February 2017 mid-month update

CLC around the country

We’ll be in Plymouth on 21^st February , Bristol on 22^nd and Cardiff on 23^rd. We had a great time meeting CLC lawyers in Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester recently.

Join us to find out about changes to our Accounts Code and CPD regime, share your views on how we can best provide price and service quality information to consumers and ask any questions you like about the work of the CLC

Book now for:

Plymouth

Bristol

Cardiff

National Cyber Security Centre launches

The NCSC was launched this week. Its website has a lot of great guidance and materials to help you protect yourself, your firm and your clients from cybercrime.

Visit the NCSC website

Visit the CLC webpage on tackling fraud and cybercrime

Accounts Code Consultation

Changes to the CLC’s Accounts Code are proposed to reduce the regulatory burden on specialist conveyancing and probate firms by:

• Simplifying the Accounts Code (in future five pages rather than ten)
• Introducing a new self-certification scheme for Aged Balances to give firms more discretion
• Replacing guidance with a more focused Practice Note

The CLC is also asking whether any further changes are needed to take account of issues around keeping accounts in probate matters.

Read the full consultation document

Respond to the online consultation

Consumer information

The Competition and Markets Authority has recommended that the legal sector regulators seek new ways to ensure that consumers can access information about the price and service quality of legal services to help them choose a provider.

We’re running a survey to get your views on a range of possible responses.

Have your say

Land Registry Property Alert Service

Are you encouraging your clients to use the Land Registry’s award-winning Property Alert Service? Once signed up to the service, you get email alerts when certain activity occurs on the monitored properties, allowing you to take action if necessary.

Find out more

Secure Badge

73 CLC firms are now using our secure badge.

Another 79 have everything they need to get started.  If you’re in that group and having problems, contact the helpline.

If yours is one of the 90 or so firms that has not yet applied for your mandatory secure badge, fine out more here.