Staff

The UK government has decided to retain original paper Wills indefinitely, following a public consultation. Previously, there was a proposal to scan and destroy older Wills after 10-12 years to cut costs. However, this faced strong opposition due to concerns about scanning errors, durability, security, and authenticity. Leading historians described the plan as ‘sheer vandalism’. Thanisha Sharma, Paralegal, provides an update. The Ministry of Justice has now decided against any…

A woman has won the right to keep her family home despite attempts by her husband’s creditors to claim a share of the property following his bankruptcy. Natalie Henderson Solicitor in our dispute team reports on this recent case. The dispute centred on whether the husband, who left the family home after admitting to an affair, had retained any ownership over the property they had bought together during their marriage. The couple purchased…

Judges are now more likely to direct businesses involved in legal disputes to seek resolution through mediation or arbitration rather than proceeding to court. Mark Aspin Director and Head of Dispute Resolution provides an update. New updates to the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) in England and Wales, effective from 1 October, emphasise alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as a key part of civil litigation. The changes follow the Court of Appeal’s decision in…

A building firm has won its legal argument that it was entitled to terminate a construction contract without issuing a warning for repeated late payments by the employer. Henry Box, Solicitor in our Dispute Resolution team, reports on this recent case. Hexagon, a housing provider, engaged Providence Building Services Ltd for a £7.2 million accommodation project in Purley, London, under the widely used JCT Design & Build Contract 2016. The…

A solicitor has been promoted less than 12 months after returning to the law firm where she trained. Hexham-based Nicholson Portnell Solicitors has appointed Laura Murphy to the role of Senior Associate Solicitor. Laura initially joined Nicholson Portnell in 2008 as a trainee and worked there for eight years, qualifying as a solicitor in 2010. She returned last December after time away working for a Newcastle city centre law firm…

A mother’s application to re-establish contact with her four children has been rejected by the court after the children expressed strong opposition to seeing her. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our Family Law team reports on this case. Her Honour Judge Suh concluded that forcing the children into direct contact would harm their emotional well-being, stating that “their welfare is my number one concern”. The children, aged between 9 and…

A FREE event offering practical advice to commercial property landlords is taking place in Carlisle in January. Landlord Rights: What You Need to Know About Your Commercial Property will feature an expert panel from Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors and Dodd & Co offering advice on everything from drafting contracts to dealing with defaulting tenants. The breakfast event takes place on Thursday, January 16 at The Auctioneer on Rosehill Industrial Estate from…

A recently promoted solicitor is going the extra mile for her clients by further widening the level of care provided by the law firm she works for. Coinciding with her promotion to the position of Associate Solicitor at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, Sarah Griffiths has gained a Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills from the Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body. She has already embarked on the Level 3 qualification as…

Businesses from across the Chamber network gathered today at Carlisle Rugby Club for an event celebrating International Men’s Day. The event, themed ‘Supporting Men at Work’, focused on key issues such as mental health, wellbeing, addiction, and overcoming adversity. The day began with an inspiring presentation from Gary Martin and JP Ward, facilitators at Andy’s Man Club’s Carlisle group. They shared the origins of Andy’s Man Club, which organises weekly…

It’s been an eventful few weeks for those in farming, either as owners or as landlords. You won’t have missed the storm of protest over the Budget. Who knows if the farmer protests will have any effect, but if not then those with farms and businesses will need to plan ahead. There are some obvious things that people should do, especially those who are married or young enough to expect at least…