Blacklaws Davis lawyer Is National Pro-Bono week “hero” - 4 November 2009 The Eighth National Pro Bono Week is celebrated from 9-13 November 2009. Solicitors and other professionals regularly give free advice to meet unmet need, in a variety of ways across England and Wales. The Law Society estimates that the value of free advice has risen significantly since 2007 from £338m to £399m - by 17.9%. Family Lawyer, Christina Blacklaws of Blacklaws Davis was one of 50 “heroes” welcomed to a reception on 3 November 2009 given at the House of Lords to applaud the work done by her and others in this field. Attorney-General, Baroness Scotland, was chief guest at the reception. Robert Heslett, Law Society President, said: "This week celebrates the exceptional amount of pro bono work undertaken by each strand of the legal profession, who regularly use their professional skills to support individuals and communities with otherwise unmet legal needs. The common feature in National Pro Bono Week is the willingness of lawyers put something back into the community. "The commitment of lawyers to provide access to justice for the most vulnerable members of our society, who are ineligible for legal aid, remains one of the most influential factors in the decisions of many law firms to establish and or develop pro bono programmes. It must be remembered that pro bono is not a replacement for a legal aid system adequately funded by Government." Christina Blacklaws said “We are all very proud of the tremendous amount of work that is being done by many individuals across the country under pro-bono initiatives banner. This helps meet the needs of people who have limited or no access to traditional legal services and, as lawyers, we feel it is our duty to put something back into the community.”
Top Family lawyer warns law change for unmarried couples may be “unworkable” - 29 October 2009 Commenting on today’s Law Commission announcement on modernising inheritance law “Intestacy and Family Provision Claims on Death”, Christina Blacklaws, Senior Partner of top London family lawyers Blacklaws Davis, and the Childcare representative on the Law Society Council said “Family Lawyers will be looking at the Law Commission’s proposals with keen interest. In seeking to make changes to inheritance law to reflect changes in society, the Law Commission risks recommending a system which could prove to be unworkable in practice. ” Christina says “As a family lawyer, I fully support changes to the law which allow additional rights to unmarried partners who have lived together a long time or have children where the deceased partner left no will. However, we have to ensure that any changes to the law are clear and fair. For example, an unmarried partner without children would need to show that they had lived together “continuously” for five years under the present proposals to gain the same share of the deceased partner’s estate as a spouse. This is bound to lead to difficulties of proof and evidence and with it possible challenge from other potential beneficiaries.” She concluded “there is bound to be huge debate over these proposals which could, potentially, have a massive impact on unmarried partners. Lawyers will be keen to ensure that the opportunity for reform does not translate into uncertainty and frustration”.
Blacklaws Davis finalists in Thames Gateway Business Awards 2009 - 16 October 2009 Blacklaws Davis is delighted to have been nominated as finalists in no less than three categories in the Thames Gateway Business Awards 2009. The categories are Businessperson of the Year (Christina Blacklaws), marketing and innovation. Christina Blacklaws, Senior Partner of the firm and the Childcare representative on the Law Society Council said “We are overwhelmed by this announcement. To be finalists in three categories is a tremendous achievement for us and a reflection of the hard work and commitment of our staff and management team. It also recognises the large investments we have made in developing our practice and modernising it.” Carol Reimann, Practice Manager of Blacklaws Davis said “There is huge competition for these awards, from firms across the country. We are delighted that the awards committee have the recognised the innovations we have introduced in business practice as well as the ground-breaking promotional work we have undertaken to bring our services to the attention of the community ”. The winner of the 2009 awards will be announced at a ceremony on 6 November 2009 at the Troxy, London .
Blacklaws Davis extends free family legal advice sessions - 6 October 2009 Blacklaws Davis LLP is extending its successful free family legal advice sessions. Partner Christina Blacklaws says “The current economic crunch is placing many families under stress and we are witnessing a rise in the number of people seeking advice from us on a number of issues. We offer advice on a number of family issues including divorce, separation, contact issues for children and finances. We also have a specialist housing team who can deal with all housing issues including disrepair and homelessness cases. The free advice sessions, which are held at our Deptford office on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm have proven popular and we and keen to offer this as service to the community. We feel it is essential to offer these services at this very worrying time for families.”
Blacklaws Davis appoints new Practice Manager - 29 September 2009 Blacklaws Davis is pleased to announce that Carol Reimann has been appointed as Practice Manager. Carol has many years experience in private practice and as in-house solicitor to major construction companies and has run operations of firms based in London and overseas. Chris May, the existing Practice Manager, meanwhile moves to a new role of Practice Development Consultant focusing on external issues.
Blacklaws Davis shortlisted for Law Society's Legal Excellence Awards 2009 - 18 September 2009 Blacklaws Davis is delighted to have been shortlisted for the Law Society Legal Excellence Awards 2009 in the Innovation category. The winners will be announced at an event hosted by Mishal Husain, BBC World News presenter on 22 October 2009 at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Greycoat Street, London SW1. Commenting on the announcement by the Law Society Christina Blacklaws, senior partner says "This is a wonderful achievement for the firm, particularly since it was the first time we had entered. I am delighted for our staff who have demonstrated huge commitment to the practice". Chris May, the firm's practice manager says "We are delghted to have been recognised in this way. To be shortlisted is a major achievement for us. We have been keen to demontstrate that there is a viable and sustainable alternative for firms wishing to practice publicly funded work. We are continuing to attract new consultants who wish to join us and share in our success."
