FAQs

We have endeavoured to answer your Frequently Asked Questions. If, however, there is any query that you have but you cannot find the answer below, please contact us. 

Questions:

JOINING OUR MAILING LIST OR BEING LISTED ON THE SITE

I am not a lawyer and I am not black or an ethnic minority, can I join the mailing list on BLD?

Can I join the mailing list without being listed?

What is the difference between being on the mailing list and being listed? 

When am I eligible for listing?

How do I get listed?

How do I unsubscribe after joining the mailing list?

COSTS OF GETTING LISTED AND/OR LISTING

How much does it cost to join the mailing list?

How much does it cost to be listed?

WHO IS A LAWYER?

I am a Legal Executive in England, am I classified as a lawyer?

FINDING A LAWYER ON BLD

How do I find a lawyer on the site?

ADVERTISING ON BLD

I am very interested in advertising on your site. What are your rates?

We are a charity and can ill-afford the huge costs of advertising our legal vacancies. How can BLD help us?

How do I advertise our job vacancies on the site?

We are a law firm in New York, can we advertise our services on BLD?

I am an interpreter and translator in Birmingham, England. Can I advertisemy services on BLD?

We want to change our uploaded advertisement. How do we do this?

The position has been filled and we want to delete/withdraw the advertisement. How do we do this?

I am interested in an advertisement on the site, do I contact BLD?

PAYMENT QUERIES

How can I pay for the advertisements?

Which credit and debit cards do you accept?

PASSWORDS AND LOGIN DETAILS

I forgot my password and login details. What do I do now? 

How do I change my username and password? 

My contact/personal details have changed. How do I update them?

NEWS AND EVENTS

How do we upload our events?

We want to change details in our uploaded events. How do we do this? 

The event has been cancelled. How do we delete/withdraw it from the site?

SPONSORS AND DONORS

How do I become a sponsor? 

How do I become a donor?

JOB-SEEKERS

How do I search for jobs?

LAWYER2LAWYER FORUM

I click on this link and there is no forum. Why?

BLD AND THE ISSUE OF COLOUR AND ETHNICITY

What do you mean by BME?

Who is a black minority ethnic person (BME)? 

I am a lawyer of Chinese origin and my partner, who is of Indian origin, is also a lawyer. What has BLD got to do with us? 

I am a successful ethnic minority lawyer and achieved everything through hard work. I find this Directory insulting as it reduces my achievement to my ethnicity.

BLD’s SERVICES 

Do you only provide directory services?

BLD AND OTHER MINORITY ETHNIC GROUPS

Is BLD the same as the Black Solicitors Network (BSM)?

Answers:

A1: Yes. There is no bar to joining our mailing list. You will receive regular information about our events, news, jobs newsletters and our regular monthly newsletter which contains our renowned Lawyer of the Month feature, latest jobs, forthcoming events and our extensive articles on legal and non-legal issues. If you wish to do this,  click here for our "Quick Email Only Registration". However, please note that being registered is not the same as being listed.

A2: Yes. Anyone can join our mailing list using our "Quick Email Only Registration". Please click here if you wish to do so.

A3: The profiles of those who are listed can be viewed on BLD but not those who are just on the mailing list. Also, virtually all those listed also opt to be on the mailing list.

A4: You are eligible if you are:

• A black minority ethnic lawyer in the UK
• A UK organisation with at least one black minority ethnic lawyer 
• Advertisers, including services providers, whether based in the UK or anywhere else in the world

Individual lawyers in the UK who do not belong to any of the above categories but who subscribe to and support the aims and objectives of BLD can also be listed. Please contact us for further details.

A5: Simply click on "The Directory" navigation bar at the top of each page on the site and select the "Get Listed" option or simply click Get Listed.

A6: Click on "Members Login", which is the red pen icon at the top of every page. Login as normal using your username (this is your email address that is listed on the site) and password. Then click “Update Details”, which is above the “Directory Details”. Uncheck the “Subscribe to Mailing List” box and then click "Update".

A7: Joining our mailing list using our "Quick Email Only Registration" is free to all, whatever you do, whether an individual or an organisation and wherever you may be in the world. Please click here if you wish to do so.

A8: Listing is free to:

• All black minority ethnic lawyers in the UK 
• All UK organisations with at least one black minority ethnic lawyer 

Individual lawyers in England and Wales who do not belong to any of the above categories, but who subscribe to and support the aims and objectives of BLD may also be listed free of charge. Please contact us for further details.

If you do not fall within the above categories, for example if you are a law firm outside the UK, you can be listed within our services providers’ category. For our rates for such listings, Please contact us for further details.

A9: Yes. If you are a Fellow member of the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) with a current practising certificate. The following are also classified as lawyers in England and Wales in BLD:

• Solicitors (on the roll, whether or not practising) 
• Barristers (whether or not practising) 
• Licensed Conveyancers with full or limited licence 
• Registered European Lawyers (REL)
• Registered Foreign Lawyers (RFL)

A10: Please note that this part of our services is purely web-based and for further information about the use of The Directory by lay members of the public, please do see our dedicated "Public Information" page by clicking here.

A11: Please View our rates.

A12: Our fees are very competitive. We also have specially discounted rates for charities and the not-for-profit sector. Please View our rates.

A13: Please see our dedicated "Advertisers" pages for information about advertising, uploading ads, deleting and editing ads by clicking on the "Advertisers" navigation bar or simply clicking this link.

