It is a condition of authorisation that all SRA-authorised law firms must have a compliance officer for legal practice (COLP) and a compliance officer for finance and administration (COFA), and that these individuals must comply with regulatory duties imposed on them personally. Now in its third edition, COLP and COFA: Compliance in Practice provides the role-holders, and anyone concerned with supporting the role-holders, with essential information about regulatory and ethical standards and compliance procedures that will support the achievement of these standards and facilitate a good working relationship with the SRA. Written by Tracey Calvert, a former employee of both the Law Society and the SRA, this edition has been updated to include the latest requirements as evidenced by the SRA Standards and Regulations, and includes lessons learned from supervisory and enforcement action.

The English legal profession, uncharacteristically, was often in the headlines during the 1990s. Reforms initiated by a Conservative Lord Chancellor and extended by his Labour successor transformed traditions, over the vigorous objections of the judiciary, Bar, and Law Society. Rapid market developments enriched some barristers and solicitors while squeezing others. The two professional associations confronted crises in self-regulation and governance. This book mines that tumultuous period for insights into the prospects of professionalism in the 21st century.

Created by programmers from the mid-90s onwards and launched by technology disruptors in 2008 on the back of the biggest corporate failings in trust and honesty the modern world has seen, Blockchain collects facts as diverse as Wikipedia and churns them out as randomly as Alexa in a playschool. Heralded as the next big thing, blockchain has the potential to radically change the way lawyers work, and even threaten their very existence. So, what is it, and how does it work? This book, featuring opinions and experience from some of the most knowledgeable thought leaders on the subject, aims to cut through the hype and explore the many different facets of blockchain, and what it will mean for the legal profession.

As F Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby, "the rich are different" and face unique challenges - this is perhaps especially true today. Countries are racing to disclose bank accounts to garner more tax income and the politics of being in the "1% club" are not always positive. Yet these are important clients with important needs. This comprehensive new handbook, featuring contributions by leading private client advisers, includes chapters on topics including: *the importance of having a detailed, organised balance sheet; *buying very substantial properties; *choosing a country of residence; *managing cross-border taxes; *protecting assets from marital claims; *understanding trust documents; *creating a private trust company; and *setting up a family office. In addition, this book explores risk and reputation management, addresses diminished capacity and provides an evaluation of the wealth infrastructure, the philanthropic framework and the future of global investing. Edited by Barbara Hauser, Editor of The International Family Offices Journal and the new edition of Family Offices: The STEP Handbook for Advisers, this new handbook will provide essential reading for all private client advisers, wherever they are based.

For technology in the law office courses Comprehensive Coverage of Law Office Technology Technology in the Law Office is a thorough and up-to-date guide to navigating the constantly changing technology used in the modern-day legal world. Exploring recent phenomenon such as the switch to Apple-based software and paperless offices, this text is the timeliest reference for students, paralegals, and law office workers in regards to law software and technology. Thoroughly updated for this edition, the Goldman Technology Resources Website features links to vendor soft downloads, tutorials, and instructional videos. Students are also provided with a solid background in the ethics and implications of using technology in legal practice, allowing them to not only understand how to use such technology, but how to use it correctly and justly. Also Available with CourseConnect with the Virtual Law Office Experience This edition is also available with a CourseConnect Online Course for Technology in the Law Office. The CourseConnect Online Course now includes Virtual Law Office Experience modules. The modules place the student in the position of working in a law office, allowing them to put technology into practice. Students, if interested in purchasing this title with the CourseConnect Online Course, ask your instructor for the correct package ISBN. Instructors, contact your Pearson representative for more information.

This handbook gives legal practitioners, students and new mediators practical guidance on the mediation process. Drawing on her experience as a mediator, academic and a businessperson, Marjorie Mantle takes a down-to-earth approach to mediation, pointing out the pitfalls as well as the benefits.

