Staff

A TRIO of expert lawyers from a leading law firm which operates across Cumbria and Northumberland have been highlighted for praise in UK professional rankings. Three members of Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ Agriculture and Estates team have received the accolade from the Legal 500 which analyses the capabilities of law firms across the world. Cartmell Shepherd’s director and head of agriculture Jonathan Carroll and director Mark Jackson have both been highlighted…

The government is extending the temporary measures it introduced to protect businesses from insolvency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mark Aspin Director & Head of Dispute Resolution provides an update. The measures are contained in the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act and were due to expire on 30th September 2020. They will now continue until the end of the year and in some cases, into next year. They include: companies and…

Team Cartmells are always up for a challenge so, when Hospice at Home launched their ’50 Faces’ fundraiser, our West Cumbria girls signed up and donned their thinking hats. After a lot of thought, suggestions and zoom meetings, it was decided that they would complete 50 Wainwrights between 1st July 2020 and 1st January 2021. Whether this be hiking, running or, over the winter months, something a little more adventurous,…

We are experiencing probably the toughest year most of us have known in our business lives. Thankfully, there has been support available to help us through the crisis.  On 24th September Rishi announced further measures of support including: a new job support scheme; an extension to the self-employment income support scheme; an extension to the repayment period for bounce back loans; the extension of the 5% VAT rate for the…

There has been a large increase in house sales following the introduction of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday. By Sam Bulman, Conveyancer After a 14.5% rise in July, residential property transactions in August rose a further 15.6% as more people decided to buy a new home. The increase came after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a stamp duty holiday for residential properties worth up to £500,000, effective from 8th…

Thinking it over with Carol Fish Director & Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury … WE have farmers to thank for the work they do with their livestock, crops and also in many parts of Cumbria and Northumberland for helping make our world-renowned landscapes look so magnificent. But what the visitor, or even resident, sees is often only the picture postcard view of what real life on the farm is…

An employer must honour payments set out in a settlement agreement with an employee even though he breached a confidentiality clause. By Claire Davies Director That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving Duchy Farm Kennels Ltd and Graham William Steels. Mr Steels had brought claims against Duchy in the Employment Tribunal. A settlement agreement was negotiated in which Duchy agreed to pay Steels £15,000 by…

COLLEAGUES from Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors have marked World Alzheimer’s Month by donating almost £900 to support people living with dementia. Colleagues from across the law firm’s Cumbria and Northumberland offices clocked up a total of 420 miles to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society. The five-strong team took part in the charity’s Run for Dementia, campaign which challenged participants to complete either 50 or 100 miles in 30 days. The…

A landowner has succeeded in getting a restrictive covenant modified to enable him to build a second house on a small plot. By Jonathan Carroll Director and Head of Agriculture Mr Neil Sheppard owned a detached house on a 1980s housing estate. He bought the property in 2010, subject to restrictions on the title imposed by a conveyance in 1985, made between the developer and the original buyer. The restrictions…

Sam Lyon, Head of Corporate and Commercial, notes that insolvency experts are expecting a large rise in the number of companies going out of business towards the end of the year. He would urge anyone who is concerned about the future of their own business, a customer or supplier to seek advice as early as possible. Doing so will give them more options about their next step and allow them…