Personal Law

New proposals have been put forward by industry insiders to improve the process of the buying and selling of homes. Elizabeth Crouch Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential provides an update. The Home Buying and Selling Group (HBSG) – made up 120 organisations advising the government – has drafted a memorandum for the “smooth operation of the residential property market in the UK”. The proposals, in what would be a…

By Taylor Chanter Solicitor in our Family Law team. The Court of Appeal has ruled that a judge was wrong to prevent two grandparents adopting their 3-year-old grandson. The court heard that the child’s mother suffered from mental health problems. She had a long history of drug abuse and had criminal convictions for violent offences. She had had no contact with the child since his birth. Care proceedings had been…

Thinking it over with Carol Fish Director & Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury … WE have seen from the Covid-19 pandemic how the world can turn upside down so suddenly. At the start of 2020 none of us could have envisaged how life would have unfolded. Yet, here we are heading into August – the final month of summer – still facing uncertain times and concern about what autumn…

FARMERS have so much to deal with that tackling paperwork is never likely to be top of their agenda. But the coronavirus outbreak has been a wake-up call that there’s some tasks they simply can’t afford to bury at the bottom of their “to do” pile. Many farmers have been prompted to take action and ask for expert legal advice to ensure they are protecting their interests and their families.…

The Government says that wills witnessed over video links during the Covid-19 pandemic will be considered legal and valid. The move is designed to make it easier for people to record their final wishes while keeping safe and practising social distancing. Currently, the law states that a will must be made ‘in the presence of’ at least two witnesses. However, while isolating or shielding some people have understandably turned to…

The number of people working from home could double once the Covid-19 crisis is over, according to new research. By Carol Fish Director & Head of Personal Injury A survey carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says employers expected a dramatic increase as employees get used to the advantages of home working and not having to commute. CIPD surveyed 1,046 UK employers and found that…

A new digital service from the Office of the Public Guardian aims to help attorneys acting on behalf of donors of LPAs Andrew Campbell from our Wills, Probate & Inheritance team explains how: The Office of the Public Guardian (“OPG”) have launched a new digital service to help attorneys prove that a lasting power of attorney exists to healthcare providers, banks and other relevant organisations.A lasting power of attorney (“LPA”)…

The government’s housing agency, Homes England, has acquired 19 sites across the country that will be used to build 5,000 new homes. Matthew Bibby Solicitor in our property team provides an update. The land is worth a total of £180 million.  It’s hoped the new homes will help boost the housing market following the Covid-19 crisis. Many of the sites were acquired in the lead-up to the financial year-end as…

By Jane Shaw Associate Solicitor in our Wills, Probate and Inheritance team. A woman who was left nothing in her father’s will has been awarded more than £138,000 from his estate as a reasonable provision for her needs. The woman, referred to in court only as the claimant, suffered from a debilitating mental illness. Her father had died in 2016. His estate was valued at £554,000.  The claimant’s mother was…

At Cartmell Shepherd we value and encourage client feedback and we regularly review the feedback we receive.  As part of our commitment to improving the services we provide we send our clients a feedback questionnaire at the end of every matter or case. The most recent feedback shows that our teams, even through these tough and unprecedented times of the pandemic, have continued to go that extra mile for their…