... the 300th edition of Directions, bringing you the latest news, views and information from The Law Society of Jersey.

This issue includes news of News Year's Honours for two Law Society members, attendance details for the swearing in of the Deputy Bailiff and of two new Court of Appeal judges, and news of the swearing in of New Advocates and Solicitors, as well as news of a change to the practice for the Appointment of Court Interpreters.

Law Society news includes confirmation of the Annual CPD Certification Requirements for members and firms as well as details of Revised CPD Requirements for 2026.

Legal aid news includes notice of revised capital and income threshold limits for 2026.

Further reminders relating to important dates for members' diaries, members' and firms' obligations for updating the Law Society, and a number of other court-related, government and regulatory announcements are also included, along with wellbeing, education and employment updates.

The Law Society wishes to recognise and congratulate Advocates Cyril Whelan and Nicholas Kershaw on their appointments by King Charles III to the grade of Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the most recent New Year Honours list.

Advocate Whelan has become an MBE for services to Jersey’s judiciary. He spent 28 years as the senior legal adviser in the Law Officers’ Department and was appointed to the office of Crown Advocate immediately upon its creation in 1987. He has also acted as Attorney General from time to time.

Advocate Whelan said: “To be favoured with recognition in my native island by the good grace of His Majesty is deeply touching and I am truly grateful.

“Although I am named on the award, the iceberg effect prevails. The award is founded on the sacrifices made by caring parents, the patience of mentors, the support of friends and family, and the long road travelled with my wife, Renata, without whose love and guiding influence this happy circumstance could never have arisen.”

Advocate Kershaw has become an MBE for services as chair of Every Child Our Future and co-chair of the Jersey Community Foundation.

Advocate Kershaw said: "I’m honoured to receive this award, but this is absolutely a tribute to those amazing organisations and the incredible people who I have been lucky enough to work with it.

“We have great teams in Every Child Our Future and the Jersey Community Foundation, and they have made those organisations the successes that they are.”

A limited number of places are available for the legal profession at the swearing-in of Mark Temple as Deputy Bailiff on Monday 19 January 2026 at 11:30am.

Applications for tickets - which should be made on a personal rather than group or firm basis - should be made by email to r.traisnel@courts.je with the subject heading “Deputy Bailiff’s Swearing-in – [individual's name]”.

Tickets will be issued on a first come, first served basis.

Members of the legal profession will be allocated places in the Royal Court and the Old Library.

All attendees must be seated by 11:00am.

Entry to the Royal Court without a ticket will not be permitted under any circumstances.

Members of the profession who wish to attend the Church service after the Royal Court ceremony should indicate this in their application email.

Mr Samuel Grodzinski KC and Dame Julia Macur DBE will be sworn in as Judges of the Jersey Court of Appeal on Monday 19 January 2026 at 10:00am.

The Bâtonnier would greatly appreciate the attendance in court of advocates who will be appearing before the Court of Appeal during the course of that week.

Jersey's Attorney General Mark Temple KC will be sworn in as Deputy Bailiff on Monday 19 January 2026 at 11:30am.

Members wishing to attend the swearing-in ceremony may apply for tickets as detailed above.

Four new Advocates and one Solicitor will be sworn in at Royal Court ceremonies this month, following their completion of the qualifying examinations.

Three Solicitors will also be sworn in as Advocates at the first of these ceremonies.

Members are invited to attend the swearing-in ceremonies, as detailed below, to welcome the new qualifiers to the profession and congratulate those becoming Advocates:

20 January 2026 at 11:30am

• Tristan Maultby (Carey Olsen) – Advocate
• Mark Rawlins (Hatstone) – Advocate

In addition, Solicitors Jula Le Cornu, Holly Thebault and Kiara Brennan, all of Mourant Ozannes, will be sworn in as Advocates of the Royal Court.

