Law Society notices

Recent information from the Law Society's library

Civil procedure

Keith v CPM Field Marketing Ltd, The Times, 29 August 2000 (CA)The court should have considered all the circumstances set out under rule 3.9 (1)(a) to (i) of the Civil Procedure Rules before deciding what order to make when a defendant applied for an extension of time to comply with a court order even though the defendant had not applied under rule 3.9.

Available at: http://www.the-times.co.uk/

Europe

Proposal for a convention on improving mutual assistance in criminal matters, particularly money laundering and organised crime.

In the Official Journal,C243, 24 August, p11.

Also a proposal for a framework decision on identifying and seizing proceeds from crime, in the Official Journal C243, 24 August, p9.

Both are available at http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en

Hotels

The Pink Booklet: a practical guide to legislation for accommodation providers.

(English Tourism Council, 2000, ISBN 0861432223).

Practical legal help to those involved in the provision of accommodation.

In the library at bookcase 15C.

Local government finance

Enforcement of Local Taxation: an advisers' guide to non-payment of council tax and the poll tax by Alan Murdie and Ian Wise (Legal Action Group, 2000, ISBN 1903307007).This guide is aimed at those who offer advice to people who are in dispute with local authorities over payment of local taxes.

Shelved in the library at bookcase 19G.

Sale of goods

Barry v Davies (t/a Heathcote Ball & Co) and Others, The Times, 31 August 2000 (CA)Where an auctioneer withdrew items which did not have a reserve price because he considered that the only bid received was too low, the bidder was entitled to recover damages against the auctioneer.

Available at: http://www.the-times.co.uk

This list has been compiled by the Law Society's Library.

For further information about items or other legal research enquiries please telephone the Library's Enquiry Service 0870 606 2511 or e-mail Lib-Enq@lawsociety.

org.uk.

Copies of most items are available via the Library's charged document delivery service: a photocopying application form is available on the Library's web page at www.library.lawsociety.org.uk

The legal practice course board: vacancies

The Legal Practice Course Board (LPC Board) currently has two vacancies.

Reporting to the Law Society's training committee, the LPC Board deals with the approval and monitoring of institutions providing the legal practice course and exercises the powers of the Law Society under the Monitoring of Courses Regulations 1991.

In addition, it would be desirable for the members to be involved in assessment visits to LPC teaching institutions.

Meetings are held in London about eight times a year.

Applications are invited from individuals who represent ethnic minority interests to fill one of the positions, and solicitors in the City of London who are interested in legal education for the other.

Please send a CV with a covering letter to Jo Green, Clerk of the LPC Board, The Law Society, Ipsley Court, Redditch, Worcs, B98 0TD.

Deadline: 15 September.

Probate welcomes trainee solicitors

The Probate Section of the Law Society decided at its last annual general meeting to accept trainee solicitors as associate members provided that a member of the firm employing the trainee was already a member of the section.

The trainee subscription for the Probate Section will be 50% of the full subscription for the first year of membership and at the normal rate thereafter.

CREST and covered warrants

Questions have been raised as to whether the definition of 'securities' in section 207 of the Companies Act 1989 is broad enough to include covered warrants and similar instruments.

The Treasury has made public a letter to CRESTCo setting out the advice of first Treasury counsel that the provision does provide the vires to allow the dematerialised settlement of such instruments through CREST.

Copies of the letter are available from Steven Durno at the Law Society, tel: 020 7320 5726.

Renewing a practising certificate or registration as a European or foreign lawyer for 2000/2001

Application forms

The Law Society is now sending out application forms for the 2000/2001 practising certificate year.

The practising certificate fee for solicitors and registration fee for foreign lawyers will increase in 2000-2001 for the first time since 1994.

The increase, a rise of 15 per cent to 495 and 325 respectively, will be used to resource the work of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors and to promote improved standards within the profession.

A reduced practising certificate fee of 370 is available for any solicitor who takes out their first practising certificate between 1 November 2000 and 31 December 2000.

Changes for 2000/2001

The earnings threshold for solicitors who are entitled to claim a reduced fee due to low income has increased from 12,000 to 12,500.

You will also be eligible to pay a reduced practising certificate fee if you have taken maternity leave within the 1999/2000 practising year.

Full details of these fees can be found in the notes which accompany each form.Since 1 September 2000 solicitors have been required to arrange indemnity insurance with an approved insurer.

We will require you to provide details of your insurer, policy number and policy start date when making your practising certificate application.

Under the Establishment of Lawyers Directive 98/5/EC, we are now required to register European lawyers who practise permanently in England and Wales.

If you currently have a registered European lawyer working in your firm, you can renew their registration using your firm's practising certificate renewal application form (RF1).

The target

Every practising solicitor, registered European lawyer and registered foreign lawyer should have an application form sent to them individually or to their firm.

If you have not received an application form yourself, please check to ensure that your organisation is making an application on your behalf.

If you or your firm have not received an application form by 8 October please contact our Information Services team on 0870 606 2555 (lines are open from 8.00am until 6.00pm Monday to Friday between 1 September and 30 November).

The target for this year is to issue 95% of certificates by the end of December 2000.We are hoping to begin processing application forms before the end of September this year and would be grateful if you could return your forms as early as possible.

All forms need to be returned to the Law Society by 31 October 2000 to ensure continuity of practising certificates.