Father ordered to pay into housing fund for son and former partner
January 13th 2023A father has been ordered to contribute to a fund to buy a home for his son and former partner, and to pay their rent until he had paid his share of the fund in full. Shannon Bateson, Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. The parents had cohabited but never married. They separated in 2018, after which the mother sought financial provision for their seven-year-old son. In…
Mortgage Guarantee Scheme for first-time buyers is extended
January 5th 2023The government has extended the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme for another year to help more first-time buyers get on to the property ladder. Elizabeth Crouch Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential Property provides an update. Under the scheme, the government offers lenders the financial guarantees they need to provide mortgages that cover the other 95%, subject to the usual affordability checks, on a house worth up to £600,000. Launched in April…
Redundancy criteria that led to dismissal of nurse was unfair
December 20th 2022A nurse has won her claim of unfair dismissal after she was made redundant simply because her contract renewal was coming round earlier than her colleague’s. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Karen Regan worked as a Band 6 nurse for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Her employment had consisted of a series of fixed-term contracts since 2016, There was another Band…
Child can stay with mother in his place of habitual residence
December 16th 2022A mother has successfully appealed against a decision ordering the return of her eight-year-old son to Germany under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction 1980. Shannon Bateson, Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. The mother was Ugandan and the father was German. Their son was born in Uganda in 2014. The relationship ended and the father returned to Germany. The boy spent…
Large increases to minimum wage rates to combat inflation
December 5th 2022The Low Pay Commission has announced large increases in minimum wage rates to combat falling living standards caused by rising inflation. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. It means the National Living Wage (NLW) will rise to £10.42 from 1 April 2023, an increase of 92 pence or 9.7 per cent. The full changes are: Rate from April 2023Current rate (April 22 to March 23)IncreaseNational…
Government rejects calls for legal protection for cohabiting couples
December 1st 2022The government has ruled out introducing changes to family law to provide greater legal protection for cohabiting couples. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our Family Law team reports. Family lawyers have been pressing for more protection because many people still believe there is such a thing as common law marriage giving them the same legal protection as married couples. Unfortunately for them, this is not true. Cohabiting couples have very…
Separated couples should avoid Christmas disputes over children
November 21st 2022Christmas and other holiday periods should be among the happiest times of a child’s life but sadly they are often marred by divorced and separated parents arguing over access rights. Shannon Bateson, Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. Tensions between couples often come to the fore at this time of year but it’s the children who are likely to suffer the most as they find themselves at…
New law designed to protect pregnant women against redundancy
November 15th 2022Pregnant women and new parents will receive greater protection from redundancy under new legislation currently going through parliament. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Under current rules, before offering redundancy to an employee on maternity leave, shared parental leave or adoption leave, employers have an obligation to offer them a suitable alternative vacancy where one exists. The Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination Bill, introduced…
Boy granted £50k from aunt’s estate as she had ‘taken on the role of mother’
November 7th 2022A 12-year-old boy has been granted £50,000 from his late aunt’s estate on the basis that he had been treated as a child of the family. Rebecca Armstrong Associate Solicitor in our Will Claims team reports on this recent case. The boy was taken in by his aunt shortly after his birth because his mother was unable to care for him herself. The aunt acted as the boy’s main parental figure until her…
Divorce applications reach 10-year high as new law takes effect
November 1st 2022The number of divorce applications has reached a 10-year high, with the sudden increase thought to be largely due to the introduction of the no-fault approach to ending a marriage. Sarah Hinett, Paralegal in our Family Law Team reports. The figures for April to June 2022 show there were 33,234 applications, the highest number for a decade. Analysts suggest the increase is down to people holding off making applications until…