22 January 2026 at 11:30am

• Jackie O’Donoghue (Law Officers’ Department) – Advocate
• Suzanne Smyth (Law Officers’ Department) – Solicitor
• Mark Slater (Carey Olsen) - Advocate

Revised guidance in relation to members' Continuing Professional Development obligations has been approved by the Law Society.

The purpose of continuing professional development (“CPD”) is to allow members to continue to develop and enhance their legal knowledge to the degree expected of a professional.

Pursuant to Rule 7.7 of the Code of Conduct, all Jersey qualified advocates and écrivains are required to undertake 15 hours of CPD per calendar year (the “CPD Requirement”). Additional guidance to Rule 7 is set out in paragraphs G.7.17 and G7.18 of the Code of Conduct.

Revised further guidance is now set out in Guidance Note GN05: Continuing Professional Development - Eligible Activities (“GN05”) and Guidance Note GN06: Continuing Professional Development - Waivers and Sanctions ("GN06"), which are intended to provide further information and guidance to members in respect of the CPD Requirement.

The CPD Requirement remains at 15 hours per annum in total.

However, a number of changes have been made to the CPD Requirement with effect from 1 January 2026:

• Private Study is no longer an eligible activity;
• A maximum amount of five (5) hours in any one CPD year can be claimed for preparation for the delivery of any presentation on a topic relevant to the practice of Jersey law;
• A maximum amount of five (5) hours in any one CPD year can be claimed for attendance at in-house meetings (which will only themselves be relevant if in the form of a seminar or other discussion of points of Jersey law, and then only for the relevant time of such seminar or discussion).

Members are advised to review the guidance regarding the CPD Requirement, which comes into effect from 1 January 2026.

To view/download the revised Guidance Notes, please click :

Guidance Note GN05 - CPD Eligible Activities

Guidance Note GN06 - CPD Waivers and Sanctions

To view / download the revised CPD recording template forms, please click :

CPD Record template (Excel) (preferred)

CPD Record template (Word)

Any queries should be sent directly to Jonathan Bale, Operations Manager, at manager@jerseylawsociety.je.

As members and firms will be aware, Law Society Subscriptions for Ordinary Members are now payable in two instalments.

The first instalment for 2026, comprising 50% of the previous year's subscription rate, will be issued by mid January to firms and, where applicable, individuals.

As Subscription invoices are based upon Law Society Membership Records, any changes in firm or status which have not been notified to the Law Society by the cut-off of 7 January 2026, will not be reflected in invoices issues.  

[See 'Law Society Membership - Updating Your Details' below]

Members are reminded that subscriptions are payable on demand.  Prompt payment is requested.

The second instalment, representing the balance of the Ordinary Member subscription (as agreed at the 2026 Law Society AGM), will be invoiced in early July.

Any levies (e.g. Client Protection Fund) will be collected with the second instalment.

Subscription requests for Non Practising Members will be issued in the first week in March 2026.

Please note that subscriptions are subject to GST.  GST is not payable on any specific purpose levies which are raised.

Any queries in relation to subscriptions should be directed to the Accounts Department on 01534 613909 or by email at accounts@jerseylawsociety.je.

The Jersey International Child Law Conference is taking place on Friday 13th March 2026 from 9.30am to 5.30pm at The Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, St Helier.

This will be a child law conference covering both private and public law and the theme is “Modern Families”. The
programme will include sessions in respect of parentage, assisted reproduction, surrogacy, adoption, LGBT families
and recent changes in the law in Jersey and internationally.

We are very pleased that Mrs Justice Theis will be our
keynote speaker and the event will be chaired by HHJ Wildblood.

Further details can be downloaded here, and the booking form can be downloaded here.

On or before 31 January 2026, each ordinary member of The Law Society of Jersey must file a written confirmation, either personally or as part of a group return submitted on their behalf by the individual’s firm, stating that he or she has completed the CPD Requirement for 2025 (or is a newly qualified Jersey Advocate or Solicitor). Full or partial exemptions which have been applied for and granted must be noted on the confirmation letter.

