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myCILEx provides you with information on the work CILEx is doing on behalf of its members.
For the latest branch events in your area, visit: www.cilexbranches.org.uk

 

National Apprenticeship Week 2017: a ladder of opportunity

NAW 2017, from 6 to 10 March, will celebrate apprenticeships, across all industries, and all levels, with the theme ‘ladder of opportunity’.

David Meller writes:

National Apprenticeship Week 2017

2017 is set to be a landmark year for apprenticeships in England. National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2017 is happening from 6–10 March. This will be the 10th annual NAW and will celebrate this year’s theme: ‘the ladder of opportunity’. The Week will bring together employers, as well as current and former apprentices. The latter, who have progressed significantly in their chosen industry since commencing their apprenticeship 10 years ago.

We have spoken to a whole range of former apprentices ahead of the occasion. Many of these apprentices from 10 years ago are successful business men and women, who have established successful careers in sectors, including engineering, marketing, the public sector and telecommunications. They have successfully climbed the career ladder through their apprenticeship, some of them overcoming experiences of social disadvantage, disability and mental health issues.

Moreover, these success stories underline the lifetime benefits gaining an apprenticeship can yield. A report commissioned by Barclays, released last summer, revealed the amount apprentices earn over the course of their lives is outstripping that of graduates by up to 270 per cent.

Employer-led reform

Giving employers control over funding for apprenticeships continues to be an essential feature of our reform programme, and 2017 is also the year when the new apprenticeship levy comes into force. An under-investment in Britain’s skills means the levy is integral to ensuring a highly skilled workforce for the future.

Therefore, from April 2017, all employers in the public and private sector, with a pay bill of £3m or more, will pay towards the levy to help fund the increase in the quantity and quality of apprenticeship training in England. Through the levy, £2.5bn will be invested in apprenticeships by 2019–20: double the amount spent in 2010–11. Moreover, all employers who pay for the levy will be able to choose and pay for the assessment they want through the new digital apprenticeship service, also launching in April 2017.

An opportunity for all

The government is committed to ensuring apprenticeships are as accessible as possible, to all people, from all backgrounds. Degree apprenticeships will enable learners to study to graduate level. Therefore, not only are we ensuring improved assessment and rigorous grading, but employers and universities are co-designing apprenticeships to meet full occupational competency where the apprentice completes a degree, either bachelor’s or master’s, as part of their apprenticeship.

These apprenticeships give young people the opportunity to attain a degree from some of our best universities whilst training in their chosen career. Degree Apprenticeships are already live in sectors such as banking, digital industries and chartered surveying.

There is no doubt about it – 2017 is set to be a transformative year for apprenticeships and will prove instrumental in ensuring we reach our target of three million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020!

• * http://tinyurl.com/hav5l4j
• For more information and to find out how to get involved in National Apprenticeship Week 2017, visit: gov.uk/NAW2017
• If you are interested in taking on an apprentice or offering a traineeship, call the National Apprenticeship Service on 08000 150 600 or go to GOV.UK and search ‘apprenticeships’ or ‘traineeships’.

Bond Dickinson wins National Apprenticeship Award

National law firm Bond Dickinson has won the Newcomer Large Employer of the Year award at this years National Apprenticeship Awards.

Bond Dickinson was among the first law firms to make legal apprenticeships available, with the first apprentices joining the business in 2014. The firm currently has 11 apprentices, seven working as legal apprentices and another four employed in the firm’s support services teams. Following the success of the scheme, which Bond Dickinson runs in partnership with CILEx Law School, the firm is now rolling out further apprenticeships across other business functions and locations.

In 2016, the scheme won the Employer of the Year Award at the CILEx Awards and the award for Best Large Newcomer of the Year at the South West Regional Apprenticeship Awards.

Sam Lee, head of recruitment at Bond Dickinson, said: ‘We took on apprentices because it was the right thing to do: for social mobility; improved staff retention; and for the future of our business.

'There’s a real buzz in the office around the scheme as people increasingly see the benefits they can bring. Recruiting apprentices as paralegals allows us to attract smart, enthusiastic and engaged people into law – people that never previously would have thought a career in law was for them, or even possible.

'Apprenticeships also provide great development opportunities for our existing staff, giving more junior staff in the business the chance to supervise and mentor people – opportunities that they previously may not have had.’

