. Over 150 ABSs have been licensed by the SRA. New entrants start with a 'blank sheet of paper' avoiding the legacy issues which many firms face. Another key differentiator is their use of state of the art technology. Whether you see the ABS model as a threat or an opportunity, you need a clear strategy.
Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII). This autumn will see the first renewal without the safety net of the ARP. Nobody ever planned to end up in the ARP but without it, everything seems more risky. Firms that are unable to find insurance will have to close if they can't find a merger partner. If your COLP and/or PII partner need truly independent advice on any aspect of PII, speak to us.
Expert evidence. Acting as an expert witness on professional indemnity insurance, Tim Prior gave a firm the information it needed to persuade the SRA to drop allegations of dishonesty being pursued before the SDT.