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…
Consultation on Child Maintenance extended to include more views
September 30th 2024The consultation on child maintenance payments has been extended to ensure there is enough time to get a full range of views, including feedback from all relevant organisations. Shannon Bateson, Associate Solicitor in our family law team provides an update. The consultation was launched on 8 May 2024 by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to discuss ways to increase the number of children being kept out of poverty. The proposals, put forward…
Family Court upholds divorcing couple’s pre-nup agreement
September 26th 2024A recent family court ruling has upheld a divorcing couple’s pre-nuptial agreement (PNA), which specified that only jointly accrued wealth during the marriage should be considered as matrimonial assets. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our Family Law team reports on this case that highlights the importance of clear pre-nuptial agreements in divorce proceedings. The central issue revolved around the interpretation and enforcement of the agreement which they signed before their…
Bank’s interest rate cut ‘could boost confidence in housing market’
September 18th 2024The Bank of England’s decision to cut the base interest rate by 0.25% could help to boost confidence in the housing market but may not be enough to herald a significant cut in mortgage rates, according to one the UK’s largest estate agents, Zoopla. Elizabeth Crouch Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential Property reports. Announcing the cut, the governor of the bank, Andrew Bailey, said: “Inflation has fallen a lot…
Raising Awareness for Alzheimer’s Month: Why a Lasting Power of Attorney Matters
September 12th 2024As we observe Alzheimer’s Month this September in the UK, it’s a critical time to raise awareness not only about dementia but also about the importance of planning for the future. One essential step in this planning is setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). Kathryn Barnett, Associate Solicitor and member of The Association of Lifetime Lawyers (ALL)* explains. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, gradually impairs…
Bed bound employee not allowed to work from home awarded £31k
September 3rd 2024A property agent who was not allowed to work from home after becoming bed bound has been awarded £31,000 compensation. Jennifer Cafferky Associate Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. Pauline Pilawa started working for the estate agency, Properties on the Market in July 2019. At the time, she was suffering with endometriosis following surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. Her condition meant she had difficulties with…
England’s dementia diagnosis are among the highest in the world
August 27th 2024England has one of the highest dementia diagnosis rates in the world, according to figures released by the NHS. Laura Murphy, Associate Solicitor in our Wills, Probate & Inheritance team reports. The number of people being diagnosed with dementia reached a record 487,432 in June. The diagnosis rate of 65% is the highest since the start of the pandemic but still below the NHS target of diagnosing 66.7% of the…