Policy round-up

Simon Garrod, CILEx director of policy and governance, writes on recent developments and CILEx’s work to influence government policy.

Legislation

CILEx met with the justice secretary Elizabeth Truss to discuss their upcoming legislative programme. Brexit is expected to dominate parliamentary time over the coming months (and perhaps years), meaning that there is limited time for legislation on other matters. We were, therefore, interested to learn of the Ministry of Justice’s plans to legislate swiftly on prisons and court reform ahead of wider Brexit work, which will include judicial terms and conditions, and possibly whiplash reforms.

Whilst CILEx members do not support all of the government’s proposals in these areas, the legislation is an opportunity to highlight the issues we feel could enhance the opportunities and working lives of CILEx members, including eligibility for higher judicial appointments and maintaining a lower small claims limit. Given the very tight timescales and limited opportunity for consultation, there may not be opportunity for significant amendments; however, we are hopeful that we can use the opportunity the Prisons and Court Reform Bill presents to raise these issues again with the government.

LASPO Act review

Justice minister Sir Oliver Heald QC MP confirmed the timetable for reviewing the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. A post-legislative memorandum will go to the Justice Select Committee in May for MPs to give their assessment of whether the legislation met its stated objectives. A fuller legislative review will then follow.

CILEx has consistently called for this review, and we hope the access to justice deficit it will highlight will prompt the government to act to bring more areas back within the scope of legal aid. We will be seeking our members’ views to inform our contributions to the review. So, if you work in the legal aid or advice fields, please do contribute when the time comes.

Whiplash reforms

Thanks to the nearly 200 members who gave CILEx their views on the government’s proposals to reform minor soft-tissue injury claims, giving us nearly 8,000 unique pieces of information to analyse and formulate a response. We were able to supply an evidence-based response that highlighted CILEx members’ significant concerns, from those working for both claimants and defendants, about rising numbers of litigants in person and the loss of access to justice.

• 94% disagreed with removing compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity from ‘minor’ claims;
• 87% disagreed with raising the small claims limit to £5,000; and
• 95% disagreed with it being raised above that (see also (2017) February CILExJ p4).

CILEx’s President, Martin Callan, organised meetings with his solicitor and barrister counterparts, as well as with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, the Motor Accident Solicitors Society and the Personal Injuries Bar Association, to discuss joint working to see that the worst impacts of the proposals are ameliorated. The campaign continues.

Legal professional privilege

CILEx, the Law Society, the Bar Council, and the Law Society of Scotland jointly pushed for increased protections for legal professional privilege during the passage of the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) 2016. Key to CILEx’s concerns were that the intelligence agencies applied the same enhanced protections to a client’s communications with their Chartered Legal Executive as with their solicitor, barrister or advocate.

Early indications from the Home Office are that CILEx’s lobbying has changed the IPA’s Codes of Practice explicitly to give reference to Chartered Legal Executives. The codes will be out for consultation in the coming weeks.

Fixed recoverable costs

Members of our civil litigation specialist reference group were surveyed on the latest plans to extend the fixed recoverable costs regime.

• 78% disagreed with the proposed extension of fixed costs to multi-track cases up to £250,000; and
• 71% disagreed with adopting a standardised costs approach to all types of cases.

Our consultation submission was greatly informed by member responses, and we will keep you updated as things progress. See also page 4 of this issue. 

Judicial appointments

CILEx continues to work closely with the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), and is working on how CILEx can collaborate with the commission to encourage new applications from CILEx members. JAC is likely to assist by locating judges who had trained previously with CILEx during their career, who can be contacted for mentoring and training support. CILEx has also been working with the Judicial Diversity Forum Working Group and Pre-Application Judicial Training Working Group to agree career pathways for each membership organisation and a written format for a proposed training scheme for underrepresented groups. Events to increase membership understanding and awareness of a judicial career are being proposed in Newcastle, Wales and London.

Specialist reference groups

Please do join the specialist reference group that relates to your practice area or areas. Our active groups include Civil Practitioners, Conveyancing, Court Users, Criminal Practitioners, Family Practitioners, Personal Injury, Regulatory Affairs, and Wales (see (2016) November and December CILExJ p39 and pp40–41 respectively). Other groups are planned for the future. • •

• You can find details on the CILEx website at: www.cilex.org.uk/membership/specialist_reference_groups or search for ‘CILEx specialist reference groups’.