It is the responsibility of the individual member to ensure that a CPD confirmation has been filed on his or her behalf. CPD confirmations should be sent to the Operations Manager, The Law Society of Jersey, PO Box 493, St Helier, Jersey or by email to manager@jerseylawsociety.je.

Where, for any reason, members are not included in their firm's certification, the member must personally submit their CPD record to manager@jerseylawsociety.je.

The template for firms to complete can be downloaded here.

An audit of 20% of CPD records will commence in February 2026. Members who are selected for audit will be required to submit their CPD records promptly to the Society.

Any questions in relation to CPD should be directed to Jonathan Bale on 01534 613950 or at manager@jerseylawsociety.je.

Law firms operating as LLPs which have been recognised by the Law Society of Jersey as Legal Services Bodies ("LSBs") are reminded that any changes in the membership of the Legal Services Body must be advised to the Law Society in advance of the effective date of such changes.

Click Update to download the Legal Services Body Update Form.

Any queries in relation to LSBs, including in relation to potential new applications, should be directed to Jonathan Bale on 01534 613950 or email manager@jerseylawsociety.je.

Firms are reminded that any changes to their:

• practice address
• website address
• primary contact telephone number or
• email address for general enquiries

must be advised in advance of the effective date to the Law Society.

Notification of changes should be sent to Jonathan Bale on email manager@jerseylawsociety.je.

Where firms maintain a PO Box or JE1 address which does not include a physical office address, firms must provide the Law Society and the Court with a physical address for service purposes.

Key contact changes should also be advised by firms to the Legal Aid Office (email@legalaid.je) and to the Court (d.ozouf@courts.je).

Members are reminded that it is their personal responsibility to update the Law Society in respect of:

• change of firms
• change of circumstances
• change of contact details

Members are reminded of the importance of advising the Society of any changes in circumstances or firms.

Notification MUST be provided, in all cases, in advance of the effective date of the change.

All proposed changes must be advised by completion and submission of the Membership Update Form.

Click Update to download the Membership Update Form.

Completed Membership Update Forms must be sent to Jonathan Bale, Operations Manager at the Law Society at PO Box 493, St Helier, Jersey, JE4 5SZ, or by email at manager@jerseylawsociety.je.

No action will be taken in respect of any request until receipt by the Law Society of the Membership Update Form.

Members are reminded that any changes also need to be advised to the Judicial Greffe (to update the Court's records) so that they do not miss out on any important communications. Updates should be sent to Darrell Ozouf at d.ozouf@courts.je.

The Legal Aid Office should also be advised of any changes in personal details or circumstances. Details should be advised to email@legalaid.je.

Court users are advised that, with effect from 15 December 2025, the Bailiff's Chambers are introducing a revised process, on a trial basis, to streamline requests for Court Dates and Date-Fix Appointments.

The goal is to have one clear point of contact to enable court dates and date-fix appointments to be provided efficiently and in a timely manner, as well as to reduce unnecessary and repeated correspondence.

Further procedural enhancements, including a process to manage the volume of case correspondence being sent to the Court, will be introduced as soon as practicable.

The revised Court Listings Process is as follows:

How to Request a Court Date or Date-Fix Appointment

Email: datefix@courts.je

Subject line: Start with the case name (e.g., AG v Joe Bloggs), followed by “Court Date Request” or “Date-Fix Appointment”.

Copy all parties into the email.

Include in the email body:

• Parties’ names and contact details
• Availability (Teams or phone)
• Number of days required (agreed by parties before an  appointment)
• Who is filing the originating document (e.g., summons- Judge/Jurats requirement
• Any queries needing judicial input
• Dates parties are unavailable

Key Rules

Do not send other correspondence to this email.

No attachments except an Act of Court or Summons (copy relevant info into the email body).

Monitoring hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (weekdays only).

