Law Society notices

Monitoring of training contracts schemeThe chief monitorThe Law Society appointed Debrah Ball, formerly the director of professional development at City law firm Lovells, as its chief monitor in February 2000 for a period of three years.

Her initial role has been to assist in setting up the monitoring scheme and recruiting and training monitors.Since her appointment, the chief monitor has been working with the monitoring of training team, based at the Society's offices in Redditch, devising the new monitoring procedures, processes and supporting documentation.

She has also been involved in recruiting monitors and undertaking pilot visits to firms to test and evaluate the new systems.

The chief monitor will be publicising the progress of the scheme throughout the year, which will include the dissemination of best practice.The monitorsThe Society is recruiting a total of 21 monitors who will work with the chief monitor to implement the scheme for monitoring the quality of training received by trainees.

The monitors will operate on a regional basis, serving the seven regions consisting of London, the south and south-east, eastern region; the midlands; the north-east; the north-west and north Wales; and the south-west and south Wales.There will also be two monitors for local government and one for commerce and industry.

Monitors are required to be qualified solicitors with several years recent experience of both training and working with trainees as training principals or supervisors.

Recruitment and selection of monitorsTwo recruitment and selection days have already been run both in London and Redditch and 13 monitors have been appointed.

The monitors are selected following a full day of individual and group work and exercises designed to test their skills and suitability for the role, including role-plays, discussions and formal interviews.

An additional recruitment and selection day is planned for early September at Chancery Lane.

It is hoped that the Society will have its full complement of monitors in place by mid-September.

Training of monitorsThe monitors will undergo an intensive training session in mid-September involving the chief monitor, Law Society adjudicator, Trainee Solicitors Group representative and the Society's staff.Monitors will undertake their first monitoring visits to firms before the end of September.

The Society will be undertaking both targeted and random monitoring and has already selected and contacted the firms that are to receive monitoring visits in the first round.

The monitoring visitsThe emphasis of the monitoring process will be upon ensuring that the training requirements set out in the new Trainee Solicitors' Guide to Authorisation, including the training code and skills standards, are fully met.

During a monitoring visit, monitors will interview training principals, supervisors and trainees and examine training documentation.

They will assess whether the quality of the training provided for trainees within the training establishment is satisfactory.

They will also make recommendations to training principals as to improvements that need to be made, where the quality of the training is found to be unsatisfactory.

Action plans will also be discussed and agreed with training principals and both oral and written feedback will be given.

Nominations sought for membership of the Law Society's audit committee

In September 1997 the Council of the Law Society established an Audit Committee to carry out the customary functions recommended by the Cadbury Code of Practice on Corporate Governance, that is to say, to oversee financial reporting, external audit, internal financial control and internal audit.

In addition, the Society's audit committee has wider ranging responsibilities on corporate governance and control issues, value for money and cost-effectiveness.

The committee comprises a chairman and seven other members and has a majority of non-Council members.

A vacancy has arisen for a member of the profession to serve for three years and nominations are now invited.

The audit committee meets about six times a year, usually in London.

Attendance at one or two working groups of the committee a year may also be required.

Members will not be remunerated but will be able to claim expenses.

Solicitors who are members of the Society and who are interested in serving on the audit committee should be able to demonstrate experience of audit committee work and an understanding of the issues involved.

For additional details, contact Lisa Pepper, Corporate Administration, on 020 7316 5660 or by fax on 020 7320 5759.

Completed nominations should be returned no later than 6 October 2000.

Recent information from the Law Society's Library

Civil procedureCivil Procedure Rules 1998 - the 18th set of amendments, published by the Lord Chancellor's Department.

The amendments come into force on 2 October 2000.

They are available on the Web at: http://www.open.gov.uk/lcd/civil/ procrules_fin/camendfr18.htm

The Family Proceedings (Amendment) Rules 2000.

SI 2000: 2267 (L.19).

Rules 3,4 and 10 come into force on 2 October 2000; remainder comes into force on 1 December 2000.

Available at: http://www.hmso.gov.uk/ si/si200022.htm

Human rightsR v Lambert; R v Ali; R v Jordan, The Times, 5 September 2000 (CA) Section 2(2) of the Homicide Act 1957 and sections 5(4) and 28 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, which provide defendants who can prove certain specified facts with a defence to a charge of murder or possession of drugs, do not breach the presumption of innocence.

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

Inheritance taxVarious Inland Revenue Inheritance Tax leaflets for practitioners are available at: http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/leaflets/iht.htmThey include a general guide on inheritance tax law and Inland Revenue penalties, how to calculate tax liability and the treatment of foreign assets.

Land registrationThe Land Registration (Conduct of Business) Regulations 2000.

SI 2000: 2212.

The regulations come into force on 2 October 2000 and are available on the Web at: http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si200022.htm

The Land Registration (Hearings Procedure) Rules 2000.

SI 2000: 2213.

Comes into force on 2 October 2000.

Available at: http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si200022.htm

The Land Registration (No.

2) Rules 2000.