FAQ

Q: I am currently an Associate member working in a law firm. I want to qualify as a Fellow, and have been reading about the requirements. Should I have my employment assessed now, or should I wait until I am completing my Work-based Learning (WBL) portfolio?

A: There are three requirements which you need to satisfy before you can qualify as a Fellow. The first is that you need to have completed the academic stage of training, second, you must be in ‘qualifying employment’ for at least three years (of which two must be immediately before your application for Fellowship, and one of which must be in the Graduate grade of membership, that is, once you have completed all of the academic requirements) and, finally, you must meet the WBL outcomes.

In order to be in ‘qualifying employment’ you need to be undertaking work that is of a ‘wholly legal nature’, and you must be doing so for at least 20 hours per week. The best way to ensure that you are in ‘qualifying employment’ is to make an application to CILEx Regulation to have your role(s) assessed.

We would always recommend that this is done as early as possible because, if you are assessed at an early stage as being in ‘qualifying employment’, provided your role does not change significantly and you meet all of the other requirements, you will be able to make your application for Fellowship via the WBL scheme as soon as you have been in the Graduate grade for one year.

If you complete the application and are assessed as being in ‘qualifying employment’, you can concentrate on completing the academic stages and putting your mind to collating evidence for your portfolio. CILEx Regulation would clearly have set out which of your roles do and do not satisfy the requirements, and would advise you (current circumstances considered) specifically when you are able to apply for Fellowship.

If you were to leave your employment assessment until you complete your WBL portfolio, you run the risk of not meeting the qualifying employment requirements and having CILEx Regulation return your WBL portfolio. This may mean that some of the evidence you have gathered may be inadmissible by the time you do meet the ‘qualifying employment’ standards. See also box on page 44 of this issue

If you have any questions around the qualifying employment application or application for Fellowship via the WBL scheme, please get in touch with the CILEx Contact Centre team, who will be more than happy to discuss your circumstances and offer you advice. The team can be contacted on 01234 845777 or via membership@cilex.org.uk

Scarborough Branch: 2016 fundraising efforts and New Year Roadshow

Fundraising events in 2016 In 2016, Scarborough Branch members chose to hold fundraising efforts to benefit a local charity, May Lodge in Scarborough. May Lodge provides residential respite care for children and young people aged between 5 and 18, with complex disabilities. Through various activities, including a quiz sheet and a casino night, £1,500 was raised for this worthwhile charity. May Lodge will use the money to provide a music trolley and outdoor sandpit, which will be accessible to all users of the centre.

New Year Roadshow

On 24 January 2017, the Scarborough Branch held a roadshow which was attended by CILEx President Martin Callan and public affairs officer Richard Doughty. It was an opportunity for members, local law students and those looking to take the CILEx route to hear about CILEx, its future and the advantages of the CILEx route into law.

The event was well attended and very informative, and was a great chance to ask questions and raise any queries. The branch would like to thank Martin and Richard for their attendance.

Here is some of the feedback we received from the 19 attendees:

• ‘Understanding what CILEx can offer students.
• ‘Personal, engaging and welcoming. 
• ‘It answered my questions about the basics of CILEx and why we should join’.

The specialist reference groups, which have been set up for CILEx members, are intended to enable CILEx to represent members better, and if you join a group you will be asked to contribute by e-mail and with surveys. Details of them can be found at: www.cilex.org.uk/membership/specialist_reference_groups where you can join by just sending a quick email.

CILEx Pro Bono Survey 2016: the results are in!

In November 2016, the CILEx Pro-Bono Trust launched a survey aimed at learning what pro bono CILEx members are engaged in and what barriers they face in getting involved in pro bono. The survey also looked to assess members' depth of knowledge of the pro bono sector.

The survey was launched on the CILEx Pro Bono website on 15 November 2016, and was open for responses until 9 December 2016. The survey was widely publicised through its Twitter feed and that of CILEx itself as well as through CILEx's weekly e-shots. As an incentive to respond, three prizes of Amazon vouchers were offered.

Thanks to those efforts, the response rate was sufficient to gain enough information to stand as the benchmark against which to judge progress in future years.

Involvement in pro bono

Nearly one-third (31%) of respondents confirmed they had been engaged in doing pro bono work during the previous 12 months. The range of activity was broad, with the preponderance of activity being in supporting pro bono projects, handling cases on a pro bono basis and volunteering at a Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).

