Personal Law

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…

The trustees of a man’s will have been told they cannot put a time limit on his daughter’s right to bring a claim against them unless they provided all the facts that determined how the estate should be divided.  Stephanie Johnson Senior Associate Solicitor reports on this recent case. The case involved two siblings in dispute over the will of their late father.   The deceased owned an estate worth around £3.5…

A pregnant cleaner who was told by her manager she was pathetic for needing to take a five-minute break has won her discrimination case.  Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. Anna Burns began working for Whitstable-based Tralee Rest Home in March 2019.  She took only two days absent from work and had a good relationship with her manager for the first six months of her…

A LEADING employment lawyer has issued advice for businesses with employees caught up in the current international travel chaos. The first week of the school holidays has seen lengthy queues at the Port of Dover, with the chaos at the ferry port mirrored by delays at international airports, with many holidaymakers left stranded abroad with flights either postponed or cancelled. The delays are expected to intensify over the next six…

A Christian worker has won his claim of unfair dismissal after he refused to take off his neck chain.  Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Mr Kovalkovs worked at the 2 Sisters Food Group chicken processing firm from November 2019.  He wore a silver crucifix on a neck chain to signify his belief in the Russian Orthodox Church.  This was an issue for…

The High Court has ruled that a man’s will that existed only in draft form on a computer, but which was signed by two reliable witnesses, should be accepted as valid.     Rebecca Armstrong Associate Solicitor in our Will Claims team reports on this recent case. Is a draft will legally binding in the UK? So, what of the question is a draft will legally binding in the UK? This is indeed a highly…

One of the UK’s leading judges has urged divorcing couples to use the £500 voucher that enables them to access mediation services to settle difficult disagreements. Shannon Bateson, Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls, made the suggestion in a complicated case involving a couple who had separated in 2017. The father had regular unsupervised contact with the three children until…

No-fault evictions are to be banned as part of government plans to “end the injustice of unfit homes and help protect renters from the rising cost of living”. 

The Employment Tribunal has ruled that an employee who was dismissed while suffering from long Covid is entitled to make a claim for disability discrimination. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. It held that his symptoms met the criteria for him to be classed as disabled under the terms of the Equality Act.  The case involved Mr T Burke, who had worked at Turning Point…