The legal profession, like so many other fields, has continued to reel from the deep-reaching and significant impact of the 2008 financial crisis. In the years following the crash, a general downward turn in the demand for legal services compelled firms to tighten their belts, make tough decisions, and come up with innovative strategies in order to survive. One of these was an increased focus on profitability and different means of managing and improving it, a relatively new development for the legal industry. However, in recent years there have been small but positive signs of improvement, manifested in a gradual pick-up in client engagement, as global economies continue to slowly but steadily recover from the crash. It is definitely a better time to be a lawyer, as latent demand begins to manifest in parallel with growing client confidence in a stabilizing market, fast-paced disruptive technological innovations, and significant changes in laws and regulations. However, this does not mean that firms can afford to be complacent. The legal landscape continues to be in flux, and improvement is slow. Increased revenue and client demand does not come to firms that do not proactively seek it, nor is it achieved by those who are not applying innovative and cutting-edge techniques and strategies to the management of their firm. Of course, delivering the best service to clients should always be a top priority; however, there should also be an emphasis on running the firm like a business, which includes intensive scrutiny of expenditure and coming up with new and inventive ways to generate profit. Managing and growing a firm's profitability should not just be an exercise for difficult economic periods, but instead must be a priority at all times. Rather than being perceived as an irksome bolt-on, it is necessary to see it as a great opportunity in these times of increased business. Existing and persistent cultural norms amongst lawyers, however, means that the reform of current business practices does not always come naturally. Nor is it necessarily easy to find the right practical advice that can carry a firm through the transition. Emerging Approaches to Law Firm Profitability aims to be the ideal tool to assist with implementation, providing essential guidance for those seeking new means of maximizing their firm's capacity. Featuring advice and reflections from a wide variety of contributors, ranging from business and finance professionals to thought leaders and consultants, this book offers in-depth, intensive insight into the challenges generated by today's dynamic and hypercompetitive legal landscape. Most importantly, Emerging Approaches to Law Firm Profitability moves past the identification of these obstacles and supplies original, innovative ways of tackling them. Expert guidance is complemented by compelling case studies and effective real-world examples, supplying principles that can be applied to firms of any size or capacity.

Are you an attorney working hard, 60-plus, hours per week to right the wrongdoings of the world? Are you enjoying a successful legal career, but are still not wholly satisfied? We were all born artists. But what if the path to becoming an attorney circumvents that deeper inner calling to create? What if you want to do both - be an attorney and write novels? Attorney's quietly imagining themselves as the next John Grishom is more common that most people might think. Using Attorney by Day, Novelist by Night, anyone can indulge their dreams to create, bring more passion for life into their life, and find greater fulfillment - without abandoning their career as an attorney. Release your inner novelist by following Kimberly Benjamin's footsteps to discovering your inner muse. And most importantly, learn how to incorporate more time for writing while balancing the demands of a legal career.

'The most gripping and satisfying thriller I've read in more than a decade' Sophie Hannah 'One of the best legal thrillers ... as elegant and gripping as Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent' Daily Mail 'Quite the tour de force! Twelve Angry Men meets Chinatown and creates something of its own' Sarah Pinborough 'This is a tense, emotionally charged, scary-good, stand-out read' Caroline Kepnes ********** MAJOR TV SERIES COMING SOON - FROM THE PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT YOU NETFLIX'S UNBELIEVABLE... One juror changed the verdict. What if she was wrong? 'Ten years ago we made a decision together...' Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, heiress to a billion-dollar fortune, vanishes on her way home from school. Her teacher, Bobby Nock, is the prime suspect. It's an open and shut case for the prosecution, and a quick conviction seems all but guaranteed. Until Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, persuades the rest of the jurors to vote not guilty: a controversial decision that will change all of their lives forever. Ten years later, one of the jurors is found dead, and Maya is the prime suspect. The real killer could be any of the other ten jurors. Is Maya being forced to pay the price for her decision all those years ago? ********** 'Plunge a syringe filled with adrenaline into the heart of Twelve Angry Men and you've got The Holdout: the first legal thriller in thirty years - ever since Presumed Innocent and A Time to Kill electrified readers the world over - to rank alongside those two modern classics.' AJ Finn 'A page-turning legal thriller with a twisty and absolutely riveting plot ... plus a strong and compelling female heroine. You won't be able to put this one down!' Lisa Scottoline 'Clever, well-written and twistier than a can of silly-string. You absolutely need to read The Holdout!' Emma Kavanagh 'Amazing thriller, deserves to be one of the biggest books of 2020' Michelle Davies 'Terrific, twisty and well-structured thriller' Adele Geras

"BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS FOR PARALEGALS, 1/e"combines the ethical, practical and professional topics relating to Business Organizations with the most contemporary cases and substantive material. Taking a hands-on approach, it offers comprehensive coverage and uses practice tips, critical thinking exercises, landmark case law, case scenarios, and portfolio builders to reinforce concepts. At the beginning of the text, each student is asked to create their own mock business that can be used to complete chapter assignments and exercises. Throughout the text, articles written by practicing paralegals are included to assist students as they transition from student to practicing paralegal.