Asked how their current pro-bono activity compared with their past and their expectations of the future, the responses were almost identical:

• 23% considered they were doing less than the year before;
• 43% doing the same; and
• 33% doing more.

Looking ahead, 22% expected to do less pro bono next year; 44% to do the same amount ; and 33% to do more.

Finally, respondents were asked to estimate the amount of time they spent doing pro bono work. There was a wide variation (ranging from one hour per year to an amazing 1,200 hours in the year), with an average of 225 hours per year. This amounts to about 4 hours 20 minutes a week which, at about half a working day per week, is highly impressive.

Barriers to pro bono

Gratifyingly, the vast majority of respondents want to do pro bono work, so a lack of desire to do this work is not an impediment for people to get involved. Actual impediments preventing participation were broad. There is no single barrier which may be readily identified, but several challenges which apply almost equally. Needless to say, this makes it difficult to be able to break down all the barriers at once, but the Trust is committed to work which addresses most of those barriers.

For the moment, it may be worth recapping some of the help which is already available. In terms of opportunities, there is advice about the types of volunteering available both on the CILEx Pro Bono Trust website (at: https://cilexprobono.wordpress.com/student-area/where-to- find-opportunities/) and there are other pages on the site with more suggestions too.

Insurance should not normally be a problem as your host organisation will have that in place (but do ask to be sure). The Trust has its own pro bono scheme, which is operated with the Bar Pro Bono Unit and this work is fully insured. Presently, it is only open to Fellows and Graduate members but it will soon be relaunching in an expanded form to enable students to participate.

The Trust also plans to embark on a campaign of employer engagement to encourage them to recognise the value pro bono brings both to them as employers and also to their staff. However, creating more hours in the day may, regrettably, be beyond us!

Pro bono knowledge

We suspect that a feature of the uniquely flexible route to CILEx quaIification is that our members are not exposed to the pro bono sector in the same way as law students pursuing the more traditional route. This alone may explain one of the barriers to engagement in pro bono work, which is a lack of awareness of opportunities.

We were, therefore, keen to learn what our members already know about the sector, so respondents were asked to indicate their (self-measured) level of knowledge of various organisations, projects and events. Answers could range from 'never heard of it' to 'very familiar'.

To assess actual knowledge, we developed a 'depth-of-knowledge ' score only to find that, somewhat disappointingly, the least known name was our very own pro bono scheme, the JIB Scheme, with a score of 10% compared with the most familiar name, the London Legal Walk, which scored 35%.

In addition, we looked very simply at the numbers who had never heard of the name given.

From the Trust's perspective, it was good to know that 73% of respondents had heard of us. There is no room for smugness though as this might simply be because they were completing our survey (especially as 70% had never heard of the JIB Scheme)!

A couple of apparent inconsistencies may be of interest to our colleagues in the sector. For example, only 29% of respondents admitted to having not heard of the London Legal Walk, but 71% had not heard of the London Legal Support Trust even though it is the London Legal Support Trust which arranges the London Legal Walk. (There is a similar disconnection between the other Legal Support Trusts and the Legal Walks they arrange.)

Furthermore, while 29% had not heard of the Access to Justice Foundation (AJF), more than double (65%) had not heard of pro bono costs. This is in spite of the fact that the AJF was created to be the beneficiary of pro bono costs orders.

Conclusions

This survey provides a good starting point to begin to understand the varying perceptions of and engagement with pro bono initiatives among our members. They are intriguing and hopefully valuable, but far from definitive. For the moment, what they really provide is a benchmark against which to measure change and, we very much hope, progress.

So, here at the Trust, we will take the results and use them to target our work in those areas which you - the respondents - have identified as needing that work. And next year, we will run the survey again and see what difference we have managed to make.

Meanwhile, it remains only to thank everyone who took the time to respond and to give warm congratulations to the three winners of the Amazon vouchers: pro bono really can pay!

New director of authorisation and supervision at CILEx Regulation

CILEx Regulation Limited (CRL) welcomed Vicky Purtill as its new director of authorisation and supervision on 1 February 2017. Vicky joins CRL from CILEx, where she was director of education. Vicky previously worked at CRL, then known as ILEX Professional Standards, for three years. During this time, Vicky was responsible for a number of education policy initiatives, including the research, development and implementation of the new CPD scheme for CILEx members.