A14: Yes. By getting listed as a services provider within the Directory section. Please contact us  for our rates. You may also advertise any legal job vacancies—please see our dedicated "Advertisers" pages for information about advertising, uploading ads, deleting and editing ads by clicking on the "Advertisers" navigation bar or simply clicking this link. Do also View our rates here.

A15: Yes. By getting listed as a services provider within the Directory section. Please contact us for our rates.

A16: Please see our step-by-step guide by clicking here.

A17: Please see our step-by-step guide by clicking here.

A18: No. Please contact the advertiser directly. Please do let the advertiser know that you saw the ad on BLD.

A19: You can pay securely online. You may also pay off-line by BACS, Telegraphic Transfer or by cheque made payable to “Totally Management Ltd” or “BLD”. Where payment is not made online, your advertisement cannot be viewed until the payment has been cleared through our account. At our complete discretion we may also accept credit card payments over the telephone in exceptional circumstances where payment cannot be made online, by BACS, Telegraphic Transfer or by cheque.

A20: We accept all Visa and MasterCard credit cards. We also accept the following debit cards: Maestro (UK issued only), Visa Electron, Visa Debit and Solo.

A21: Click on "Members Login", which is the red pen icon at the top of every page. Click on the link: "Forgotten Password". Insert your username (this is your email address that is listed on the site) and "Submit". Your password will be sent to you immediately.

A22: Click on "Members Login", which is the red pen icon at the top of every page.  Login as normal using your username (this is your email address that is listed on the site) and password. Then click "Update Details". Insert your new password in the password box and confirm it. Then click "Update".

A23: Click on "Members Login", which is the red pen icon at the top of every page. Login as normal using your username (this is your email address that is listed on the site) and password. Then click "Update Details". Make the relevant changes and then click "Update".

A24: You must get listed first. To get listed click here. Where you are already listed, click on "Members Login", which is the red pen icon at the top of every page. Login as normal using your username (this is your email address that is listed on the site) and password. Then click on the "News and Events" navigation bar at the top of every page or click here.

A25: Click on “Members Login”, which is the red pen icon at the top of every page. Login as normal using your username (this is your email address that is listed on the site) and password. Go to “News and Events”, find your event in the calendar, select it and then click “Edit Event Details”.

A26: Click on “Members Login”, which is the red pen icon at the top of every page. Login as normal using your username (this is your email address that is listed on the site) and password. Go to “News and Events”, find your event in the calendar, select it and then click on “Edit Event Details”. From here you can delete/withdraw the event. Do bear in mind also that your event posting cannot be viewed on the expiry of the event or when deleted or withdrawn by you.

A27: Please view our Sponsorship Information Pack by clicking on "The Sponsors and Donors" navigation bar at the top of each page on the site or simply view our sponsorship pack here. If you still require further information please contact us.

A28: Please view our Sponsorship Information Pack by click on the "Sponsors and Donors" navigation bar at the top of each page on the site or simply view our sponsorship pack here. If you still require further information please contact us.

A29: Click on the "Jobs and Careers" pages navigation bar at the top of each page on the site or simply click here. Within these pages you can view the latest jobs.
By using the Advanced Job Search feature, you can also carry out job searches by listing specific criteria of the job you are seeking, such as a specific word, the practice area, the sector or job type.

Please note that within the Jobs and Careers pages, we also give extensive career guidance and advice. This is also where you can read about other lawyers who have agreed to be our case studies.

A30: Please be patient with us whilst we ensure that we have an effective, secure, interactive and interesting forum for lawyers to exchange views and network. This forum should be fully operational by early 2007. Meanwhile, please contact us to let us know what kind of forum you want.

A31: BME stands for black and minority ethnic. BME is sometimes referred to as BAME.

A32: In BLD a black minority ethnic person is someone who falls into any of the following groups: 

• Asian or Asian British - Bangladeshi
• Asian or Asian British - Indian
• Asian or Asian British - Pakistani
• Asian or Asian British - Any other Asian background
• Black or Black British - African
• Black or Black British - Caribbean
• Black or Black British - Any other African background
• Chinese
• Chinese - Any other Chinese background
• Mixed Ethnic Background – White and Asian
• Mixed Ethnic Background – White and Black African
• Mixed Ethnic Background – White and Black Caribbean
• Mixed Ethnic Background – Any other Mixed Background
• Other Ethnic Group - Other

A33: Everything! “Black” as used in BLD is generic and covers all non-whites. Our aims and objectives, the images used and our publicity are consistent with this usage.

A34: Most successful lawyers, no matter what their race, creed or colour, achieve their success through sheer hard work. BLD is a positive action to try to redress evident imbalances. In fact, successful ethnic minority lawyers profiled in BLD will showcase the breadth and wealth of experience of black and ethnic minority lawyers. Lawyers featured in our "Lawyer of the Month" can be positive role models and an inspiration to the younger generation that they can be whatever they want to be if they have what it takes. In short, that the glass ceiling can be shattered and the sky is the limit, no matter the shade. 

A35: At BLD, we offer extensive services, other than the Directory listing itself as the cornerstone of everything we do is to highlight and promote diversity in law. Do view extensive services here. Do read about our Business Case for Race Diversity and view our Brochure.

A36: No, we are not. However, we highlight and promote the BSN and their work as part of our fundemental aim of highlighting and promoting diversity in law. We do the same for other organisations such as the Society of Asian Lawyers (SAL), Society of Black Lawyers (SBL), the Association of Muslim Lawyers (AML) and the British Nigerian Law Forum (BNLF)