Solicitor promoted after return to firm where she trained
December 2nd 2024A solicitor has been promoted less than 12 months after returning to the law firm where she trained. Hexham-based Nicholson Portnell Solicitors has appointed Laura Murphy to the role of Senior Associate Solicitor. Laura initially joined Nicholson Portnell in 2008 as a trainee and worked there for eight years, qualifying as a solicitor in 2010. She returned last December after time away working for a Newcastle city centre law firm…
Judge halts mother’s court action after children refused contact
November 29th 2024A mother’s application to re-establish contact with her four children has been rejected by the court after the children expressed strong opposition to seeing her. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our Family Law team reports on this case. Her Honour Judge Suh concluded that forcing the children into direct contact would harm their emotional well-being, stating that “their welfare is my number one concern”. The children, aged between 9 and…
Solicitor’s ongoing commitment to providing counselling support to clients
November 25th 2024A recently promoted solicitor is going the extra mile for her clients by further widening the level of care provided by the law firm she works for. Coinciding with her promotion to the position of Associate Solicitor at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, Sarah Griffiths has gained a Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills from the Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body. She has already embarked on the Level 3 qualification as…
Divorcing couple in £200,000 dispute over date of their separation
November 14th 2024A divorcing couple have been in a £200,000 dispute over the date of their separation following a long marriage. Shannon Bateson, Associate Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. The husband (H) claimed that the couple separated in 2014, while the wife (W) insisted that they remained together until 2021. The difference in their positions had significant financial implications, with over £200,000 at stake in the final settlement.…
Judge settles complex case involving two siblings and their stepfather
October 28th 2024A High Court judge has settled a complex case relating to a stepfather’s parental responsibility for two siblings. Sarah Tweedie, Associate Solicitor in our Family Law team, reports on this recent case. The children were referred to in court as D, aged 14, and K, aged 10. They had the same mother but different fathers. The two fathers played little part in their children’s lives. The mother started a relationship…
Husband in divorce case jailed for failing to reveal pension details
October 21st 2024The husband in divorce proceedings has been jailed for 19 days for failing to provide details of his pension. Shannon Bateson, Associate Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. The husband, referred to as “H”, was found in contempt of court after repeatedly ignoring orders to submit Form E and the Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) of his pension. These documents are critical in determining the financial settlement.…
New pledge to crack down on late payments to small businesses
October 16th 2024The government has pledged to support small businesses and the self-employed by tackling what it calls “the scourge of late payments”. Rob Winder Senior Associate Chartered Legal Executive in our Dispute Resolution team provides an update. Delays to payment of invoices cost small businesses £22,000 a year on average and lead to 50,000 closures a year. The government is now consulting on tough new laws designed to hold larger firms to account. In…
Law firm strengthens specialist legal team with key appointments
October 15th 2024One of the North’s leading legal firms has expanded its specialist Wills, Probate and Inheritance team by taking on several new recruits. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors has made five appointments to the team which is regarded as one of the largest and strongest Private Client departments in the region. The new recruits take the number of members in the department to 41, comprising 14 solicitors, 12 paralegals and 15 support staff.…
Court rules on sale of £42m home and luxury yacht in divorce case
October 14th 2024A high net worth divorce case has resulted in a ruling for the sale of a £42 million family home and a €35.5 million luxury yacht. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our Family Law team reports on this case. The case centred on competing applications from the husband and wife, who have three children. The husband sought to terminate the wife’s home rights under the Family Law Act 1996, with…
Mother ordered to return child to home country under Hague Convention
October 9th 2024A mother who “gambled” that she would get away with absconding with her daughter to England has been told she must return the child to her own country under the Hague Convention. Sarah Tweedie, Associate Solicitor in our Family Law team reports. The case concerned a Romanian couple and their 9-year-old daughter. The mother brought the girl to England without the father’s agreement in 2023. She accepted that she was habitually resident…
