417 Legal courses delivered Live Online

The LAA operates a strict compliance regime when it comes to auditing crime lower bills, and mistakes can often result in a Contract Notice, corrective action, and further follow-up activity within 6 months. This course will take you through the various aspects of crime lower billing, with discussions on topics such as what is and is not claimable; how you apply series of offences guidance; what evidence is required to claim a trial fee when a matter is discontinued; how do the LAA audit travel and other disbursement claims (including the rules when instructing an agent); and what evidence must be present on files to avoid any issues on audit. Key aspects of the Crime Contract, Criminal Bills Assessment Manual and Codes Guidance will be included, along with a discussion of common errors that are made; and how to claim non-standard and escape fee matters. Target Audience This online course is aimed at anyone involved in billing Legal Aid Police Station and Magistrates Court matters or managing an LAA Crime Contract. Resources Course notes will be provided to all delegates which may be useful for ongoing reference or cascade training. Please note a recording of the course will not be made available. Speaker Steve Keeling, Consultant, DG Legal Steve joined DG Legal after leaving the Legal Aid Agency in August 2016. In his 17 years at the LAA, he worked in the audit team as both auditor and manager and was a Contract Manager for several years. Steve is also a certified SQM auditor and undertakes audits on behalf of Recognising Excellence as well as running training sessions for the SQM Audit Team periodically.

The LAA operates a strict compliance regime when it comes to auditing family controlled work matters, and mistakes can often result in a Contract Notice, corrective action, and further follow-up activity within 6 months. This course will discuss the various aspects of family controlled work billing, with discussions on topics such as how to bill private law, public law, and help with mediation matters; how to evidence whether substantive negotiations and a settlement have taken place in private law matters; how do the LAA audit travel and other disbursement claims; what evidence must be present on files to avoid any issues on audit – including scope, gateway evidence, and forms/evidence of means (rules on evidence of means will be included in brief, however, a separate, more in-depth Civil Means Assessment Guidance Course is available); and the rules on claiming separate matters and escape fees. Key aspects of the Civil Contract and associated LAA Guidance (including the Codes Guidance) will be included, along with a discussion of common errors that are made. Target Audience This online course is aimed at anyone involved in billing Family Controlled Work matters or managing an LAA Family Contract. Resources Course notes will be provided to all delegates which may be useful for ongoing reference or cascade training. Please note a recording of the course will not be made available. Speaker Steve Keeling, Consultant, DG Legal Steve joined DG Legal after leaving the Legal Aid Agency in August 2016. In his 17 years at the LAA, he worked in the audit team as both auditor and manager and was a Contract Manager for several years. Steve is also a certified SQM auditor and undertakes audits on behalf of Recognising Excellence as well as running training sessions for the SQM Audit Team periodically.

This half day online course will assist candidates in preparing for the forthcoming initial Casework Assistant exam.

This online course is suitable for those who are familiar with the accounts rules, such as COFA’s and legal cashiers, but wish to expand their technical knowledge on the day to day application of them.  This course will reflect on the 2019 rule changes and where firms might have gone wrong in implementing these. It will also consider what ‘good’ systems, policies and procedures look like as well as providing you with tools to evaluate if your interest policy is ‘fair and reasonable’ and practical scenarios to identify banking facilities. Target Audience This online course is suitable for COFAs, those supporting the COFA, legal cashiers and for those that wish to expand their technical knowledge on the day to day application of the SRA accounts rules. Resources An information pack including the course slides will be provided to all delegates, which may be useful for ongoing reference. Please note a recording of the course will not be made available. Speaker Sarah Charlton, Consultant, DG Legal Sarah has a BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting and is a Fellow member of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants. Her career spans over 35 years working within the legal sector, fulfilling roles from COFA through to CEO. During her career she has worked with a number of legal regulators, professional bodies and government organisations. Sarah has been a member of the Institute of Legal Finance and Management throughout her career, qualifying as a Fellow member in 2005. Sarah also served as chairperson between 2010-2012 and continues to serve as an Executive Council Member.

Our Financial Compliance and Legal Aid Payments Course provides a brief overview of historical changes and the current regulations. The course will cover what VAT regulations and the SRA Accounts Rules say on legal aid payments and will provide practical advice and tips on how to account for these payments so you adhere to the rules and regulations of the profession. Target Audience This course is suitable for those in the legal profession who oversees, or is responsible for or involved in accounting for legal aid funds, including, costs lawyers, legal cashiers, COFA, those supporting the COFA, account managers, etc. Resources An information pack including the course slides will be provided to all delegates after the course, which may be useful for ongoing reference. Please note a recording of the course will not be made available. Speaker Sarah Charlton, Consultant, DG Legal Sarah has a BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting and is a Fellow member of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants. Her career spans over 35 years working within the legal sector, fulfilling roles from COFA through to CEO. During her career she has worked with a number of legal regulators, professional bodies and government organisations. Sarah has been a member of the Institute of Legal Finance and Management throughout her career, qualifying as a Fellow member in 2005. Sarah also served as chairperson between 2010-2012 and continues to serve as an Executive Council Member.

