Society's News

BLS features in Bristol Post oldest thriving companies in Bristol

Excerpt from the article: How Bristol’s oldest companies are still thriving after more than 100 years in business They include the city’s last-surviving chocolate maker a wine merchant and a tannery. Why do some companies struggle to survive beyond a year while others flourish for hundreds? Although more than 90 per cent of small companies in Britain will survive one … more

The President’s Charity of the Year 2017/18

                      Please see Freewheelers Leaflet 2017 for the fabulous work these volunteer riders undertake to assist the NHS in moving vital supplies and equipment  around the county. Who knows which one of us or someone we know may have already benefited from their amazing work?

BLS Member discount offer on GCHQ certified Social Engineering Course – 8 August

Red Goat Cyber Security are offering Bristol Law Society members a 15% discount on their upcoming GCHQ certified Social Engineering course at Imperial College on the 8th of August. This interactive half-day cyber security course helps you identify and prevent social engineering attacks such as phishing and impersonation by placing you in the position of the hackers to enable you … more

Price Transparency Guidance from the SRA

Ahead of the introduction of new price transparency requirements within the legal sector, we have issued guidance on what price and service information firms must publish on their websites from this December.

As well as explaining firms’ mandatory obligations, the guidance also provides templates and best practice tips on publishing user friendly price and service information for the public.

The new transparency rules, and their expected implementation date, were first announced in June 2018, and confirmed following Legal Services Board approval in August.

Under the rules, all regulated law firms will, from early December, be required to proactively publish information on prices they charge and what these include, across a number of common services:

For members of the public: conveyancing, probate, motoring offences, employment tribunals (claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal) and immigration (excluding asylum).

For small businesses: debt recovery (up to £100k), employment tribunals (defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal) and licensing applications for business premises.

In addition to prices, firms must also outline typical timescales for the quoted services and provide details of the experience and qualifications of staff who work in these areas.

The required information must be published in a prominent location on a firm’s website, which is accessible, clearly signposted and easy for visitors to find. For those without a website, the information must be immediately available in any format for any member of the public who requests it.

https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/news/press/transparency-rules-2018.page