Vulnerable woman’s Will upheld despite daughter’s challenge
October 26th 2020The High Court has upheld a vulnerable woman’s Will and rejected a claim by her daughter that she had been subjected to undue influence. By Rebecca Armstrong Solicitor The case involved two sisters, Teresa Ann Coles and Heather Christine Reynolds. In 2002, their mother made a Will leaving her estate to be divided equally between them. However, the relationship between the two sisters deteriorated in 2009. In 2012, the mother…
Leading legal firm expands as new solicitor joins team
October 21st 2020A LEADING legal firm has welcomed a new solicitor to its growing team. Michelle Hayes, 33, has joined the wills, probate and inheritance department of Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors and will be based at the company’s Rosehill office in Carlisle. Originally from Bolton, Michelle is looking forward to the new challenge. She said: “Cartmell Shepherd is a well-established law firm which is embedded in the community and I’m excited about developing…
Leading legal firm launches nationwide wills dispute service
October 20th 2020A LEADING legal firm is maximising its expertise by branching out to offer a specialist wills dispute service nationwide. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, the only legal firm in Cumbria to be a member of the innovative UK200Group, has launched a wills dispute resolution website. Peter Stafford, Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ managing director, explained why the firm, which has traditionally concentrated on mainly serving communities across Cumbria and Northumberland, has made the move…
Solicitor joins hospice board
October 9th 2020A SOLICITOR at a leading legal firm has joined the board of a hospice to help her local community. Claire Wilson 37, has become a trustee of Hospice at Home West Cumbria which provides palliative and end of life care. Claire, who is an Associate Solicitor at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, said she was looking forward to helping support the charity’s work. Claire said: “Hospice at Home does amazing work, and…
Employment tribunal capacity to be increased due to Covid-19
October 7th 2020The government is introducing a series of changes to increase the flexibility and capacity of the employment tribunal system during the Covid-19 pandemic. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR provides an update. The new measures will also allow tribunals to deal with increasing caseloads, following the abolition of employment tribunal fees in July 2017. It means there will be more remote hearings so tribunals can hear more…
Surge in house sales as stamp duty holiday comes into effect
September 28th 2020There has been a large increase in house sales following the introduction of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday. By Sam Bulman, Conveyancer After a 14.5% rise in July, residential property transactions in August rose a further 15.6% as more people decided to buy a new home. The increase came after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a stamp duty holiday for residential properties worth up to £500,000, effective from 8th…
Fatal accidents on farms worse than other industries
September 28th 2020Thinking it over with Carol Fish Director & Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury … WE have farmers to thank for the work they do with their livestock, crops and also in many parts of Cumbria and Northumberland for helping make our world-renowned landscapes look so magnificent. But what the visitor, or even resident, sees is often only the picture postcard view of what real life on the farm is…
Employer must honour settlement agreement despite breach
September 24th 2020An employer must honour payments set out in a settlement agreement with an employee even though he breached a confidentiality clause. By Claire Davies Director That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving Duchy Farm Kennels Ltd and Graham William Steels. Mr Steels had brought claims against Duchy in the Employment Tribunal. A settlement agreement was negotiated in which Duchy agreed to pay Steels £15,000 by…
Tribunal modifies covenant to allow landowner to build house
September 21st 2020A landowner has succeeded in getting a restrictive covenant modified to enable him to build a second house on a small plot. By Jonathan Carroll Director and Head of Agriculture Mr Neil Sheppard owned a detached house on a 1980s housing estate. He bought the property in 2010, subject to restrictions on the title imposed by a conveyance in 1985, made between the developer and the original buyer. The restrictions…
How redundancy affects mental health to be discussed at webinar
September 14th 2020COLLABORATION continues to be key for Cumbrian businesses – and a popular webinar returns this week, looking at how redundancy impacts on mental health. As the furlough scheme winds down further and more businesses look to restructure and potentially make redundancies NXT.V’s latest webinar discusses the impact on mental health for both employers and employees. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ Head of Employment Law and HR Joanne Stronach is among this week’s…