Urgent requests: If a date is needed within 5 working days, mark the email URGENT.

Matters arising during a trial requiring the court to sit early: correspondence should continue to be sent to the Bailiff’s Judicial Secretary.

Response time: Usually within 7 working days.

Follow-ups: Send by same email only, no phone calls.

After a date is offered: Parties must agree and send one consolidated response to confirm or request alternatives. If the latest date is selected an explanation must be given. Do not include Bailiff’s Chambers in further discussions.

The revised Court Date and Date Fix Process came into effect on Monday 15 December 2025.

Click Court Listings to view/download the revised process.

From January 2026, the Judicial Greffe will be assuming responsibility for the booking of court interpreters for defendants in criminal matters. The Judicial Greffier directs that the following procedure should be adopted by practitioners:

All defence verbal communication and meetings with the client

Arrangements will remain unchanged. An application should be made to the Judicial Greffier for approval to instruct an interpreter, in advance. Counsel remain responsible for sourcing the interpreter. For meetings and verbal communications, the rates of pay will be as per the hourly rates below, unless there is an exceptional need to depart from that rate.

Equally, should an interpreter be needed for a defence witness in court this procedure should be followed.

All defence written communications (including translations of documents)

Any translation work including the rate per word claimed will need to be approved in advance by the Judicial Greffier. An estimate of words per minute and a total estimate of the cost will be required prior to approval.

All Royal Court/Court of Appeal appearances

Counsel must communicate the requirement for an interpreter to the Judicial Greffe within two days of the indictment date being fixed in Magistrate’s Court, or as soon as the need for an interpreter arises. The communication should be emailed to JGRSamedi@courts.je. The email should reference the case name and include the following text in capital letters: “INTERPRETER NEEDED”.

The Judicial Greffe will then source an interpreter who will attend court either remotely or in person. Payment will be dealt with by the Judicial Greffe and in the event that any invoices are sent to you please forward them to d.ozouf@courts.je.

Provisions are also being made within the Judicial Greffe regarding communications between the courts dealing with the need for an interpreter.  It is nevertheless considered necessary for Counsel to participate in this process.  Counsel will have the first-hand knowledge of the language needs of their client that the court staff will not have.

Hourly rates

The rates for translation (verbal interpreting) will be as follows:

1. An hourly fee of £35 for all attendances for interpreting, save court attendances, unless otherwise agreed in advance;
2. For all court attendances there will be a minimum booking for hearings of three hours (so the minimum payment will be £105 unless otherwise agreed in advance). This will be for all hearings up to 3 hours;
3. If hearings last longer than 3 hours any subsequent hour or part thereof will be paid at the hourly rate.

In advance of the change to the procedure, the Judicial Greffier requests that defence lawyers communicate to the Judicial Greffe the current Royal Court cases where an interpreter is or will be required and the level of interpretation required by the defendant.

Practitioners are reminded that Case Centre Bundling Service is purely for the uploading of court bundles in advance of scheduled hearings before the Royal Court.  The uploading of a court bundle to Case Centre does not constitute ‘filing’ of pleadings/affidavits/draft orders etc with the Judicial Greffe.  To comply with ‘filing’ obligations, practitioners must ensure that they send all such documents to JGRCourtDocuments@courts.je.

Do not send emails filing documents to any other address in the court service.

Samedi Court - Ex parte Representations and Tabling
Ex-Parte Representations (clearly marked as “Ex-Parte Representation” or “Representation”) must be filed at JGRCourtDocuments@courts.je by no later than 5:00 pm on Tuesday of the week they are to be heard by the Samedi Court. 

Further, 3 hard-copy bundles (where 50 pages or less) must be filed with the Bailiff’s Chambers for the attention of the Court.  Bundles consisting of 50 pages or more must be uploaded onto Caselines by liaising with JGR Case Lines (JGRCaseLines@courts.je).

