Internet Newsletter for Lawyers |
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Property lawyers are now well served by Internet resources. There are three major subscription sites, all offering free trials, and a number of other sites providing free information on a permanent basis.
The EGi Property Law Service has been around for some time and provides an invaluable resource (http://www.egi.co.uk). It gives access to the whole archive of Estates Gazette Law Reports and case summaries and comprehensive access to all relevant legislation. There is a daily update of court and other property law news and access to all the articles that appear in the journal. The search function is very easy to use.
EGi has recently been joined by two substantial new services. The first is Westlaw's Landlord and Tenant Service (http://www.westlaw.co.uk). This mammoth new product includes on-line access to Woodfall's Landlord and Tenant with hypertext links to the cases and legislation cited. The service also provides access to the Landlord and Tenant reports, journals and current awareness.
The second is Practical Law Company: Property Law (http://property.practicallaw.com/home/main.asp). The mission of this site is to provide a professional support service to commercial property lawyers, comparable to that provided by support lawyers to the large firms. It provides updates, practice notes, precedents and guidance notes and various other materials. The service is extensive and easy to use.
My own Property Law Website (previously at http://www.garywebber.co.uk but now at http://www.propertylawuk.net) contains a number of articles particularly on legal procedures relating to property under CPR Parts 55 and 56. There is also an e-book on boundary disputes. It acts as portal to other sites - the links in this article and more are all there - and has a notice board for courses run by different providers in property law subjects. I also now provide a monthly e-mail update service dealing with all areas of property law.
The Property Bar Association has a website http://www.propertybar.org.uk. This contains a list of all members with links to their respective websites, some of which contain legal articles. Generally these are limited and unorganised. However, the Hardwicke Buildings Property Team maintains a monthly on-line newsletter with an updating service together with fuller and more detailed articles (http://www.hardwicke.co.uk/property).
Solicitor David Swarbrick maintains a "law index" containing summaries of cases in the Law Gazette and the Times - (http://www.swarb.co.uk/lisc/Landlord_and_Tenant.html). The Law Gazette also has occasional articles on property law in the practice section (http://www.lawgazette.co.uk).
The Civil Procedure Rules relevant to property claims can of course be accessed on any of the CPR sites such as barrister Roger Horne's YAWS site (http://www.hrothgar.co.uk/YAWS/index.htm) or the LCD's own site (http://www.lcd.gov.uk/civil/procrules_fin/index.htm). The "housing forms" to be used in possession claims can also be found on the court service site (http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/fandl/menu_house.htm).
The Lands Tribunal has a very helpful site at (http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/tribunals/lands_frm.htm). This contains lots of useful information for those who need to use the tribunal including the relevant practice directions and has links to cases decided by the Tribunal.
For those interested in law reform there are a number of Law Commission reports to be found on its website (http://www.lawcom.gov.uk) in the property and trust law section (http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/misc/property.htm). The reports often contain very helpful summaries of existing law.
The Department of Environment Transport and the Regions (http://www.dtlr.gov.uk) has also published consultation papers on reforms to Part II of the 1954 Act (http://www.planning.detr.gov.uk/consult/btlewgrp/index.htm) and on housing law (http://www.housing.detr.gov.uk/ information/leaseholdreform/index.htm).
The Land Registry (http://www.landreg.gov.uk) provides forms and publications offering guidance on a number of subjects (http://www.landreg.gov.uk/publications). On-line access to the register can be obtained at (http://www.landregistrydirect.gov.uk).
The Ordnance Survey (http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/) can be useful in boundary disputes by providing maps or expert evidence.
The Property Litigation Society (http://www.pla.org.uk) was formed six years ago and now has over 350 members. An interesting feature of its site is a Dilapidations Protocol.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (http://www.rics.org) has a large site. Of particular interest to landlord and tenant lawyers is Professional Arbitration on Court Terms (PACT), a scheme offered by the RICS and the Law Society, for the resolution of unopposed lease renewal disputes, as an alternative to going to court. All the material necessary to refer such a dispute to the scheme is on the site (http://rics.conversationtech.com/ resources/services/drs/lease_renewals.shtml).
The Housing Corporation http://www.housingcorp.gov.uk has a "documents library" (http://www.housingcorp.gov.uk/library/documents.htm) with details of various documents of use to housing lawyers and of how to obtain them. These include the various tenants' charters that apply to registered social landlords such as the "Assured Tenant's Charter" and the "Charter for Member's of Fully Mutual Housing Associations". Shelter also publishes a number of guides on housing law and related matters (http://www.shelter.org.uk).
Other sites, mainly designed for lay visitors but which may be of use to property lawyers, are as follows: The Boundary Problems website maintained by a chartered surveyor offers lots of practical advice (http://www.boundary-problems.co.uk). There is a site devoted to Party Walls (http://www.partywalls.com). At the time of writing it was being updated but still has a discussion forum and summaries of cases relevant to party walls. There is also a link to the Pyramus and Thisbe club, "the organisation for professionals specialising in party wall matters". The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) offers advice on residential leases (http://www.lease-advice.org). Garden law is attractive, with useful information (http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk).
Gary Webber was a practising barrister for 22 years specialising in property law and is author of Residential Possession Proceedings and Possession of Business Premsies (Sweet & Maxwell). He currently runs training courses in property law and maintains the site at http://www.propertylawuk.net. Email law@garywebber.co.uk.
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