Personal Law

Three siblings have failed to overturn their stepmother’s will after she left everything to her biological son.  Rebecca Armstrong Associate Solicitor in our Will Claims team reports on this recent case. The son claimed that his mother had changed the will after the siblings’ father died so that he could look after her parrot.  The case involved 61-year-old Ian McLean and his siblings Sean and Lorraine, and their half-brother, a self-titled “Lord” Brett…

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a clause in a worker’s contract entitling him to a 5% rise in sick pay each year should be applied even though his employers amended their policy two years after his employment began. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Joel Langton worked for Amdocs Systems Groups Ltd from 2003.  His contract included Clause 6, which entitled…

Homebuyers are considering their options amid a flurry of activity that is having a major impact on the housing market.  Elizabeth Crouch Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential Property provides an update. On the plus side, the government has announced a cut in stamp duty and extra help for first-time buyers, together with plans to release more land for newbuilds.   On the negative side, the Bank of England has raised…

An Employment Tribunal has ruled that an estate agent was entitled to dismiss a financial consultant for failing to disclose his bankruptcy, despite the absence of an express policy requiring such disclosure.     Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Mr K Pubbi was employed as a financial consultant by Your-Move.co.uk, an estate agency which also arranges mortgages and offers various insurance products.     Pubbi took…

Thousands of leaseholders who paid double ground rent are to receive refunds following action by the Competition and Mergers Authority (CMA).  Elizabeth Crouch Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential Property provides an update. The CMA has secured undertakings from nine companies that bought freeholds from housing developer Taylor Wimpey. A further four national developers – Crest Nicholson, Redrow, Miller Homes and Vistry – have also agreed to work with the…

EMPLOYERS across the UK are being made aware of recent changes allowing more health professionals to issue fit notes. To reduce pressures on doctors, particularly GPs, the Government added registered nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists to the list of professionals who can certify fit notes providing evidence to employers about a person’s absence if they have been off work with illness for seven days or more. Joanne Stronach, Head…

The government is being urged to introduce reforms to provide better legal protection for cohabiting couples if their relationship breaks down. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our family law team reports. The number of cohabiting couples has more than doubled in the past generation with 1.5m in 1996, compared to 3.6m in 2021. Do cohabiting couples have rights   The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee says there is a…

The number of firms going out of business or facing serious financial distress has risen sharply this year, according to the latest figures.  Carly Davies, our Debt Control Manager reports. The Insolvency Service says there were 5,629 corporate insolvencies in Q2, an increase of 12.7% compared to Q1’s figures of 4,995, and an increase of 81.3% compared to Q2 2021 (3,105).   Meanwhile, the Red Flag Alert produced by the recovery, financial advisory,…

House prices rose by 11% in the year to July, according to the latest figures from the Nationwide Building Society. However, increases in interest rates and the rising cost of living crisis could lead to a slowdown.  Sam Bulman Conveyancer in our Residential Property team reports. That slowdown may already be starting as the increase in prices between June and July was only 0.1%. The average house now costs £271,209.  Nationwide’s…

A fashion designer in her early fifties who was passed over for promotion has been awarded £96,000 after making an age discrimination claim.  Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. The case involved Rachel Sunderland, who had worked as a knitwear specialist for Superdry since 2015.   Sunderland had 30 years’ experience in the industry and had worked for well-known brands such as Fang Bros and Boden…