In brief: Chancery Lane hit by 'bugs'

Bugs have been blamed by Law Society secretary general John Hayes for delays in the issuing of practising and investment business certificates which should have been sent out in the autumn. A letter from Hayes apologising for the delays appeared in the Law Society Gazette last week. Blaming the problem on bugs in a new computer system, he stressed old certificates would remain in force until all the new ones had been issued, probably by the end of next month. The new system was also blamed last September after a dozen lawyers were wrongly included in a list of non-practising solicitors about to be taken off the solicitors' roll.