Personal Law

Nicholas Devlin Solicitor in our Wills, Probate & Inheritance team provides an update. NHS and emergency service workers who die in the line of duty fighting Covid-19 will be exempt from Inheritance Tax liability on their estates. The exemption, which was originally introduced for members of the armed forces, was extended in 2015 to include the police, fire service and health care workers who are killed while carrying out their…

Amy Fallows Associate Solicitor in our Family Law Department provides some helpful advice. The coronavirus has significantly affected the court system but it hasn’t closed it completely. Court staff have been working round the clock to maintain access to justice. This means that it is still possible to make a court application in the family court and many court hearings are still going ahead. The use of technology Court applications…

A DEPUTY District Judge who specialises in family law has landed a top job with a leading legal firm. Amy Fallows has joined Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors as an associate solicitor specialising in family law. Amy, 44, a part-time Deputy District Juge in the county court and family court in Manchester, Liverpool and across the North-West, is well known for her family law expertise. She advises on all aspects of family…

Amy Fallows Associate Solicitor in our family law team provides some advice to those who find themselves in this situation. Recent statistics show that reports of domestic violence and killings have doubled since the COVID-19 lockdown, this is the highest it has been in the last 11 years and is of great concern. Even for healthy relationships, the lockdown poses a challenge. For those relationships that are already toxic, or…

COVID19 has seen an upsurge in people making wills, wanting to make sure their wishes are down on paper for their family and friends. With people wanting to put their affairs in order quickly, expert solicitors have adapted the way they work, so they can comply with COVID-19 social distancing regulations and yet still provide a full professional and personal service which gives customers peace of mind. Zoe Calway Director…

Today saw the launch of the UK HMRC Furlough scheme. Lake District Radio had a Q&A session live on the radio with Joanne Stronach who joined by telephone. The show was broadcast on Lake District Radio on the 20th April 2020 and is available below.

Taylor Chanter Solicitor in our Family team sets out some points to consider when moving in together. Covid-19 has presented a lot of those partners in a non-cohabiting relationship with a big decision to make in respect of whether or not they should move in together.  With the current lockdown measures that are in place and the corresponding rules around social distancing, a lot of couples faced the prospect of…

Jonathan Carroll, Director and Head of Property & Agriculture helpfully explains the potential effects of #COVID19 on property transactions. For those buying or selling property, or who are already committed to a move, the COVID19 pandemic has brought some challenges.  Fortunately, with good legal advice and a bit of common sense from the parties most of those challenges can be managed. “It’s important to stress that you need to follow…

The government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak moves rapidly with new measures to ease the financial burden on businesses and workers appearing almost daily. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR gives a round-up of some of the main developments so far: Furlough Leave – Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Chancellor Rishi Sunak wants to use furlough leave as the basis of a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to enable…

The coronavirus outbreak has led to a 30% increase in the number of elderly people wishing to write new wills or grant power of attorney. Ian Bond, chair of the Law Society’s wills and equity committee, told The Daily Telegraph that law firms throughout the country had had seen a “huge spike” in the number of queries over the last two months. Most of the requests were from elderly or…