Based on sophisticated demographic analysis, Legal Construct, Social Concept argues that legal doctrine on social issues is shaped by the needs and values of society rather than by individuals and interest groups and that it evolves in response to social change but has little impact on that change. The book also explains why a substantial body of social science research has found that although law may be effective for some types of economic problems, its impact on social problems is generally small and of brief duration. At least in the United States, legal doctrine seems to operate primarily to provide symbols that enhance commitment to the social system and increase the cohesiveness of the system.

Barnett's approach to legal thought derives from the practices and assumptions of the social sciences, particularly sociology, and not from those of critical legal studies. His main concern is with social issues issues that substantively differ from economic issues. In addressing legal thought on social problems with the conceptual framework and quantitative techniques of macrosociology, he considers a topic that is infrequently investigated and employs an approach that is infrequently used.

To illustrate this thesis, Barnett presents data on social patterns relevant to three current issues: sex discrimination, age discrimination, and the availability of contraception and abortion. His analyses of these data are compared to constitutional philosophy, judicial rulings, and federal statutes. Barnett then turns from the evolution of legal doctrine in the past to its possible change in the future and considers whether active forms of euthanasia are likely to be legalized. He concludes with an exploration of additional issues for future research and theory.

Proposes groundbreaking, fundamental reform for the adversarial legal system to keep innocent people from going to prison We rely on the adversarial legal system to hold offenders accountable, ensure everyone is playing by the same rules, and keep our streets safe. Unfortunately, a grave condition lingers under the surface: at all times the imprisonment of possibly tens of thousands of innocent people. The Plea of Innocence offers a fundamental reform of the adversarial system: plausibly innocent people may now plead innocent and require the government to search for exonerating facts; in return, they will be required to waive their right to remain silent, speak to government agents, and participate in a search for truth. While almost all the participants within the system hope that only guilty people will be convicted, the unfortunate reality is that innocent people are convicted and imprisoned at an alarming rate. With the privatization of defense institutions, accused innocent people are themselves responsible for finding the facts that could exonerate them. Though the poor are represented by public defenders-in fact, almost no one who is charged with a crime has enough money to pay for a complete defense-it is still accused people, not public officials, who bear the entire burden of proving their innocence. Tim Bakken believes that reform of the three-hundred-year-old adversarial system is long overdue, and that the government should be responsible for searching for truth-exonerating facts for innocent people-rather than being satisfied with due process. While it is improbable that all the facts in any case will ever be known, the essential point is that the acquisition of facts will almost always benefit an innocent person who has been accused of a crime. Featuring compelling evidence and concrete steps for reform, The Plea of Innocence is at once sensible and revolutionary, a must-read for anyone invested in restoring truth to the justice system.

Everything you need to enter the exciting field of legal mediation

To be an effective mediator, it's essential to possess the ability to take control of animated situations, offer advice, and facilitate discussion--all the while remaining neutral without formulating biased judgment. "Success as a Mediator For Dummies" helps you acquire these attributes and much more.

Aspiring mediators will learn the importance of upholding an honorable reputation, the skills, personality traits, and characteristics of a good mediator, and how to effectively market a successful mediation career. Plus, you'll get practical advice about finding work in the field, realistic salary information, and tips on as tips on identifying whether you have the skills and tools to become a good mediator.The steps necessary to become a mediator (education, training, licensing, states-specific requirements, etc.)How your education and professional background can enhance your mediation workSample rules and standards of conductAll the steps necessary to build and market a successful private practice in mediation, or flourish as a mediator in a law firm, corporation, school, or non-profit organization

Whether you have a background in law or an interest in legal careers, "Success as a Mediator For Dummies" gives you everything you need to enter the exciting field of legal mediation.

This account of six families whose children were wrongly seized by child protection services vividly illustrates the constitutional balancing act where medicine, family interests, and child safety can clash. They Took the Kids Last Night shows a rarely exposed side of America's contemporary struggle to address child abuse, telling the stories of loving families who were almost destroyed by false allegations—readily accepted by caseworkers, doctors, the media, and, too often, the courts. Each of the six wrongly accused families profiled in this book faced an epic and life-changing battle when child protection caseworkers came to their homes to take their kids. In each case, a child had an injury whose cause was unknown; it could have been due to an accident, a medical condition, or abuse. Each family ultimately exonerated itself and restored its family life, but still bears scars from the experience that will never disappear. The book tells why and how the child protection system failed these families. It also examines the larger flaws in our country's child protection safety net that is supposed to sort out the innocent from the guilty in order to protect children.

