Personal Law

The government is to allow vulnerable people to continue to be able to have their wills witnessed via video-link until 2024. Ingrid Fraser, solicitor in our Wills, Probate & Inheritance team, provides an update. The move extends measures brought in because of the pandemic. It’s designed to help people who are forced to isolate either with Covid or from another vulnerability. Ministers hope it will reassure all those who need…

A university lecturer was unfairly dismissed after she was accused of being ‘unnaturally loud’. Jennifer Cafferky, solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The case involved Dr Annette Plaut, who was an experimental physics lecturer at the university of Exeter until she was fired in 2019. She had been at the university since 1990. Her style involved leading many heated discussions which included expressive gestures, hand movements and…

A forklift operator who was sacked for attending work after his son contracted Covid has won his claim of unfair dismissal. He said he believed his son was just faking symptoms. Joanne Stronach Head of Employment and HR reports on this recent case. David Lewis had worked for The Benriach Distillery Company for 23 years with a clean disciplinary and attendance record. In February 2021, his line manager learnt that Lewis’…

January is the time for making resolutions to give ourselves a fresh start for the New Year. Jane Oakley a member of our Wills, Probate & Inheritance team reports. It’s good to take stock and decide to eat less or exercise more but there’s so much more we could be doing to improve our lives and protect ourselves for the future. Here are three New Year Resolutions relating to the law…

A sales executive who suffered from a delusional disorder has lost his claim of disability discrimination. The Court of Appeal upheld the Employment Tribunal’s decision that his condition did not amount to a disability under the Equality Act. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team reports on this recent case. The case involved Mr Sullivan, who had worked for Bury Street Capital Ltd since 2009. Following a relationship breakdown in 2013,…

The government is hoping to provide more new homes by improving the way land is made available to developers, making it easier and more streamlined. Elizabeth Crouch Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential provides an update. Homes England launched its new Delivery Partner Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to mark a significant shift in the way the agency procures housebuilders, as well as increasing flexibility and accessibility. For the first time,…

An employee at a biscuit factory who threatened a colleague while in a diabetic rage has won his claim of unfair dismissal. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team reports on this recent case Mr Dytkowski began working for Brand FB’s biscuit factory in 2009. He was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes in March 2018, which he described as a “difficult diagnosis to accept and manage”. Occupational Health staff helped Dytkowski adapt…

A 14-year-old who was dismissed for being too young to cope with the ‘severity’ of her job has won her claim of age discrimination. Joanne Stronach Head of Employment and HR reports on this recent case. The case involved Miss H Cassidy, who had a Saturday job at Daimler Foundation’s café. Her duties included serving customers, working the till and cleaning. After her first shift, which was described as being a…

An increase in family disputes and contested Will cases is extremely likely as more people turn to using online and homemade will writing services, a leading disputes solicitor has predicted. David Tew, a Will Disputes solicitor with Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, is raising awareness of the potential pitfalls of using unregulated and uninsured will writers advertising their product at a cheap rate on the internet after more families reported receiving inadequate…

The government has allocated £8.6 billion to boost the number of affordable new homes and help thousands of people on to the property ladder. Elizabeth Crouch Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential provides an update. The Affordable Homes Programme is expected to deliver around 119,000 homes, including 57,000 for ownership, 29,600 for social rent and 6,250 affordable rural homes. The cash injection could support up to 370,000 jobs across the…