House of Commons employee victimised over hot desking policy
May 9th 2022A House of Commons employee who had a musculoskeletal condition was discriminated against as a result of her office’s hot desking policy. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team reports on this recent case. Ms A Baker had worked at the House of Commons since 1991. She needed to use specialist desk equipment such as an orthopaedic chair, specialist keyboard and mouse, number pad and reading/writing slope. However, due to the…
Franchisor granted injunction to prevent use of confidential data
May 5th 2022A letting boards management franchisor has been granted an injunction to prevent a former franchisee from using confidential data. Mark Aspin Head of Dispute Resolution reports on this recent case. However, it was unable to prevent the former franchisee from setting up a competing business in the area. The case involved Countrywide Signs Ltd, whose business was the erection, maintenance and management of sales and lettings boards used by estate agents. This involved…
Ban on ground rent will cut costs for future leaseholders
May 3rd 2022A government ban on charging ground rent on new leases is set to cut costs for future homeowners by hundreds of pounds a year. Elizabeth Crouch Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential Property provides an update. The ban comes into force in England and Wales on 30 June 2022. Leasehold is a form of home ownership that gives a leaseholder the exclusive right to live in a property for a…
‘Unwanted’ son claims share of late father’s estate from niece
April 21st 2022The son of a car and property magnate has successfully sued his niece to gain a share of his late father’s estate and avoid becoming homeless. Stephanie Johnson Senior Associate Solicitor reports on this recent case. Colin Johnston was the son of Sidney Johnston, who died in 2017 leaving a £2.4 million estate to Colin’s niece, Lady Natalie Wackett. The father and son had fallen out in 1992 after a breakdown…
Irish worker was racially harassed when boss mocked his accent
April 19th 2022The Employment Tribunal has ruled that an Irishman was racially harassed and victimised when his bossed danced “like a leprechaun” in front of him and mocked his accent. Joanne Stronach Head of Employment and HR reports on this recent case. The case involved Jonathan Kelly, who worked in the warehouse at the Oriental superstore Hoo Hing in Romford. When a warehouse colleague was nearly hit by some heavy items that fell…
Law to resolve Covid commercial rent debts comes into effect
April 13th 2022A new law to resolve commercial rent debts accrued because of the pandemic has now come into effect. Carly Davies, our Debt Control Manager, provides an update. The Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022 provides a legally binding arbitration process for eligible commercial landlords and tenants who have not already reached an agreement. It’s designed to resolve disputes about certain pandemic-related rent debt and help the market return to normal as quickly as…
Homeowner overturns restrictive covenant so he can build extension
April 7th 2022A homeowner has been granted permission to add a two-storey extension to his property despite objections from his neighbour. Natalie Tatton, Solicitor in our dispute team reports on this recent case. The case involved neighbours on an estate of houses around a private road constructed in the 1980s. The properties were subject to a building scheme imposing restrictive covenants. One homeowner gained planning permission to construct a two-storey extension. His neighbour objected on…
Liquidator fails to prove that businessman was a shadow director
April 4th 2022A liquidator has failed to prove that a businessman had acted as a shadow director of a company and was therefore liable for paying compensation for breaches of duty. Sam Lyon Head of Corporate & Commercial reports on this recent case. The case involved three related companies in liquidation. The liquidator brought claims against a director of one of the companies for alleged breaches of his duties, and for declarations that certain payments…
Almost half of wills in the North of England are out of date …
March 28th 2022Deborah Flynn, Solicitor and Associate member of SFE calls for residents to review their wills ahead of “Update Your Will Week”. Research commissioned by SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) has revealed that almost half (45%) of people living in the North of England who have a will haven’t updated it for more than five years, meaning nearly half of wills made in the area are likely to be out-of-date. Of…
Woman can have biological father named on birth certificate
March 24th 2022A woman has been granted the right to amend her birth certificate so that her biological father’s name appears instead of her mother’s husband at the time. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our family law team reports on this recent case. The woman applied for a declaration of parentage under the Family Law Act 1986. She was born in England in 1960. Her mother was from an Orthodox Jewish…