Senior lawyer attacks delays in Court and Cafcass which imperil vulnerable children's safety - 18 September 2009 Christina Blacklaws, Senior Partner of London’s largest family law practice, Blacklaws Davis, and the Childcare representative on the Law Society Council has hit out at delays affecting the family courts and Cafcass which imperil children’s wellbeing and safety. Ms Blacklaws, former Chairman of the Law Society’s Family Law Committee writes in the Law Society Gazette that “As a child in the care system in London, you could wait four to six months before a children’s guardian is allocated by Cafcass. That means the court has no independent advice from the guardian – an experienced social work expert – and the child has no one independent with whom to speak about their wishes and feelings.” Of the courts she states “Judges are visibly pained by their inability to list hearings. It is not their fault. There are not enough sitting days to deal with the numbers of cases (rightly) issued by local authorities.”
Ms Blacklaws concludes ” The family justice system is like its client base: vulnerable, poor, abused and neglected. We desperately need more resources. We need a seismic change in Cafcass (reform or revolution), we need more specialist judges and we need a living wage. In terms of government spending, the family justice budget is tiny – it would fund the NHS for just four days. We have to address these issues now. The alternative does not bear thinking about.” Click here to view the Law Society Gazette article
Mediation service launched - 9 September 2009 Blacklaws Davis has launched its new mediation service, mediation:works. Commenting on the launch Chris May, the firm's Practice Manager said "We have invested in a rebranding of the service to disnguish it from the legal services we provide. The mediation service is marketed to other professionals, including law firms. We have grown substantially over the last year and this area of the practice is now sufficiently large to be worthy of separate development. Our launch campaign uses FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) marketing principles, which is relatively unusual for law firms. The aim is to be refreshing yet professional." Christina Blacklaws, the firm's senior partner and a Resolution Family Mediator adds "The Ministry of Justice has recently announced that it is considering makign mediation compulsory for couples seeking divorce. Whilst the proposals are at an early stage, it indicates quite clearly the government's thinking. Mediation can, for many couples, help resolve issues, especially those relating to children and finances. We are in the process of recruiting additional mediators to service our growing bases across London, including one which has just opened in the City".
Legal lifeline to fill Cambridge Law Centre gap - 18 August 2009 Blacklaws Davis, the Cambridge and London specialist family law solicitor has announced it is offering a twice weekly free advice surgery following the collapse of the Cambridge Law Centre. The surgery will operate on Mondays from 9:00am to 11:00am and Wednesday from 4:00pm to 6:00pm at the firm’s offices at 168-170 Mill Road, Cambridge. Commenting on the announcement, Blacklaws Davis’ senior partner and Law Society Council member, Christina Blacklaws said “We were very saddened to learn of the closure of the Cambridge Law Centre. It had provided a much needed resource in the city. We hope that by offering a free advice surgery for family matters we can help provide a legal lifeline to those who are in need of urgent help and assistance.“ She added “We can offer a range of services including advising on children, financial and domestic violence and if further help is required we are also able to provide legal aid assistance. We have already had a number of enquiries and clearly there is a gap in resources which will need to be plugged to enable access to justice for everyone who is entitled to it. "
Blacklaws Davis expands into Kent - 29 July 2009 Blacklaws Davis LLP, London's largest specialist family law firm, is opening an office in Kent in Autumn 2009. Chris May, Blacklaws Davis's Practice Manager says "We have a large number of clients who travel to our London offices from Kent and owing to the level of demand it was a logical step for us to locate a new office in this area. We have identified Dartford as the location of our first Kent office and are negotiating for premises with good road and rail access. We will be offering both Family Law and Mediation services from the new offices and expect these to open in the next few weeks. This is the first of a number of new offices which we are planning to open over the coming months across London and the south-east which will confirm our position as one of the country's fastest expanding law firms".
Diversity and Inclusion Charter - 8 July 2009 Blacklaws Davis LLP is pleased to announce that it will be signing up to the new Charter announced by the Law Society on this date. The signatories to the Charter believe that a commitment to diversity and inclusion is essential to reflect the society we serve today. It makes business sense because it helps to attract and retain the best talent, it enables us to understand and meet clients' needs more effectively and so provide a better quality service.
Visit by Paul Marsh, President of The Law Society - 3 July 2009 We were delighted to have the President of The Law Society visit the practice and meet our staff recently. Paul took the opportunity of spending time with fee earners and talking about their lives in a busy, specialist practice.
New Practice Manager joins firm - 1 June 2009 Blacklaws Davis LLP, specialist family lawyers and mediators, are pleased to announce that we now have a new Practice Manager, Chris May. Chris qualified as a solicitor in 1983 becoming a senior equity partner of a large south west practice. He has subsequently enjoyed 15 years experience as a practice director and chief executive officer managing offices in London and overseas.
New Trainee Solicitors - 1 June 2009 Ross McColgan and Craig Brookes, two of our paralegals, have been offered training contracts here at Blacklaws Davis LLP; we are sure that they will make excellent solicitors in the future.