SI 2000: 2214.

Comes into force on 2 October 2000.

Available at: http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si200022.htm

Legal aidThe Legal Aid in Criminal and Care Proceedings (General) (Amendment) (No.

3) Regulations 2000.

SI 2000: 2226.

Comes into force on 2 October 2000.

Available at: http://www.hmso.gov.

uk/si/si200022.htm

The Legal Aid Act 1988 (Modification) Regulations 2000.

SI 2000: 2227.

Comes into force on 2 October 2000.

Available at: http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si200022.htm

PensionsStakeholder Regulations, Inland Revenue Press Release 143/00, 31 August 2000Details of new regulations to change the personal pension tax regime to allow the introduction of the stakeholder pensions.

Most are due come into force from 1 October 2000.

Press release available at: http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/home.htm

Details of SI 2000: 2314 to SI 2000: 2318 inclusive will soon be available at: http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/stat.htm

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

For further information about items or other legal research enquiries please call the library's enquiry service, tel: 0870 606 2511 or email 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 Law Society's directory goes on line

New Internet serviceAll private practice firms will feature in the Law Society's Internet directory which is being launched this month at www.solicitors-online.comThe new service is intended to be the best way to find a solicitor on line, and to provide firms with a uniquely authoritative presence in the electronic market place.

BenefitsThe service offered by www.solicitors-online.com will be:l Definitive and up to date - information will be taken direct from Law Society records, and updated daily;l Free of charge - no fee is charged to firms for their entries, and no charge is made to users;l In depth - all private practices will be listed - with each solicitor's name and their specialisms, panel membership, languages spoken, branch office details, location maps, and Web site links, and;l Fully searchable - users can look for a named firm or individual, or do a search for a firm in their area with the specialism they need.

In-house solicitors are not included, as they do not offer legal services publicly.

More details about the service are given at www.solicitors-online.com itself - select 'About this service' on the home page.

What you should doAll the details about your firm, and your on-line entry, will be updated when you complete and return the annual practising certificate renewal forms being despatched in the coming weeks.

But if there is important information that needs updating or correcting more urgently, you should let us know.The quickest and most convenient ways to tell us about updates are as follows:l www.change.lawsociety.org.uk (our easy-to-use on-line update form)l Fax: 01527 883202l E-mail: caet@lawsociety.org.ukl CAET, The Law Society, Ipsley Court, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 OTD

Web addressesPlease check that we have your Web site address (we are not publishing e-mail addresses).

If not, please use one of the ways just mentioned to tell us.If you would like guidance on developing a Web site, there is a step-by-step guide at www.it.lawsociety.org.uk and a series of seminars this autumn listed at www.events.lawsociety.org.uk

The Henry Malcolm Hubbard Law Scholarship for 2001

Solicitor Henry Malcolm Hubbard died on 23 December 1946, establishing by his will the Law Scholarship Fund, part of the income of which was to be applied in granting scholarships to trainee solicitors.

By the terms of the will, for a person to be eligible for the award of a scholarship he or she must at the time the award is made have passed the legal practice course and be serving under a training contract.

However, the trustees have been granted authority to include within the beneficial class young solicitors admitted for not more than three years.

A condition of the award is that the scholar, during the term of the award, shall study in one or more of France, Spain or Canada, the law and legal procedure of that country.

The period of study will normally be for one year, though shorter periods will be considered, and will usually be after admission; it is only exceptionally that such study can be reckoned as good service under a training contract.

In accordance with the will, the conditions and regulations for the award and tenure of the scholarships are to be settled by the Law Society Council, the trustees of the will having certain overriding powers.

But the award of the scholarship is at the absolute discretion of the trustees.

It is the intention of the trustees that the scholarship or scholarships should be sufficient to enable the student to complete the study course without having to supplement the funds from private resources.

However, scholars have in the past taken some form of paid employment, for example, during vacations, to enable them to see more of the country in which they are studying.

Typically, scholarships will be in the range of 10,000 to 15,000 for a year's course, depending on location and local cost of living.

Candidates should be prepared to indicate the likely cost of undertaking the course they have chosen.

The policy of the trustees is to pay the award in two equal instalments, the first one when the candidate leaves England or Wales and the balance when he or she has submitted a report to the trustees at the half-way stage in the studies.

An additional report in greater detail is required on the scholar's return.

Application forms on which to apply for a scholarship will be available from Carol Bushell, administrator, HMH Law Scholarship, Legal Education Division, The Law Society, Ipsley Court, Redditch B98 0TD, after 1 October 2000.

Completed application forms must reach the Law Society not later than 1 March 2001.

Notice

Environment Agency - guide to good environmental practice

To encourage environmental compliance among small and medium-sized enterprises, the Environment Agency has published A Guide To Good Environmental Practice for Trading Estates and Business Parks.

The guide offers practical help and advice to companies located on industrial estates to help them to understand their impact on the environment and to increase business efficiency.

Copies of the guide are available free of charge from Regina Duggan at the Environment Agency, tel: 0121 711 5929.