Speaking about her new role, Vicky said: ‘I am delighted to be returning to CILEx Regulation and am very much looking forward to the exciting opportunities that this new role will bring.’

Letter to the editor

In response to 'Arbitration not mediation' Anthony Reeves, in his letter ‘Arbitration not mediation’ in the January issue, highlighted the need for cost-controlled arbitration schemes ((2017) January CILExJ p44–45). This is something that has also been recognised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and we have found clear evidence in the property and construction industry of demand for more cost-effective and efficient ways of settling disputes. This drive for a fresh approach to using arbitration can, in part, be attributed to increasing legal costs. It can also be traced to concerns about higher levels of fees being charged by arbitrators, partly as a result of an escalation in the time they are required to spend on dealing with unnecessary evidential and procedural problems.

In response to this, RICS Dispute Resolution Service has worked on various schemes, including the Simplified Arbitration Service for rural disputes, Professional Arbitration on Court Terms (PACT), and a simplified scheme for construction dispute – the Construction and Engineering Arbitration Service.

The overriding theme is to give parties a more nimble and cost-effective way of settling disputes. We have designed these new services to be cheaper and more informal methods for determining a wide range of disputes in the land, property and construction sectors. For example, the Simplified Arbitration Service for rural disputes takes into account the fact that rural disputes need a different type of arbitration, requiring a level of informality and conciseness that are not usually seen in commercial and construction arbitrations.

The RICS Simplified Arbitration Service is:

• a much more informal and relaxed procedure for dealing with disputes compared to courts and traditional approaches to arbitration;
• an uncomplicated and straightforward process, which still allows both parties a reasonable opportunity to have their say;
• peedy and low-priced. The parties will know how long it is going to take to get a decision, and how they will have to pay; and
• structured, with a defined timetable. This gives arbitrators greater ability to deal with parties whose actions, or inaction, might add to delay and, as a result, costs.

Similarly, PACT aims to enable lease renewal disputes to be resolved quickly and cheaply, with the help of subject-matter experts. The objective of the scheme is to increase the effectiveness and flexibility of the legal system, and to give greater choice to landlords and tenants through the lease renewal process. It is flexible and adaptable, allowing for bespoke solutions to be developed to suit the needs of the parties.

The simplified Construction and Engineering Arbitration Scheme aims to provide a viable alternative to adjudication, when issues might require more detailed examination than is allowed in 28 days. It is designed to enable construction and engineering disputes to be referred to decision-makers who have extensive expertise and experience in dealing with such disputes and is offered at two levels, depending on the value and complexity of the dispute. The service, additionally, offers an alternative to the High Court, when the value of the dispute is considerable and/or the subject matter is technical and complex.

The key message from RICS is that, as a profession, we recognise the need for more cost-effective ways of dealing with disputes involving property and assets, and that the courts have a similar agenda of ensuring that such disputes avoid ending up in court if they can be dealt with more effectively elsewhere. This is illustrated by the number of recent cases where the courts have shown reluctance to get involved if arbitration is an option such as Enterprise Insurance Company Plc v U-Drive Solutions (Gibraltar) Ltd. The services we offer provide expert, cost-effective and efficient ways of settling disputes, keeping them out of the courts.

Martin Burns, head of ADR research and development, RICS.

Juliet Harvey joins Birketts’ family law team

Juliet Harvey, a Chartered Legal Executive and a collaborative lawyer, has joined Birketts’ family law team as a senior associate. Juliet has extensive experience, both regionally and nationally, dealing with family issues, including divorce, children and financial issues. She will be based at the firm’s Ipswich and Cambridge offices, but will support colleagues across Birketts’ four offices.

Juliet is a director and national committee member of Resolution. She also sits on the committee of local Resolution groups in Cambridge and Ipswich.

‘Birketts has a first-rate reputation within the region and far beyond. The team features genuinely impressive lawyers spread across its offices, and I’m thrilled to be joining an outstanding team with real strength in depth’, said Juliet on her recent appointment.

What are CILEx branches up to during 2017?

CILEx branches are made up of CILEx members who work hard to raise the profile of CILEx, support CILEx members and provide training and networking opportunities.