Studying Scots Law provides a highly readable account of the educational and training requirements for entry into the Scottish legal profession and provides essential information on law courses throughout Scotland as well as giving useful advice on study skills. Studying Scots Law provides law students with an invaluable source of reference throughout their studies. The new edition provides invaluable information on how the approach to teaching and studying has changed during Covid restrictions and the facilities universities have put in place to support students during this time. As well as a general background it also provides guidance on: - The nature and forms of legal education and what to expect from a study of the law - Advice on applying to university, studying, essay writing and exams - Treatment of electronic sources for study and research - Information on education funding

The issue of underperformance at partner level remains incredibly agonising and sensitive in law firms. Low demand for legal services has been compounded by an increase in the competitive forces both inside and outside the legal profession. Life has become even more difficult for partners, for whom performance demands have increased at the same time as the availability of work has tailed off. Underperformance continues to affect law firms in many ways, not least of which are diminished profitability, loss of opportunity, the disaffection of high performers, challenges to the firm's values and falling morale. What is more, underperformance has to be seen not just in terms of productivity but also in terms of a more holistic approach to a firm's standards. Drawing on original and academic research from the past 8 years, and featuring contributions from law firm performance experts including Edwin Reeser, Angus Lyon, and Patrick McKenna, author Nick Jarrett-Kerr's highly anticipated Tackling Partner Underperformance 2nd Edition covers topics including: *Trends in partner performance *Understanding why partners underperform or are underproductive *Judging, rating and evaluating partners *Aligning performance with partner compensation and rewards *Supporting and rehabilitating underperforming partners *Stress and mental illness impact on performance *Systems for partner performance management *Underperformance culture *Governance, communication and conflict management *And more. Tackling Partner Underperformance 2nd Edition is arguably the most comprehensive study ever undertaken into partner underperformance in law firms, and those firms (regardless of size and location) who utilize and implement the information, advice and practical strategies for addressing this issue, will see significant differences in their productivity and ultimately profitability.

The Pocket Lawyer series is designed for members of the public who want 'how to' guidance in situations that would normally require expert advice. Each title: is written by experts in their field contains all the information you need in one book has an accessible and user-friendly layout and structure is supported by a companion website providing free updates and ready-to-use documents and letters. Under the Inland Revenue's Rent-a-Room scheme you can earn GBP4,250 free of tax by taking in a lodger. This book will help you to decide whether taking in a lodger is for you. Once decided, it will guide you through your legal obligations as a landlord, help you choose and vet a suitable lodger and help you draft an agreement that is legally sound and fair for both of you.

Winner, 2019 Global Legal Skills Book Award, given by the Global Legal Skills Conference An essential handbook for international lawyers and students Focusing on vocabulary, Essential Legal English in Context introduces the US legal system and its terminology. Designed especially for foreign-trained lawyers and students whose first language is not English, the book is a must-read for those who want to expand their US legal vocabulary and basic understanding of US government. Ross uses a unique approach by selecting legal terms that arise solely within the context of the levels and branches of US government, including terminology related to current political issues such as partisanship. Inspired by her students' questions over her years of teaching, she includes a vast collection of legal vocabulary, concepts, idioms, and phrasal verbs and unpacks concepts embedded in US case law, such as how the US constitutional separation of powers may affect a court's interpretation of the law. The handbook differentiates basic terms in civil and criminal cases and compares terms that may seem similar because of close spellings but in fact have different meanings. For instance, what is the distinction between "taking the stand" and "taking a stand?" What is the difference between "treaties" and "treatises"? Featuring illustrations and hands-on exercises, Essential Legal English in Context is a valuable self-study resource for those who want to improve their legal English terminology before entering a US law school, studying US law or government, or working as a seconded attorney to a US law firm. Instructors can use the handbook in an introductory US legal English course.

This book discusses how judges qualify their activities as objective. The data for this project was retrieved from a large sample of cases using Langacker's methodology. The sample included over a thousand decisions from Brazil, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Romania and the UK. The decisions considered allegations of judicial bias, unfairness, and injustice. Pre-judices are shared cognitive methods that legal practitioners perceive as necessary. The results of the study directly confirm Pierre Legrand's claims of pre-judices in legal discourse, and as corollary, Jules L. Coleman and Brian Leiter's idea of modest objectivity in law.

