Updated guidance for the 34,500 in-house solicitors practising in England and Wales, re-states how those solicitors should respond to the challenges of working for a corporate employer, particularly where employer-demands conflict with the general professional responsibilities which apply to all UK lawyers. Published 18 November, 2024 under the heading, ‘Dedicated Guidance Issued to Support In-House Solicitors’, it provides advice on how to identify and deal with potential conflicts of interest as well as client confidentiality. It also provides advice to corporate employers on how to manage in-house solicitors in a way which does not compromise their professional responsibilities. But there is a limit as to how much information you can put in a couple of dozen pages.
The opening chapters of Local Authority Conveyancing Law and Practice UK. also deals with the same subject matter, but in much greater detail. It addresses the circumstances when a practising certificate is required as well as issues relating to anti-money laundering; professional training; avoiding conflicts of interest and client confidentiality. But whilst the SRA guidance is written for all in-house solicitors, Local Authority Conveyancing Law and Practice focuses on that a tiny proportion of solicitors forming part of an in-house conveyancing team.
It also deals with the challenges facing local authority conveyancing teams, which now exist in a competitive environment where nothing can be taken for granted. It explains what a corporate client really wants from an in-house team, which is not about being cheap and cheerful. The book will also encourage you to look seriously at any opportunities for getting into management. Because management experience does not only look good on a CV. It is also a valuable life skill. But no local authority conveyancing book would be complete without a raft of reference material as well as practical tips on how to manage a conveyancing transaction when you don’t have access to a client account.
BRUCE AND HOLLY 