The original Representation with a payment receipt attached should be filed with the Judicial Greffe for the attention of the Samedi Section. Information regarding the payment of court fees can be found here Court fees - Courts.je.

If an ex-parte Representation is filed after 5:00 pm Tuesday, subject to the sitting Judge’s view, the application will be deferred to the next sitting of the Samedi Court.  Please note that details of Ex-Parte Representations are not published on Court listings - Courts.je.

All applications for inclusion on the Table must be filed at the Judicial Greffe reception by no later than 12:00 pm on Thursday of the week they to be heard by the Samedi Court.  A hard copy of each application with a payment receipt attached should be filed. All applications must be marked for the attention of the Samedi Section. 

Please note that all matters on the Table will be listed on Court listings - Courts.je - “Forthcoming” (no later than 3:00 pm on Thursday) and “Results” (no later than12:00 pm the following Monday) sections.

Counsel should ensure that they bring 3 copies of the Tabled application to the Samedi Court for the presiding Judge and Jurats

Under the terms of the Legal Aid Scheme, the Capital and Income Limits, in respect of eligibility for Legal Aid, are adjusted on an annual basis, in line with changes to the Median Average Earnings, as detailed in the Government's Average Earnings Report as at June each year.

As a consequence of the reported Median Average Earnings for Full Time Employees increasing to £890 per week (from £850 per week in 2024), with effect from 1 January 2026, the relevant capital and income thresholds will be amended as follows:

Capital Limit (Individual)

Public Law (Criminal / Human Rights) £70,000
Private Law (Family / Civil matters) £70,000

Income Limit (Individual)

Public Law (Criminal / Human Rights) £70,000
Private Law (Family / Civil matters) £47,000

Applicants have to satisfy both the capital and income tests in a qualifying area of law to be granted Legal Aid. Legal Aid will not be granted where the capital and/or income limits are exceeded.

We know that parenting after separation can feel overwhelming at times.

That’s why the Children and Families Hub have teamed up with the Jersey Family Court Advisory Service (JFCAS) to offer free, confidential one-to-one appointments for parents and carers.

What JFCAS can do:

• Listen and talk through the challenges of co-parenting
• Share options to help you move forward as a separated family
• Offer advice on creating safe, child-focused arrangements
• Explain how children’s needs are considered in Family Court proceedings

What JFCAS can’t do:

• Provide legal advice
• Take on casework outside of Family Court
• Make decisions for you - but they will help you explore your choices.
• These sessions are a chance to get clear, independent advice to help you make the best decisions for your children and your family.

To book 1:1 sessions, which take place on the last Friday of each month, go to Eventbrite.

Practitioners will find the latest news and events published by the Jersey Financial Services Commission here.

Latest news includes:

• a consultation detailing proposed updates to the guidelines on Interpretation of Article 36 of the Proceeds of Crime (Jersey) Law 1999, intended to address areas of improvement highlighted by industry feedback. Please note that responses to this consultation should be submitted by 30 January 2026,
• Insights shared at the SIFS Fifth Economic Crime and Compliance Symposium,
• Feedback published by the JFSC from their conflicts of interest thematic examination,
• Feedback on criminal background checks and follow-on consultations on AML/CFT/CPF Handbook enhancements and on complex structures, and
• a consultation on, and the JFSC's interim approach to, the civil financial penalties regime.

The Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman (CIFO) has published Consultation Paper 25, which outlines proposed changes to the levy schemes for 2026.

The levy schemes set the levies payable by financial services providers (FSPs) registered or holding a licence, permit, or certificate with the Financial Services Commissions in specified areas of activity (registered providers). Any revisions to CIFO’s levy scheme will take effect starting 1st March 2026.

Consultation Paper 25 is now open for feedback, and we welcome responses from FSPs, industry associations, and all interested parties.