CILEx currently has 34 regional branches based in England, Wales and overseas. We also have eight prospective branches that are set to launch in 2017 in Berkshire; Cumbria; Sheffield ; Lancashire; Suffolk; Lincolnshire; Wiltshire; and Plymouth.

Joining a branch can be a great opportunity to meet other like-minded professionals and develop skills in committee work, leadership, event planning, public speaking, delivery of training and confidence building.

CILEx branches have their own microsites on the CILEx website, where they post news of their committee meetings, social and training events, achievements.

Throughout 2017, branches will be updating their microsites to keep you abreast of all their latest developments, and you will be able to keep an eye on what they are up to. If you would like to join the branch or get involved on the committee, please contact them using the contact details displayed.

If you join a branch committee, you get the opportunity to attend our Branch Personnel Day and other similar events at HQ.

Branches are also often asked to pilot schemes with CILEx, therefore they are at the core of what we do and how we develop products and services for our members.

• To find your local CILEx branch microsite, visit: www.cilexbranches.org.uk/find_your_nearest/regional_branches

 

Retirement

Mr Christopher James, an Associate member from Worthing, retired on 31 December, where he was a probate team leader at Green Wright Chalton Annis. He said: 'It has been a very interesting and enjoyable 50-year career.'

Gtr Manch Branch AGM

The Greater Manchester CILEx branch AGM took place on 2 February 2017.

Martine Delaney has been named as Chair of the Branch (e-mail: mdelaney@keoghs.co.uk). In addition, the following appointments were also made.

• Vice-chair: Rachel Stevens of Keoghs LLP (e-mail: rachelstevens@keoghs.co.uk)
• Secretary: Hazel Needham of Chess Telecom (e-mail: HazelNeedham@chesstelecom.com)
• Treasurer: Saada Ali of Bury Council (e-mail: S.Ali@bury.gov.uk)
• Membership secretary: Michelle Hall of Wightmans LLP (e-mail: Michelle.Hall@Weightmans.com)
• Media secretary (social media): Lianne McNally of Browne Jacobson LLP (e-mail: lianne.mcnally@brownejacobson.com)
• Media secretary (non-social media) Rachel Stevens (see above for contact details)
• General committee member: Amunah Anthony.

The AGM was extremely positive and welcomed new people to the branch committee, including Lianne McNally and Amunah Anthony.

CILEx President Martin Callan and chief operating officer Linda Ford also attended the AGM to hear members’ views and to discuss ongoing governance changes taking place within CILEx.

• If you would like to join the branch or would like further information, please e-mail: Manchestercilex@outlook.com

CILEx: our work in Wales

Kirsty Hier, CILEx’s centre and membership support officer, writes about her role and, in particular, about her work in Wales.

I graduated from Cardiff University with a qualifying law degree in 2011. I joined CILEx, in 2012, and went on to study for the CILEx Graduate Fast-track Diploma, qualifying as a Fellow in 2015.

Since November 2015, I have been working for CILEx as a centre and membership support officer. A very large part of my role is to grow the provision and profile of CILEx in Wales for the benefit of our Welsh members.

CILEx understands that Wales is unique from England: with a new devolution settlement providing the Welsh Assembly with greater law-making powers than ever before, the legal system and the business of law in Wales is different and ever growing in divergence from that in England.

And this is why I am here: to represent CILEx members in Wales; and to ensure that the development of CILEx in Wales meets the unique needs of our Welsh members and the Welsh legal sector. As a Welsh CILEx member myself, who continues to live and work in Wales, I fully appreciate that our members in Wales may have a different perspective and different needs.

CILEx Wales Specialist Reference Group

In December 2016, CILEx launched the Wales Specialist Reference Group. The reference group aims to provide CILEx members with news and updates regarding developments in Welsh law and the legal services industry in Wales. If you would like to join the Wales Specialist Reference Group, please e-mail me to register your interest via: wales@cilex.org.uk

Alternatively, you could visit the CILEx website and view the Wales Specialist Reference Group page, which contains details of our most recent communications to reference group members, visit: www.cilex.org.uk/about-cilex-lawyers/what-cilex-lawyers-do/our-work-in-wales

Should you have any questions or queries which are unique to you as a CILEx member living or working in Wales, please contact me: wales@cilex.org.uk

In addition, should you have any information regarding news or updates about the development of Welsh law or the legal services industry in Wales which you would like to share with Wales Specialist Reference Group members, do not hesitate to get in touch.