Launch of new digital registration of LPA’s should speed up process
July 24th 2020A 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”)…
New building sites to help housing market recover after Covid-19
July 20th 2020The 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…
Woman left out of her father’s will awarded £138,000
July 9th 2020By 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…
Team continue to go extra mile for their clients during Covid-19 lockdown
July 8th 2020At 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…
Homes England provides new guide to Help to Buy scheme
July 6th 2020Homes England has issued a new updated guide to the Help to Buy equity loan scheme, which has helped thousands of people get on to the property ladder. Linsey Hayes Residential Conveyancer provides an update. These are some of the main points covered. With Help to Buy, you can buy a new home on a new build development with assistance from Homes England in the form of an equity loan.…
Solicitor who helped clients through lockdown makes it a global award treble for leading law firm
July 5th 2020A SOLICITOR who helped give clients peace of mind during lockdown has won a top global award. Rebecca Adams 30, of leading legal firm Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors which has the largest team of wills estates and trust lawyers in Cumbria, achieved a prestigious STEP Worldwide Excellence Award. Rebecca received the stand-out award for achieving the highest mark globally in her Advanced Certificate in Will Preparation as part of her four-part…
Lockdown takes its toll on relationships as couples opt to split
July 1st 2020AS lockdown eases the true impact the three-month confinement has had on personal relationships and family life in the UK is starting to emerge. Amy Fallows Associate Solicitor specialising in family law with leading legal firm Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, has seen a surge in cases from cohabiting and married couples wanting to split. Amy, who is also a part-time Deputy District Judge in the county court and family court, says…
Solicitor champions more awareness of dementia in community
June 26th 2020A TYNEDALE solicitor is encouraging more people to understand the challenges those living with dementia face on a daily basis. Alice Whittome a private client solicitor with leading legal firm Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors which has one the largest teams of Wills, Estates and Trust Lawyers across Cumbria and Northumberland, is championing more awareness of dementia in the community. Alice, who works from Cartmell Shepherd’s Haltwhistle office, has completed a course…
No-Fault Divorce is nearly here!
June 18th 2020Amy Fallows Associate Solicitor in our Family law team provides update. The moment many separated couples have been waiting for is nearly here… the true ‘quickie divorce’. A law should be passed by Parliament in the next few days which will allow couples to divorce if they wish. Currently one spouse has to cite unreasonable behaviour or adultery if they want to divorce straight away. Many instead opt to wait…
Court corrects ‘unintended windfall’ error in man’s will
June 9th 2020By Zoe Calway Director The High Court has corrected a clerical error in a man’s will that would have given his nephews and nieces an unintended windfall. Patrick Joseph Kelly was born in Ireland but moved to England, where he remained until his death apart from visits to his family. He never married and had no children. In 2010, he made a will in Ireland appointing his brother Vincent as executor…
