Latest news with #solicitors
Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Times
UK house sales fall after April's stamp duty changes
Fewer house sales completed in April than in any month since the first lockdown after the increase in stamp duty costs. There were 55,970 residential transactions in the UK, according to the latest data from HM Revenue & Customs. That was 66 per cent fewer than in March, which was an especially busy month for estate agents, solicitors and removals companies. HMRC said it was the biggest month-on-month fall it had recorded. April was the slowest month for completions since May 2020 during the first lockdown, when the housing market was still effectively shut. By contrast, 165,340 sales went through in March, which was an 81 per cent month-on-month increase and the most since June 2021, just before the last stamp duty holiday was due to end.
Washington Post
29-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Miss Manners: How to deal with solicitors in a ‘no solicitor' building?
Dear Miss Manners: I work in an upscale office building in the downtown core. Our building is supposed to be solicitor-free, but on occasion we get walk-in solicitors, companies trying to sell their services and people trying to give resumes. This is both annoying and bothersome. Our office is locked, so these people need to ring or knock to be let in — and then when they come in, I realize they are not clients, but peddlers. Is it impolite to say there is no soliciting in the building, or should I take their card and just say I will pass it on, even though I won't? I understand that these people are trying to better themselves, but they are already breaking rules and taking time away from my work. One can enforce a building rule rudely and one can enforce it politely, but you appear to be asking if the rule itself is rude — a habit, perhaps, in an age when everyone is asked to comment on everything. The rule itself strikes Miss Manners as innocuous. More importantly, it is not within your authority to change. Tell the person that you are sorry, but the owners have a rule against soliciting in the building. You can then pick up a phone, leaving them to guess whether this is to inform someone of their presence or merely to go about your own business. Dear Miss Manners: I learned from a treasured friend that if a person brings up a topic regarding themselves, it usually means they want to talk about it. Said friend will then, sometimes, seem to throw up her guard when I ask a question, wanting to hear more. Is it rude to ask questions when someone brings up a personal subject? Am I asking the wrong questions? Perhaps I'm asking the wrong way. If so, how should I politely ask? Maybe I want the correct preface. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to such a question except to say: When in doubt, attentive listening is usually the least likely to get one in trouble. Dear Miss Manners: Both of my sisters-in-law's grandchildren graduated from high school last weekend. We gladly traveled the two hours to their respective parties and gave each one a cash gift. Both sisters-in-law have texted, thanking us for coming and for the nice gifts. I suspect (in one instance, anyway) that we're not to expect a reply from the recipient, as the text went into detail how appreciative the graduate is, how the money will be put to use and what his future plans are. How do I respond? It feels misplaced to say 'You're welcome' to the grandparents, when we attended and gifted in honor of the graduates. The problem, as both you and the sisters-in-law know or suspect, is that the unmannerly recipients are not going to express thanks themselves. So the question within your question is whether you let the sisters-in-law — who do not want you to think ill of their grandchildren — off the hook. Miss Manners would have you text back that you are 'Glad they are enjoying the gift.' This will reassure the sisters-in-law that you have no quarrel with them — while its brevity relieves you of directly addressing the larger question. New Miss Manners columns are posted Monday through Saturday on You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, You can also follow her @RealMissManners. © 2025 Judith Martin
Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Are my property purchase completion funds protected?
Q. We have to pay £400,000 to solicitors to complete the purchase of a property. Is it protected in the same way as money deposited with a bank? A. Solicitors operate two separate kinds of bank accounts: an 'office' account and a 'client' account. Rule 2.3 of the Solicitors Regulation Authority Accounts Rules requires them to pay any money received from clients into the designated client account. Any mixing of these moneys is a serious breach of professional ethics and will result in disciplinary action. It has long been recognised that money in a client account is held by the solicitors on trust. For example, in the 2002 case of Twinsectra v Yardley, the House of Lords said that cash paid for a
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Solicitors clash with Cilex over ‘chartered paralegal' title
A rumbling row between solicitor leaders and their legal executive counterparts over terminology is threatening to explode into a full-scale public battle. Last week the Privy Council approved an amendment to the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives' (Cilex) royal charter, allowing use of the title 'chartered paralegal' — a coup for the institute's leaders. Yet they barely had time to celebrate before the Law Society raised objections, warning that the public was bound to be confused. Cilex says that the 'chartered paralegal' title will be used by members who had been working in a legal role for at least five years and can demonstrate 'extensive legal knowledge and competence across key duties and behaviours'. Officials have also launched a public register of those making the
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Law firms threaten to claw back fees for exam failures
Fees for the solicitors qualifying examination are set to rise slightly next year, meaning the two-part gateway into legal practice will set students back nearly £5,000. Seeking help from firms by getting a training contract could, however, be a risky business. The four-year-old exam, which triggered palpitations among old guard lawyers when regulators first mooted the change after about nine years of consultation, has just had a clean bill of health from an independent reviewer. Bigger problems with solicitor training have emerged not from the exam, but from law firms and their alleged approach to students who fail it. More on that in a moment. First, it should be noted that the latest review described last year's delivery of the SQE as 'good', with clear
