Blog from Gary Lawrenson, Privacy Policy and Lexology

Happy New Year, all.

If the proverb that “a good beginning makes a good end” is correct, then it bodes well for a productive year for your Website & Marketing Committee (WMC). I am delighted to kick-off 2018 by welcoming a new sub-committee member, Tim Reid (Hogan Lovells), and confirming a new partnership between the PLA and Lexology.

This partnership will bring a number of member benefits, including a dynamic Newsstand on the PLA’s website. In addition, Lexology will provide a daily newsfeed by email to the entire PLA database of members who are not already receiving Lexology and do not opt out. That email will be specific to each PLA recipient’s interests and the initial service will include content designed to reflect members’ industry practice areas. These will be supplemented with work areas identified by Lexology as being of potential interest. The feed can be customized online at any time by members – by topic and geographic region, or easily turned off (or on again). I trust you will find it useful. This new service should be available by the end of this month.

Our updated privacy policy now reflects this arrangement. For regulatory reasons, please do carve out a couple of minutes to read this as it contains important information about how the PLA holds and uses members’ data.

Secondly, a plea about our use of the PLA’s social media platforms or, rather, our lack of it…

I suggest a collective New Year’s resolution for us all to engage with social media to help raise the profile of the PLA. Why should we be bothered about this? One significant reason is that this will, I think, give us greater scope and opportunity to influence the movers and shakers in the property litigation world: for example, when lobbying for or against law reform for the benefit of members or when liaising with the Judiciary, the Court Service, the Law Commission and other groups such as the Property Bar Association and RICS. Further, it will materially help raise awareness of the PLA and its work. As a starter for ten, I would encourage you all to follow the PLA’s Twitter feed @PLA_Org_UK,commenting and re-tweeting, and joining and participating in the PLA/JPLA LinkedIn groups. Over the next few days you will receive an email invitation to join the PLA LinkedIn groups, if you have not done so already. Thank you in advance!

Finally, your valuable feedback to date proposing website improvements has been hugely appreciated. The website now incorporates a number of your suggestions. Please keep them coming either to myself (gary.lawrenson@osborneclarke.com), or anyone on the WMC.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Gary