How to Respond

Deadline: Please send your feedback by 30 January 2026

By Email: consultations@ci-fo.org

By Post: Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman, PO Box 114, Jersey, JE4 9QG

Practitioners are advised that the Licensing Assembly will meet in ordinary session on :

📅 Thursday 19 March 2026 at 10.00am

📅 Thursday 18 June 2026 at 10.00am

📅 Thursday 24 September 2026 at 10.00am

📅 Thursday 17 December 2026 at 10.00am

for the purpose of considering applications under the Licensing (Jersey) Law 1974.

Advance notice is given that next year's Assise d’Héritage will be held on Friday 18 September 2026.

As advocates will be expected to renew their oath at the Assise d’Héritage, they are respectfully requested to 'save the date'.

The Law Society's Annual Dinner which celebrates the Opening of the Legal Year will again be held on the same day as the Assise d’Héritage, on Friday 18 September 2026.

The dinner will again be held at L'Horizon Hotel, St Brelade.

Members are requested to 'save the date'.

LinkedIn newsletter - it’s the most wonderfully uncertain time of the year: Andy Darnton reflects on the pressure and stresses that often build in the run-up to the festive season, and why this familiar rush can take such a toll on people working in the legal sector.

Learning to listen differently: my experience with APD
Alex, an IP lawyer, shares what it’s like to live and work with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) and how it affects communication in the legal sector. They also offer simple tips to support colleagues with APD and help create more inclusive workplaces.

Festive season survival tips: If you’re finding it hard to switch off over the festive season, we have some survival tips to help you take a real break and look after your wellbeing.

Research opportunity: Terri (Taz) Brookes, a PhD candidate at Birkbeck, University of London, is researching exploring how neurodiversity, anti-discrimination law, and inclusion intersect across the UK’s legal profession, education, and justice system. Terri would love to hear from legal professionals, law students, litigants, and academics with experience of neurodiversity in the UK legal field. Neurodiverse participants from minority ethnic, faith, or culturally diverse backgrounds are particularly encouraged to get involved.

The 2026 IBA Annual Conference will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark on 4 - 9 October 2026.

What will IBA 2026 offer you?

• Access 5,000+ attendees representing over 2,700 law firms, corporations, governments and regulators from more than 130 jurisdictions
• Opportunities to win more work and referrals at the world’s best networking and business development event for lawyers and law firms
• Save time and money by meeting all your legal contacts under one roof
• Hear from leading international figures, government officials, general counsel and experts from across all practice areas and continents
• Expand your professional network and meet legal professionals and practitioners from around the world
• Participate in sessions that offer practical strategies and tools to apply directly to your practice

Further details can be found here.

Are you looking for that next job on the legal career ladder?

Click Legal Vacancies to see the latest job adverts.

Individuals who are looking for that next Legal career move can also register to receive details of the latest vacancies as soon as they become available. Go to the Legal Vacancies page and click on the 'Subscribe' button under the heading "Subscribe to job alerts" and follow the instructions.

If your firm wishes to advertise any vacancies, please send the following information to Jonathan Bale at manager@jerseylawsociety.je:

• the job or role title - with a brief description of the role
• the term - whether Full Time / Part Time / Contract
• a job description (if available)
• details of the remuneration package (or indicate as Negotiable or Market Rate)
• when the role is available from
• how to apply
• the name and contact details for a contact point for condidates to request further details
• the closing date for applications (if any)

Please include a small image file of the firm's latest logo in the email.

Advertising of vacancies for law firms is currently free of charge.

To discuss any aspect of advertising your vacancy, please call Jonathan Bale on 01534 613950.

Should you wish to submit anything for publication in the Law Society's Directions newsletter, please write in the first instance to Jonathan Bale at manager@jerseylawsociety.je.

Details of forthcoming events which are relevant to the legal profession should be sent to Jonathan Bale at manager@jerseylawsociety.je.

Directions is published fortnightly on a Friday, with a copy deadline of the preceding Wednesday.