FAA Level 3 Award In Supervising First Aid For Mental Health (RQF) Classroom (two day course), Virtual (6 x 2 ½ hour sessions) Gives learners knowledge of Mental Health First Aid and associated conditions This course is especially suitable for managers, supervisors and other staff that have the power to make changes in the workplace Course Contents: What is Mental Health? Why people develop mental health conditions What the role of a mental health first aider is Knowing how to provide advice and practical support Knowing how to recognise and manage stress Understand the impact of substance abuse on mental health Understand the first aid action plan for mental health and be able to put it in place Know how to implement a positive mental health culture in the workplace Recognising a range of mental health conditions: Depression Anxiety Psychosis Eating disorders Suicide Self-harm PTSD Personality disorders Bipolar disorder Schizophrenia Benefits of this course: 37% of all work-related ill-health is due to mental health problems Problems with mental health cover 45% of all working days lost A whopping 12.8 million working days, or 49, 042 years, were lost due to mental health problems in 2018/19 602,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2018/19 One in four people will have a mental health problem at some point during their lives Whether work is causing or aggravating mental health problems, employers have a legal responsibility towards their employees Work-related mental health issues must to be assessed to measure the levels of risk to staff Where a risk is identified, steps must be taken to remove it or reduce it as far as reasonably practicable This two day r employees' mental health and wellbeing Accredited, Ofqual regulated qualification Our Mental Health First Aid Courses are nationally recognised, Ofqual regulated qualifications accredited by First Aid Awards Ltd in association with NUCO Training. This means that you can be rest assured that your Mental Health First Aid Certificates fulfill the upcoming legal requirements and are a very good way to make sure you and your employees have a supporting workplace to deal with staff's mental health conditions. The Ofqual Register number for this course is 603/3770/9

FAA Level 2 Award In First Aid For Mental Health (RQF) Classroom (1 day course) or Virtual (3 x 2½ hour sessions) Gives learners knowledge of Mental Health First Aid Gives learners the skills to help those with mental health problems and improve mental health in the workplace Course Contents: What is Mental Health? Why people develop mental health conditions What the role of a mental health first aider is Knowing how to provide advice and practical support Knowing how to recognise and manage stress Understand the impact of substance abuse on mental health Understand the first aid action plan for mental health and be able to put it in place Know how to implement a positive mental health culture in the workplace Recognising a range of mental health conditions: Depression Anxiety Psychosis Eating disorders Suicide Self-harm Benefits of this course: 37% of all work-related ill-health is due to mental health problems Problems with mental health cover 45% of all working days lost A whopping 12.8 million working days, or 49, 042 years, were lost due to mental health problems in 2018/19 602,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2018/19 One in four people will have a mental health problem at some point during their lives Whether work is causing or aggravating mental health problems, employers have a legal responsibility towards their employees Work-related mental health issues must to be assessed to measure the levels of risk to staff Where a risk is identified, steps must be taken to remove it or reduce it as far as reasonably practicable This full day Mental Health First Aid course gives a good grounding to help others in the workplace Accredited, Ofqual regulated qualification Our Mental Health First Aid Courses are nationally recognised, Ofqual regulated qualifications accredited by First Aid Awards Ltd in association with NUCO Training. This means that you can be rest assured that your Mental Health First Aid Certificates fulfill the upcoming legal requirements and are a very good way to make sure you and your employees have a supporting workplace to deal with staff's mental health conditions. The Ofqual Register number for this course is 603/3769/2

FAA Level 1 Award In Awareness Of First Aid For Mental Health (RQF) Classroom (4.5 hour course), Virtual (2 x 2 ½ hour sessions) Gives learners a good awareness of Mental Health First Aid Gives learners the skills to start that difficult conversation Course Contents: What is Mental Health? Why people develop mental health conditions What the role of a mental health first aider is Knowing how to provide advice and practical support Knowing how to recognise and manage stress Recognising a range of mental health conditions: Depression Anxiety Psychosis Eating disorders Suicide Self-harm Benefits of this course: 37% of all work-related ill-health is due to mental health problems Problems with mental health cover 45% of all working days lost A whopping 12.8 million working days, or 49, 042 years, were lost due to mental health problems in 2018/19 602,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2018/19 One in four people will have a mental health problem at some point during their lives Whether work is causing or aggravating mental health problems, employers have a legal responsibility towards their employees Work-related mental health issues must to be assessed to measure the levels of risk to staff Where a risk is identified, steps must be taken to remove it or reduce it as far as reasonably practicable This half day course gives people a good awareness of mental health in the workplace For a more complete introduction, see our full day First Aid for Mental Health or two day Supervising First Aid for Mental Health courses Accredited, Ofqual regulated qualification This Awareness of Mental Health First Aid Course is a nationally recognised, Ofqual regulated qualification accredited by First Aid Awards. This means that you can be rest assured that your Mental Health First Aid Certificates fulfil the upcoming legal requirements and are a very good way to make sure you and your employees have a supporting workplace to deal with staff's mental health conditions. The Ofqual Register number for this course is 603/3768/0

