Society's News

Corporate Members 2020

3PB Albion Chambers Ashfords Barcan + Kirby Burges Salmon Clarke Willmott Cooke Painter Ltd Clyde & Co DAC Beachcroft Devereux & Co Enterprise Chambers The Family Law Practice Foot Anstey (including Enable Law) Fussell Wright Gregg Latchams Ltd Guildhall Chambers Irwin Mitchell Solicitors Kelcey & Hall Lyons Davidson Marc White & Co Meade King Michelmores LLP MS Rubric Osborne Clarke … more

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

No 12, The Meeting Rooms – Conference, Meeting and Mediation Rooms for Hire

Please note that the BLS office is shut to members at present as we continue to work from home during the pandemic. We can be contacted on info@bristollawsociety.com. In the meantime, our office is now operating as the Bristol Nightingale Court and accordingly, we are unable to hire out our facilities until further notice. (Oct 2020) Bristol Law Society’s suite … more

LATEST SRA NEWS – PRACTISING CERTIFICATE RENEWALS

The SRA has announced that the Practising Certificate Renewals Exercise (PCRE) 2012 will commence on Thursday, 1 November, with a closing date of Friday, 14 December.

On 25 September, they will be emailing all organisational contacts and authorised signatories to provide detailed guidance on how to prepare for the renewals exercise.

Following last year’s difficulties, the SRA is confident that this year things will run smoothly. However, if any firm does find itself with problems, please let BLS know at office1@bristollawsociety.com and BLS will make representations.

In further SRA news, the SRA is moving to its new headquarters will be The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 lRN and our Redditch and Leamington Spa offices will close on 1 October.

The Contact Centre and the Professional Ethics helpline will be closed from 12.00, 28 September until 14.00, 1 October as part of the move.

During the closure any queries should be emailed to contactcentre@sra.org.uk

Finally, the SRA has announced that it will make “surprise” visits to 100 firms to audit their equality and diversity policies. This is part of the SRA’s data collection in relation to  ethnicity, age, disabilities and caring responsibilities. Data will also be collected on sexual orientation, religion or belief, and gender reassignment.

The drive to collect diversity data arises from a statutory requirement, laid down by the Legal Services Board in August 2011, that all law firms and chambers should publish statistical information on the diversity profile of their staff.

So far approximately 70% of firms have returned questionnaires to the SRA.