The Solicitor s Handbook 2009 - second edition

Description: BOOK REVIEW

THE SOLICITOR’S HANDBOOK 2009 Second edition

By

Andrew Hopper QC and Gregory Traveston-Jones QC

THE LAW SOCIETY

ISBN: 978-1-85328-770-3

www.lawsociety.org.uk

MAINTAINING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS WITH ALL THE NECESSARY FORMAL DETAILS

An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers

There’s no more authoritative guide to the rules and regulations governing solicitors in England and Wales than the second edition of the Solicitor’s Handbook for 2009 published by their governing body, The Law Society, now in 19 chapters and 25 appendices.

If you are a solicitor, ‘The Solicitor’s Handbook 2009 ‘ should certainly now be a permanent fixture on your shelf or desk, placed conveniently at your right hand – especially in view of the volume of regulation now faced by solicitors.

For last year’s edition we described it as a handy statement of the current rules without going online. We remain in an age of handbooks as the legal profession continues to be regulation mad. However, this particular edition is much needed because it draws together all of the most important rules and regulations that affect solicitors in one volume.

The 19 chapters (one extra from last year) are conveniently split into four areas: the overview; the rules; fraud and money laundering; and the regulatory and disciplinary system in practice. The heavy formal detail is found in the, now 25, appendices, although it’s fair to say that the book needs to be used a bit first in order to familiarize yourself where things are.

The authors, a solicitor advocate and barrister respectively, are both QCs and specialists in the field of professional regulation and discipline. They have updated the second edition to take account of all recent developments in the regulatory landscape. Expert commentary is provided on the practical realities of the regulatory and disciplinary environment in which you as a solicitor will operate, backed by illuminating discussion of the relevant decided cases.

As pointed out in the preface to this edition, there are two major changes effected by the Legal Services Act of 2007 that are not yet in place, namely alternative business structures (true external ownership of law firms) and the complaints and redress system to be established by the ombudsmen (sic) scheme of the Office for Legal Complaints, which will replace the current Legal Complaints Service.

Nonetheless, relevant to the 2009 edition of the Handbook is the fact that the Legal Services Act 2007 is now in force even if, in the words of the authors, ‘in some respects the practical effects [of changes engendered by the new law] have not yet been tested.

The Handbook contains useful and detailed supporting materials including ‘the text of the latest versions of : The Solicitors’ Code of Conduct 2007) and the Solicitors’ Accounts Rule 1998, together with the Accountant’s Report Form revised in May 2009.

You’ll also find:

• SRA Recognised Bodies Regulations 2009 (31 March 2009) • Solicitors’ Financial Services (Scope) Rules 2001(revised 31 March 2009) • SRA Warning Cards (May 2009) • Law Society’s Anti-Money Laundering Practice Note • Legal Services Act 2007 (extracts)

So, in all, this is an authoritative publication designed to assist you in maintaining professional standards and identifying and dealing with regulatory and disciplinary issues before they escalate into the terrifyi