What is the future of civil rights? Like a living thing, discrimination evolves, adapting to its time. As discrimination becomes more individualized, as difference becomes more pronounced, we need a civil rights that is attuned to the way identity is performed today. Outsiders is filled with stories that demand attention, stories of people whose search for identity has cast them to the margins. Their stories reveal that we need to refresh our vision of civil rights. Taking its cue from religious discrimination law, Outsiders proposes two major changes to civil rights law. The first is a right to personality. Identity comes from within. The goal of civil rights law should be to take people as they come, to let each of us determine who we are and how we relate to the world around us. The second change is a shift in how the law responds to discrimination. The critical question driving equality law should be whether there is space to accommodate a person's identity. Accommodations are about respecting difference, not erasing it. Accommodations are a way to bring outsiders in. Outsiders seeks to change the way we think about identity, equality, and discrimination. It argues that difference, not sameness, should be the cornerstone of civil rights. Mixing doctrine and theory, art, and personal narrative, Outsiders proposes a civil rights for everyone. Being different is universal. We are all outsiders.

This inspirational handbook is packed with hundreds of proven tools, tips, and techniques for increasing revenue and forging relationships with clients and colleagues that will last you a lifetime. The rainmaking secrets revealed will enable you to: Find practice niches; Apply alternative fees; Accelerate cross-selling; Categorise your key targets; Use social media effectively; Identify and build personal strengths; Deliver exceptional levels of client service; Build powerful internal and external networks; Get client meetings and maximise their effectiveness; Improve lateral success and enhance lateral integration; and Make business development a career-long, sustainable process. Secrets of the Masters features a highly regarded team of over two dozen law firm marketing and business development experts who offer their insight, experiences, and real-world tips on attracting, retaining, and growing your client base. Each chapter also includes an extensive range of business development approaches and mini case studies, along with a useful planning worksheet which prompts you to make decisions and take action. PLUS...Within the complimentary CD-Rom you'll find all the supporting worksheets and checklists featured throughout the book, along with a personal business development plan template to help you tailor your strategies. "Secrets of the Masters" is the most comprehensive, yet practical "how to" guide I've seen for developing business in the legal industry. Whether you're a young lawyer starting to build a practice and reputation, or a seasoned practitioner looking to achieve the next level of success, this book is your roadmap. Simply stated, if you heed its principles, you will make more money." - Jonathan Fitzgarrald, Chief Marketing Officer of Greenberg Glusker and author of BADfortheBRAND.com

We all know that law is a people business. Clients buy from lawyers whom they like, respect, and trust, and they judge those lawyers and their firms on the quality of service that the firm provides, the results achieved, and whether they receive value for money. This applies to corporate, institutional, and private clients alike. For their business plans to be connected to reality, partners and law firm leaders must learn how they are perceived by their clients and adapt accordingly. They do this by listening to their clients. Historically this was through informal, fireside chats. In recent years, many firms have devised formal client listening programs and in recent years there has been an explosion of review sites and social media channels enabling clients to leave their unfiltered and public feedback, whether solicited or not. Forward-looking firms are adopting multi-channel approaches to taking feedback to maximize the intelligence they gather and to adapt to clients' own preferences. As ever, the most nimble and adaptable will reap the rewards. The Client Experience: How to Optimize Client Service and Deliver Value looks at the client experience from end-to-end, from client listening programs to journey mapping, from customer audits to how legal tech can help improve the way a client interacts with a law firm throughout its relationship. A client-centric business model is essential for future law firm success and the authors of this far-reaching title utilize their own experience and real-life case studies to drill down into the importance of maintaining the one thing no business can do without: its client.

Setting up a family office is never an easy undertaking and can present numerous challenges for anyone seeking to steward assets for future generations or meet the complex needs of extended family members. This Special Report provides a practical guide to the main factors to consider when setting up a family office and helps families and their advisers navigate a path through the wide range of family office models in use today. In addition to a brief history of family offices and their evolution, the report covers how families can be encouraged to spend quality time thinking about their needs and aspirations - as well as their relationship to the family wealth - and explores how advisers can work alongside families most effectively. Written in an engaging, accessible style Setting Up a Family Office looks at who can benefit most from a family office and walks the reader through each key step in the process, including: *how to hire; *where to locate; *what structure to use; *how to ensure privacy and loyalty; and *the evolution of the office and the family. This report makes essential reading for anyone considering setting up a family office including advisers working alongside families on these key issues. Authors Barbara Hauser and Keith Drewery have decades of practical experience working with family offices, in all stages, and in many countries.