21 Courses

This one day online course will assist candidates in preparing for the forthcoming initial Senior Caseworker exam.

In January 2024 alone, reports were published about the SRA taking enforcement action against 3 firms and 4 individuals for failure to comply with the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. The fines issued for these non-compliances total over £570,000 plus costs. The absence of staff training, or requirement to complete additional training, was noted in a number of these cases. As a manager of a law firm, or more crucially an MLRO or MLCO, the ultimate responsibility for the firm's compliance, including with the MLR 2017, lies with you. It is your responsibility to ensure that the firm puts in place, reviews and updates compliant policies, controls and procedures. You must ensure that the firm maintains an up to date practice wide risk assessment. You are required to ensure that your employees are regularly given training on the MLR 2017 and associated risks. If a breach occurs, the SRA will take a wider look at the firm and identify any supervisory deficiencies that may have contributed to failures by fee earners or support staff. It has proven that it will not shy away from holding to account managers, compliance officers and MLRO/MLCOs for failures by their firms to comply with requirements of the MLR 2017. This course will cover the following to assist firms MLROs, MLCOs and Management with fulfilling their AML management responsibilities: How to comply with your obligations and stay compliant FWRA – linked with PCPs Mandatory AML Policies and Procedures - SRA have concerns Training and supervising staff Audits SRA requirements Reporting SARS POCA/TA Fulfilling reporting officer and compliance officer duties Target Audience The online course is suitable for MLROs, MLCOs, firm management and those supporting these roles. Resources Comprehensive and up to date 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 Helen Torresi, Consultant, DG Legal Helen is a qualified solicitor with a diverse professional background spanning leadership roles in both the legal and tech/corporate sectors. Throughout her career, she has held key positions such as COLP, HOLP, MLCO, MLRO and DPO for law firms and various regulated businesses and services. Helen’s specialised areas encompass AML, complaint and firm negligence handling, DPA compliance, file review and auditing, law management, and operational effectiveness in law firms, particularly in conveyancing (CQS).

In January 2024 alone, reports were published about the SRA taking enforcement action against 3 firms and 4 individuals for failure to comply with the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. The fines issued for these non-compliances total over £570,000 plus costs. The absence of staff training, or requirement to complete additional training, was noted in a number of these cases. Many of the breaches resulting in enforcement action involved failures by the fee earners to conduct appropriate due diligence, adequately check the source of funds and/or wealth or recognise and report red flags. As highlighted by enforcement action being taken against individuals as well as firms, fee earners cannot hide behind their firm when AML failures occur and may be held personally accountable by the SRA for non-compliances with the MLR 2017. This course will cover the following to assist fee earners in the application of AML in their casework. How to comply with your obligations and stay compliant Written CRA & MRA Client Booms Risks – what to consider? PCPs – CDD &EDD POCA / TA SOF and SOW On going monitoring Reporting to MLRO/MLCO Tipping off Target Audience The online course is suitable for fee earners or legal practitioners that want to improve their AML knowledge. Resources Comprehensive and up to date 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 Helen Torresi, Consultant, DG Legal Helen is a qualified solicitor with a diverse professional background spanning leadership roles in both the legal and tech/corporate sectors. Throughout her career, she has held key positions such as COLP, HOLP, MLCO, MLRO and DPO for law firms and various regulated businesses and services. Helen’s specialised areas encompass AML, complaint and firm negligence handling, DPA compliance, file review and auditing, law management, and operational effectiveness in law firms, particularly in conveyancing (CQS).

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.

This course satisfies the supervision requirements in the LAA Standard Contract & covers the key skills needed to ensure compliance with the LAA Contract.

Managing people and teams is consistently the biggest challenge raised by new managers (and even many experienced managers). This short 3-hour course is aimed at introducing new and existing supervisors and managers to key supervisory skills, allowing them to develop their competence as supervisors. The course covers: Understanding your role as a supervisor SRA obligations and competence expectations Setting expectations and effective delegation Monitoring progress and quality Managing performance in difficult situations Top tips for impactful feedback By the end of this course participants will have had an opportunity to consider their current skills; develop new skills; and think about further development needs. Target Audience This online course is aimed at managers, team leaders and other supervisors. Please note that this course does NOT meet the LAA requirements as a Supervisor Course. If you need a Legal Aid Supervisor course, then please check out our 6 hour 30 minutes Supervision & Managing Performance Course. 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 Matthew Howgate, Consultant, DG Legal Matt is a non-practising solicitor who has considerable experience in regulatory issues and advising on complex issues of compliance and ethics. He is also an expert in data protection, UK GDPR and on the civil legal aid scheme. Matthew is a lead trainer on and co-developed the LAPG Certificate in Practice Management (a training programme for legal managers and law firm owners) as well as regularly providing training on legal aid Supervision, costs maximisation, data protection and security and on general SRA compliance.

This training is for lawyers and covers key topics to ensure compliance with the Lexcel standard and other regulations.

Are you doing sanction checks in your law firm? In the intricate landscape of legal practice, understanding and adhering to the UK's sanctions regime is not just a recommendation; it is mandatory and it is imperative. This course aims to set clear expectations and offer practical support to firms, guiding them away from the pitfalls of breaching the UK's sanctions regime. This course will cover: What are sanctions What do you need to know about the sanctions for your firm How is it different to the AML regime? What controls to put in place? If the firm offers services to sanction areas – what controls? My client has been sanctioned – what do I do? Reporting obligations Using screening tools Licensing How does this impact Legal Professional Privilege? Sanction Risk Assessment Red flags factors Enforcement actions Target Audience This 90 minute course is for all legal firms, irrespective of the services provided. Whether you are navigating the sanctions regime independently or operating under a license from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), this course is for you. Resources Comprehensive and up to date 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 Helen Torresi, Consultant, DG Legal Helen is a qualified solicitor with a diverse professional background spanning leadership roles in both the legal and tech/corporate sectors. Throughout her career, she has held key positions such as COLP, HOLP, MLCO, MLRO and DPO for law firms and various regulated businesses and services. Helen’s specialised areas encompass AML, complaint and firm negligence handling, DPA compliance, file review and auditing, law management, and operational effectiveness in law firms, particularly in conveyancing (CQS).

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 online 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.

There are a number of reasons why it is important to actively promote equality and diversity within your business and the wider community, not only to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination legislation and professional regulations, including the SRA Standards & Regulations. There will also be business benefits to the organisation including attracting and retaining talented staff, improving staff morale, potentially accessing a wider client base and enhancing service levels and client satisfaction. Join us for this useful overview session on equality, diversity & inclusion which will cover the following points; The Meaning of Equality Discrimination Harassment & Victimisation Unconscious Bias The Equality Act & the Protected Characteristics Reasonable Adjustments Complying with E&D requirements Target Audience This online course is suitable for staff of all levels, from support staff to senior partners. Resources Comprehensive and up to date 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 Amie Higgins, Consultant, DG Legal Amie is a Senior Solicitor, qualified under the Law Society’s Immigration & Asylum Accreditation Scheme (IAAS) as an Advanced Caseworker and Supervisor. Amie specialises in all aspects of Immigration, Asylum and Human Rights work, with a specialism in human trafficking/modern slavery cases and working with vulnerable clients. Amie is an experienced trainer, delivering a range of training on both legal and practice management topics.