Please see below an operational update from HM Courts & Tribunals Service:
Crime
Reminder: If you have a Common Platform account, you need to login at least once every 90 days to keep it active. If your account is inactive for 90 days, it will be deregistered for security reasons. You will receive an automatic email notifying you before your account is deregistered: login to the system, and your account will remain live.
Civil
Updated: We’re hosting two training sessions on E-Filing for the Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber to assist practitioners to use the new service once it becomes mandatory. The webinars will take place on Monday 28 February 2022 and Thursday 3 March 2022 both at 10am.
Reminder: Since Monday 14 February 2022, professional users filing to the Court of Appeal must use our E-Filing service. The electronic service removes the need for paperwork and prevents delays. It can also be used by litigants in person. The digital service enables users to pay fees online and keep up to date on progress via automatic email alerts. Our recent training event on using E-Filing is now available to watch.
Reminder: A new feature has been added to the civil damages claims service digital system on MyHMCTS. Legal representatives can now issue multi-party claims covering one claimant versus two defendants or two claimants versus one defendant. Legal representatives can also use the service to issue claims and receive defences from other legal representatives. Sign up to MyHMCTS now.
Date: 17 March 2022 Time: 17:30 - 19:00 Hybrid meeting: University Place, Theatre A, with access on Oxford Road, Manchester or join online
At this hybrid event, the Manchester Business & Property Courts Forum is delighted to welcome Sir Julian Flaux, Chancellor of the High Court and Professor Hugh Beale, Professor of Law at the University of Warwick, visiting Professor of Law at the University of Oxford and General Editor of Chitty on Contracts.
Under the Chairmanship of Mr Justice Fancourt, Vice Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster, the Chancellor and Professor Beale will discuss Dispute Resolution after the Pandemic and Brexit and, within that broad subject matter, will focus number of topical areas, such as:
Economic Duress (including Pakistan International Airline Corporation v Times Travel (UK) Limited [2021] UKSC 40)
Recent Developments in Arbitration and Mediation (including The Breathing Space Project)
Business Interruption
This event will be held at the University of Manchester and remotely on Zoom.
To reserve a place please register through Eventbrite here where you will be able to select whether you’d like to attend remotely or in person.
Social Mobility Conference Date: 17 March 2022 Time: 12:30 - 19:00 Location: Squire Patton Boggs, 1 Hardman St, Manchester M3 3EB Cost to attend:
MLS Members £45.00 + VAT (£54.00)
Charity/NFP £45.00 + VAT (£54.00)
Non-Members £60.00 + VAT (£72.00)
£10.00 from each ticket sold will be donated to NSPCC Manchester Childline
How do you positively maintain visibility of your law firm across a variety of different communication channels, whilst managing the enquiries from prospects and clients?
With so many channels on display such as websites, email, social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp etc), calls, webchats and more, it has made it very difficult for law firms to manage inbound enquiries, respond in a timely fashion, and ensure follow ups are done when work is quoted for. Also knowing that new social media channels will open continually for younger generations – where do you stop before you realise it’s becoming out of control? It’s also posed a great difficulty regarding GDPR compliance, as partners and staff have no visibility what other employees are sending to clients, whether this be across emails, social media, texts, webchat, etc.
Many UK law firms are overcoming this challenge by taking a new approach that funnels enquiries and communication, across ALL channels, into a single web-based portal from which ‘welcome’ teams can manage the communication back.
Having this capability will improve the client experience by offering quicker response times and personalised communication, resulting in better conversion rates by having full visibility of all the leads generated through marketing and ensuring enquiries are responded to and more importantly, followed up.
What’s in it for me?
Empower staff to manage interactions effortlessly with an easy to use dashboard – integrating with over 30 apps and platforms and bringing contact from different channels into one single inbox.
Improve new and existing client experience
Improve client retention.
Better conversion rates on existing enquiries
Single view of the client communication across all channels makes it easier to deal with a client’s case, rather than being transferred from department to department. This is done quickly and without repetition.
Mitigate reputational damage – respond to social media comments immediately.
Meet your client on the channel THEY want to communicate with you on.
Whether a firm is looking to centralise their inbox for a team to collaborate on or use social media messaging as a new key part of their marketing, route conversations to the best people and streamline your law firm’s workflow and drive responses.
A multi-media communication strategy recognises that potential clients may start in one channel and move to another as they progress to a resolution when looking to hire a law firm.