Home Information Packs (again!)

Posted by Justin on Nov 25, 2009 in Abaddons Musings, conveyancing, estate agents, HIPs, lawyers, legal system | 0 comments I know I keep banging on about this, but it is my view that a combination of inadequate consultation by government, vested interests in the property industry trying to stifle change and competition on price rather than value resulted in a huge missed opportunity. Home Information Packs, properly prepared, can be of great benefit in streamlining conveyancing, to the benefit of all concerned:...
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Choosing a lawyer

Posted by Justin on Oct 2, 2009 in Abaddons Musings, lawyers | 0 comments When choosing a lawyer to act for you, don’t just choose on price. Don’t just choose on quality, either – most people can’t afford that! Choose on value for money at the quality and service level you want and are prepared to pay for
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Engineers or insurers?

Posted by Justin on Sep 6, 2009 in Abaddons Musings, lawyers, risk | 0 comments One way of comparing lawyers is to classify them as “engineers” or as “insurers”: engineers try to set up a contract, transaction, etc, that suits the agreed requirements of the client; insurers tend to use an established precedent that is designed to cover all possible circumstances, avoiding the risk of omitting something not currently foreseen but possibly required in...
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Making a rod for your own back

Posted by Justin on Sep 5, 2009 in Abaddons Musings, beer, lawyers, local, logic, lunch, pubs | 3 comments Pursuing a service standard of “Excellent” is definitely a case of making a rod for your own backIn my business, I strive for a truly excellent standard of service and, inevitably, I do not always achieve it. When I fail, I feel mortified, but (illogically) I also slightly resent it when clients point out how I have failed to achieve the standard I try to set – I feel unfairly...
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Plenty of stick – no carrot

Posted by Justin on Aug 3, 2009 in Abaddons Musings, cynicism, lawyers, legal system | 0 comments Apparently, “The Legal Services Board could punish non-compliant regulators with multi-million-pound fines ” – see http://tinyurl.com/nwsa6aAnd how will the regulators pay those fines? By charging them out to those they regulateThe net result will be (a) over-cautious regulation resulting in a massive increase in red tape for lawyers to comply with (b) an over-cautious approach...
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Suits

Posted by Justin on Jun 21, 2009 in Abaddons Musings, lawyers, professionals, suits | 0 comments I try to avoid wearing a business suit for work – I am more comfortable in sports jacket and trousers, and I think clients and potential clients are more comfortable not dealing with “a suit”Last week, however, I had to wear a suit on three of the five weeekdays – once for a funeral, once for a meeting at another solicitor’s office and once to attend an auction on...
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