Is a limited company the right structure for your business?
October 16th 2024When considering how to structure your business in the UK, there are several options available. One option worth considering is setting up a limited company. While it may seem daunting, it offers significant benefits compared to other business structures. A limited company is a separate legal entity from its owners, which means your personal assets are normally protected if things go wrong. This concept, known as limited liability, is one…
Law firm strengthens specialist legal team with key appointments
October 15th 2024One of the North’s leading legal firms has expanded its specialist Wills, Probate and Inheritance team by taking on several new recruits. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors has made five appointments to the team which is regarded as one of the largest and strongest Private Client departments in the region. The new recruits take the number of members in the department to 41, comprising 14 solicitors, 12 paralegals and 15 support staff.…
Court rules on sale of £42m home and luxury yacht in divorce case
October 14th 2024A high net worth divorce case has resulted in a ruling for the sale of a £42 million family home and a €35.5 million luxury yacht. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our Family Law team reports on this case. The case centred on competing applications from the husband and wife, who have three children. The husband sought to terminate the wife’s home rights under the Family Law Act 1996, with…
Mother ordered to return child to home country under Hague Convention
October 9th 2024A mother who “gambled” that she would get away with absconding with her daughter to England has been told she must return the child to her own country under the Hague Convention. Sarah Tweedie, Associate Solicitor in our Family Law team reports. The case concerned a Romanian couple and their 9-year-old daughter. The mother brought the girl to England without the father’s agreement in 2023. She accepted that she was habitually resident…
Minority shareholder has partial success in unfair treatment claim
October 2nd 2024A minority shareholder has lost his claim that he was treated unfairly when trying to sell his shares back to the company. Rob Winder Senior Associate Chartered Legal Executive in our Dispute Resolution team reports on this recent case. However, he had a partial success in that the court agreed that his shares may have been undervalued by the company’s auditor. The case revolves around Stuart Wells, a former director and 14.3% shareholder…
Consultation on Child Maintenance extended to include more views
September 30th 2024The consultation on child maintenance payments has been extended to ensure there is enough time to get a full range of views, including feedback from all relevant organisations. Shannon Bateson, Associate Solicitor in our family law team provides an update. The consultation was launched on 8 May 2024 by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to discuss ways to increase the number of children being kept out of poverty. The proposals, put forward…
Family Court upholds divorcing couple’s pre-nup agreement
September 26th 2024A recent family court ruling has upheld a divorcing couple’s pre-nuptial agreement (PNA), which specified that only jointly accrued wealth during the marriage should be considered as matrimonial assets. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our Family Law team reports on this case that highlights the importance of clear pre-nuptial agreements in divorce proceedings. The central issue revolved around the interpretation and enforcement of the agreement which they signed before their…
Bank’s interest rate cut ‘could boost confidence in housing market’
September 18th 2024The Bank of England’s decision to cut the base interest rate by 0.25% could help to boost confidence in the housing market but may not be enough to herald a significant cut in mortgage rates, according to one the UK’s largest estate agents, Zoopla. Elizabeth Crouch Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential Property reports. Announcing the cut, the governor of the bank, Andrew Bailey, said: “Inflation has fallen a lot…
Company insolvencies higher now than during Covid pandemic
September 9th 2024The number of company insolvencies in July was higher than any month during the Covid pandemic, according to the latest figures from the Insolvency Service. Carly Davies, our Debt Control Manager provides an update. After seasonal adjustment, the number of registered company insolvencies in England and Wales in July 2024 was 2,191. That was 16% higher than the same month in the previous year (1,890 in July 2023). The number of company…
Award-winning student starts law apprenticeship after finishing top of her class
September 5th 2024AN INSPIRATIONAL student who fitted her degree around running her own business and raising a family is embarking on a career in law on the back of winning two university awards. Nina Bernard, 41, is starting a solicitor apprenticeship with Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors after showing immediate potential during her studies and while working part-time as a legal assistant with the law firm for the past year. Nina has worked tirelessly…