Legal Writing and Drafting Skills Why Attend There is a misconception that legal writing and legal drafting is the same but there is a substantial difference between the two. While legal writing typically deals with persuasive documents such as court briefs and legal letters, legal drafting involves creating documents such as contracts. They are both equally important in legal practice.  Legal writing is an important skill needed in every practice area of law. Words are used to advocate, inform, persuade and instruct. Are you giving the right impression? Are your clients receiving the right message? This course focuses on clear legal writing for a global audience. Effective communication with English speaking lawyers is about more than simply words. It entails understanding the unique way these speakers think and approach the legal, political, and business world. Did you know that most international commercial agreements are drafted in English, irrespective of the nationality of the contracting parties. Drafting contract skills is ideal for lawyers working in English as a foreign language who need to draft, explain or interpret contract clauses written in English. During the course, delegates will look at a wide variety of commercial agreements through to practical drafting sessions. This course will help participants to draft confidently and effectively in English regardless of the governing law. This is a practical course with many exercises and examples in order to achieve an interactive and stimulating outcome. The course's activities involve the production of typical work-place legal documents. Course Methodology The course consists of group discussions as well as individual and team tasks. There will be writing practice throughout the exercises. Course Objectives By the end of the course, participants will be able to: Apply plain English style of writing to all legal documents Recognize the need for legal clarity in different types of legal documents: legal letters, emails, memorandum and opinions Apply good legal writing practice Demonstrate the register of legal writing Correct common mistakes in legal writing Dispense and deal with pitfalls and issues relating to the use of legal jargon Proofread effectively Target Audience This course is for lawyers, legal secretaries, commercial managers, contract managers and anyone who must draft, amend or update contracts, legal letters and legal opinion. The course is suitable for non-native English speakers looking for a better understanding of English legal terms. Target Competencies Drafting letters Proofreading Writing in plain English Understanding legal terms Legal writing practice Note The Dubai Government Legal Affairs Department has introduced a Continuing Legal Professional Development (CLPD) programme to legal consultants authorised to practice through a licensed firm in the Emirate of Dubai. We are proud to announce that the Dubai Government Legal Affairs Department has accredited EMG Associates as a CLPD provider. In addition, all our legal programmes have been approved. Legal Drafting Signs of a well drafted contract: The simple rules! The language of drafting: Will v Shall v Must Identifying the legal formalities for a binding contract Structure and formation of a commercial contract: follow the formula and you won't go wrong The importance of Boilerplate clauses: No waiver Notices Assignment v Novation Governing v Jurisdiction Force majeure - are we covered for viruses (covid19)? Dispute resolution clause: Litigation v Arbitration v Mediation The preliminary documents in international transaction - using Heads of Terms effectively Vague words and expressions in commercial contracts- know the pitfalls! Best endeavors v All reasonable endeavors v reasonable endeavors Overview of cross border contracts: Distribution v Joint venture v Agency agreements Share Purchase Agreements Warranties and indemnities Allocating risks and liabilities between the buyer and seller Negotiating warranties from a Share Purchase Agreement Plain English in Legal Correspondence Good legal writing practice Moving from legalese to Plain English Unnecessary archaic and meaningless phrases Collocations Importance of collocations in legal writing Pitfalls and issues relating to the use of legal jargon in legal writing Writing short emails Writing long emails Writing formal emails Writing A Legal Letter Layout of a letter Body of a letter Putting a letter together The register of letter writing Typical sentences in legal letters The letter writing clinic: looking at the ten most common problems Rewriting letters Rewriting informal sentences to modern alternatives Correcting common mistakes in letter writing Legal Writing Troubleshooting The problem of English idioms Rephrasing English idioms Easily confused words Cutting unnecessary words Use of consistent terminology Ambiguity: how to avoid it Vagueness: how to avoid it Misuse of preposition in dates Problem words Constantly litigated words Rewriting sentences to remove gender specific language

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