Council Member’s Report

Council Member’s Report

Spring 2025

Hope all of you are enjoying the beginning of Spring. The Law Society of England and Wales celebrates its 200th year anniversary. There are a number of events taking place and I would urge all of you to check the Law Society’s website for details of these.  

As you all would have read, the TA6 form used in conveyancing transactions has been worked on by the working group at the Law Society. On 20th March, Vice President Mark Evans spoke at the National Conveyancing week about the two new-form approach;  form TA6 (6th Edition) and Material Information form (MI). The TA6 is mandatory for CQS firms but not the form MI. The date when the new form has to be used will be published and I will then update you further. 

In January there was the Ministry of Justice consultation to increase civil legal aid fees for those working in housing and immigration which includes an additional £20m a year for the civil legal aid sector as well as increased flexibility for civil legal aid providers, allowing greater freedom to choose how they deliver legal services to clients. The Law Society is pressing the government to invest in all areas of civil legal aid. 

There was also an Independent Review of Criminal Courts chaired by Sir Brian Leveson and the Law Society’s President 

Richard Atkinson pointed out that the Review must aim for effective and fair justice.

As you will be aware, the SRA had a consultation on how firm’s handle client money. Our members have opposed this and so has the Law Society seeking that the SRA improves its monitoring and managing potential risks to consumers and the ramifications there will be on our member firms. I will update you further once we know the outcome of the consultation.

All of you would have read the LSB’s performance review of the SRA following the Axiom case and the loss of £60 million. It is in the Law Society Gazette of 31st March 2025.

The SRA have been randomly checking firms if they are complying with the regulations MLRO 2017. I would urge all of you to check that you have all the necessary compliances in your files as well as Firm Wide Risk Assessments. If anyone wishes to speak with me on this, I am happy to help.

The Law Society’s PC Fees consultation is now open and I request members to read and respond. You can find the details on the Law Society’s website at www.lawsociety.org.uk/membership/practising-certificate-fee-consultation.

If there are any further matters that you would like to speak to me about then please do not hesitate to contact me and 

I will also be happy to take matters to the Law Society.

I would once again request that if you have not updated your details on MyLS then please do it and if you have not registered on MyLS then please do register in order to receive updates etc.

I am here if you have any issues that you wish to discuss with me and would like me to take to the Law Society. ■

Sushila Abraham

Law Society Council Member for Surrey

There are a number of events taking place and I would urge all of you to check the Law Society’s website for details of these.