Since we last went to print it has been all about the #AP2019Renewal! We ended 2018-19 on a high and I am looking forward to seeing how many members we have when renewal closes on 1 April 2019. I am keen that as many Scottish paralegals enjoy the benefits of accreditation and look forward to welcoming new members on board.
The Accredited Paralegal Committee has had its first meeting of the year and we are pleased to welcome on board three new faces who will bring new ideas and enthusiasm. We have started to pull together a plan of action for the coming year and hope to share some of this with you shortly.
What else? I attended my first mentoring training day, which focused on how to be good, effective mentors. This involved some role play using real life scenarios, and certainly made me re-evaluate my listening skills as I realised how often I automatically turn to selective hearing. To find out more, check out my blog at www.lawscot.org.uk/news-and-events/news/are-you-listening/ And if you think you would benefit from being mentored, or indeed becoming a mentor, please get in touch.
Coming up next month… we will be at the Central Law Training Scots Law Conference in Glasgow, so if you are there, why not pop along and say hello.
Since we last went to print it has been all about the #AP2019Renewal! We ended 2018-19 on a high and I am looking forward to seeing how many members we have when renewal closes on 1 April 2019. I am keen that as many Scottish paralegals enjoy the benefits of accreditation and look forward to welcoming new members on board.
The Accredited Paralegal Committee has had its first meeting of the year and we are pleased to welcome on board three new faces who will bring new ideas and enthusiasm. We have started to pull together a plan of action for the coming year and hope to share some of this with you shortly.
What else? I attended my first mentoring training day, which focused on how to be good, effective mentors. This involved some role play using real life scenarios, and certainly made me re-evaluate my listening skills as I realised how often I automatically turn to selective hearing. To find out more, check out my blog at www.lawscot.org.uk/news-and-events/news/are-you-listening/ And if you think you would benefit from being mentored, or indeed becoming a mentor, please get in touch.
Coming up next month… we will be at the Central Law Training Scots Law Conference in Glasgow, so if you are there, why not pop along and say hello.
Practice area highlight: civil litigation – debt recovery
There are currently 12 practice areas in which paralegals can become accredited. This month we take a look at debt recovery.
Each practice area has a corresponding set of competencies which we would expect an accredited paralegal working in that area to be meeting. If you are a trainee accredited paralegal, we would expect you to meet these after one year of training.
An accredited paralegal acting for a creditor or debtor should be able to progress a debt recovery case, from the point of taking the client’s initial instructions through to conclusion of the case, including attending court with the solicitor, and appearing in court if appropriate.
The accredited paralegal should be competent to:
- interview and correspond with the client;
- correspond and liaise with the other side and with relevant bodies and authorities, as required;
- advise the client on procedural aspects of a case, and legal aid qualification and application procedure;
- prepare a case for court, including preparing and drafting documentation, as required;
- when acting for the creditor, obtain decree and proceed with enforcement measures;
- when acting for the debtor, prepare a defence and/or time to pay application;
- assist a solicitor in attendance at court and, where appropriate, appear in court on behalf of a solicitor;
- negotiate settlement of a debt in order to avoid litigation, where appropriate.
If you are interested in becoming accredited in this area, please contact Janet Rieu-Clarke on [email protected] for more information.
In this issue
- How will Brexit affect my mother-in-law?
- Settling the debate on sequestration
- Taking wellbeing seriously
- How will personal data continue to flow after Brexit?
- Buildmark, and a little extra help for NHBC
- Reading for pleasure
- Opinion: Laurie Anderson
- Book reviews
- Profile: Lord Mackay of Clashfern
- President's column
- People on the move
- Is your legal software ready to remain compliant in 2019?
- What's the deal?
- Ready to leave?
- A tapering opportunity
- Brexit: no dealbreaker either
- The business of divorce
- Trailblazing 12
- Cohabitants: rebalancing the law
- Litigation: an evolving scene
- Chain transactions
- When delay is not fatal
- Data protection – deal or no-deal?
- Two cases and an order
- Reshaping trade mark law
- When the wheels come off
- Parentage or privacy?
- Access right, right of access or right of way?
- Team of one
- Public policy highlights
- OPG update
- Housing specialism added to accreditation list
- At the boundary's edge
- Keep the dual role
- Executry and trust accounting: new guidance
- Moving nightmares
- Accredited paralegal update
- Sign up for conference
- Accredited Paralegal Committee profile
- Ask Ash
