Irish worker was racially harassed when boss mocked his accent
April 19th 2022The Employment Tribunal has ruled that an Irishman was racially harassed and victimised when his bossed danced “like a leprechaun” in front of him and mocked his accent. Joanne Stronach Head of Employment and HR reports on this recent case. The case involved Jonathan Kelly, who worked in the warehouse at the Oriental superstore Hoo Hing in Romford. When a warehouse colleague was nearly hit by some heavy items that fell…
Law to resolve Covid commercial rent debts comes into effect
April 13th 2022A new law to resolve commercial rent debts accrued because of the pandemic has now come into effect. Carly Davies, our Debt Control Manager, provides an update. The Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022 provides a legally binding arbitration process for eligible commercial landlords and tenants who have not already reached an agreement. It’s designed to resolve disputes about certain pandemic-related rent debt and help the market return to normal as quickly as…
Homeowner overturns restrictive covenant so he can build extension
April 7th 2022A homeowner has been granted permission to add a two-storey extension to his property despite objections from his neighbour. Natalie Tatton, Solicitor in our dispute team reports on this recent case. The case involved neighbours on an estate of houses around a private road constructed in the 1980s. The properties were subject to a building scheme imposing restrictive covenants. One homeowner gained planning permission to construct a two-storey extension. His neighbour objected on…
Marketer unfairly dismissed as bosses chose media savvy youngsters
March 30th 2022A marketing executive has won her case of unfair dismissal after she was subjected to a ‘sham redundancy process’ so her employers could use a younger employee to handle their social media accounts. Joanne Stronach Head of Employment and HR reports on this recent case. Sylvia Williams worked for Lyons Holiday Parks for ten years until she was dismissed in 2020. Williams used traditional marketing methods such as tours with promotional…
Almost half of wills in the North of England are out of date …
March 28th 2022Deborah Flynn, Solicitor and Associate member of SFE calls for residents to review their wills ahead of “Update Your Will Week”. Research commissioned by SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) has revealed that almost half (45%) of people living in the North of England who have a will haven’t updated it for more than five years, meaning nearly half of wills made in the area are likely to be out-of-date. Of…
Woman can have biological father named on birth certificate
March 24th 2022A woman has been granted the right to amend her birth certificate so that her biological father’s name appears instead of her mother’s husband at the time. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our family law team reports on this recent case. The woman applied for a declaration of parentage under the Family Law Act 1986. She was born in England in 1960. Her mother was from an Orthodox Jewish…
Employee unfairly dismissed after refusing to return to office
March 22nd 2022An employee was unfairly dismissed after he refused to return to the office during the pandemic because he lived with his girlfriend who was clinically vulnerable. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The case involved Nicholas Quelch, who worked as a compliance analyst at Courtiers Support Services. On March 18, 2020, Quelch began working from home after the Prime Minister said the public must stay…
Safety first for self-drive cars
March 16th 2022We live in exciting times when new technological and scientific discoveries are continuously changing our lives for the better. Thinking it over with Carol Fish Director & Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury at Cartmells. Improved medical care, access to global markets and online communities have opened up our world in a way which would have been unimaginable even 20 years ago. But these cutting-edge innovations and technologies also need to keep pace…
Court defines meaning of UK assets in dispute over man’s will
March 15th 2022The Court of Appeal has defined the meaning of ‘UK assets’ in a dispute over a man’s will involving his wife and his children. Ingrid Fraser, Solicitor in our Wills, Probate & Inheritance team reports on this recent case. The deceased had been living in Russia where he had substantial assets. In 2013, he made a will in the UK, where he also had assets. The will defined his estate…
Businesses urged to do more to support women experiencing menopause
March 11th 2022EMPLOYERS need to do more to support female workers through the menopause, says a leading employment solicitor. Joanne Stronach, who is Head of Employment Law and HR at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, said businesses face losing valued members of the workforce unless they put in place measures to support women experiencing menopausal symptoms. Almost one in four women cut short their careers because of the menopause, with those experiencing serious symptoms…
