Blogs

The countdown is almost over and we are only a matter of days away from the hottest date in the property litigation calendar.

You know you are getting on a bit when you are asked to do a ‘life after…’ blog. In this case life after private practice and the continued relevance of the PLA. However, what I hadn’t bargained for was the answer that I got when I enquired how long I had been a member of the PLA and serving on the Law Reform Committee. The dreaded phrase ‘Before records began’!

Justice Week is a new initiative setup by the three legal professional bodies; the Bar Council, The Law Society, and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX). The purpose of the week is to boost the profile of justice and the rule of law, helping to place them at the centre stage of public and political debate. With many parts of the system at breaking point, now is the time to make a strong and clear case for why they are so fundamental to our society, economy and democracy.  

PLA Law Reform 2018 Panel Event – Wednesday, 31 October

Since becoming Chair of the Property Bar Association, I’ve really been struck by the sheer hard work which is put in by so many people to enable the PBA and the PLA to serve their members. Whether it’s organising seminars or socials, guarding the bank accounts, responding to consultations or marking student essays, members of both Associations’ committees and others give up hours of their time for the good of other professionals.

A big thank you from the Education & Training Committee to all our delegates, speakers and guests who attended the recent conference in Oxford.  We are currently awaiting the formal survey feedback but, based on the informal messages we’ve had, it seems the event has again been well-received.  If you haven’t yet filled in the online survey about the conference, please do so as soon as possible as your feedback is a valuable part of our planning process for future events.

We are fast approaching that time of year when newly qualified vacancies are released and we are looking forward to welcoming new junior members to the Association. With that in mind the JPLA Committee have given some thought to how we can best help our junior members in their roles through providing know-how aimed specifically at our more junior members.

This is my first blog as chair of LRC. I joined the committee in 2011.  Back then, all the talk was about “hot tubbing” and whether the Dilapidations Protocol would ever be adopted into the Civil Procedure Rules.  Fast forward seven years and I find myself taking over the reins from Kerry Glanville, who I would like to thank for such a fabulous contribution as chair and dedicated membership of LRC before that.

One challenge for the committee is to try and broaden the reach beyond Bristol. Experience tells us that it can be difficult to muster sufficient numbers for events in say Cardiff or Exeter but again any thoughts here are welcome. In any event, we will hopefully be able to arrange video links for the April 26 event.

We have seen an increase in our overall membership and with around 60% of PLA members permanently based outside London, it’s great to see a busy and successful calendar of training and social events across all our regions.