High Court rules in favour of driving instructors in franchise dispute
October 21st 2025A group of driving instructors have won their High Court case against their franchise company after the judge found it had breached an implied duty of good faith in their agreements. Mark Aspin Director and Head of Dispute Resolution reports on this recent case. The court ruled that the instructors were entitled to treat their franchise contracts as terminated, after concluding that the franchisor’s conduct had undermined the trust and confidence central to…
Cartmell Shepherd recognised in prestigious legal rankings
October 17th 2025Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors has been recognised for the outstanding achievements of its agriculture and Wills, probate and inheritance departments. Published this week, the Chambers UK Legal Guide 2026, has ranked the firm’s agriculture team as one of the best the in the country for the sixth consecutive year. This recognition comes just a few weeks after the team also retained its Band 1 rating in the Legal 500 professional legal…
Joanne Stronach Appointed Managing Director of Cartmell Shepherd
October 13th 2025Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors is delighted to announce the appointment of Joanne Stronach as its new Managing Director. Joanne, who has been with the firm since 2018 as Director and Head of Employment and HR, succeeds Peter Stafford following his retirement at the end of September. As Managing Director, Joanne will lead the entire Cartmell Shepherd team, which comprises 130 staff across seven offices situated in Carlisle, Penrith, Cockermouth, Brampton, Haltwhistle…
Father jailed for breaching court orders in child abduction case
October 7th 2025A father has been sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court after repeatedly failing to comply with orders to return his 11-year-old daughter from Iran to England. Joanne Grey Senior Associate Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. Mrs Justice Lieven, sitting in the High Court’s Family Division, ruled that immediate custody was the only way to secure compliance after what she described as “deliberate and…
Should You Outsource or Hire? New Guide Helps Employers Decide
October 6th 2025With changes to employment law and increased payroll costs, many UK businesses are asking: Should we hire in-house or outsource? As a proud member of the UK200Group, we are delighted to share this new guide “Outsourcing for Employers” – which walks you through the costs and considerations of both approaches. We explore: Key changes to employment rights and sick pay The hidden costs of hiring (from recruitment to training) How outsourcing…
Director’s ‘sincere belief’ no defence to breach of duty, rules Court of Appeal
September 30th 2025The Court of Appeal has ruled that a company director cannot avoid liability for breaching duties by arguing that they acted sincerely in what they thought was the best interests of the business. Lewis Jackson, Trainee Solicitor working in our Business Services team, reports on this recent case: The case, Saxon Woods Investments Ltd v Costa, concerned a shareholders’ agreement which required the parties to “work together in good faith…
Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors announces promotions in Private Client department
September 23rd 2025Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors has announced a new round of promotions within its specialist Wills, Probate and Inheritance team. Reflecting the firm’s ongoing commitment to staff development, Megan Wilkinson has been promoted to Senior Associate Solicitor, while Claire Ackerlay is promoted to Associate Private Client Executive. Cartmell Shepherd’s Private Client department is regarded as one of the largest and strongest in the region offering services including Will drafting, powers of attorney,…
Judge orders equal split in £9m divorce, with £897k lump sum to wife
September 23rd 2025The Family Court has ordered an equal division of the couple’s matrimonial assets, leaving each with £3.44m, and requiring the husband to pay the wife a lump sum of £897,092. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our Family Law team reports on this case. The parties, anonymised as OS (wife) and DT (husband), married in 2014, have three children and separated in September 2023 after careers in London’s finance sector. Under…
Increase in registration fees for Lasting Power of Attorneys
September 18th 2025In August, the Ministry of Justice announced that the fee for registering a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) will increase later this year. Kathryn Ingram, Associate Solicitor and member of The Association of Lifetime Lawyers (ALL)* provides an update. From 17th November 2025, the fee will rise from £82 to £92 per application. Anyone submitting an LPA registration with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) after this date will be required…
Celebrating the Success of our Solicitor Apprentices
September 16th 2025Cartmell Shepherd is delighted to announce that two of its Graduate Solicitor Apprentices, Ashley Shepard and Joseph Halvorsen, have successfully passed the first part of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The SQE 1 is a demanding assessment taken over two days. Successfully completing this milestone means Ashley and Joseph can progress to SQE 2, the final hurdle before becoming fully qualified solicitors. Unlike the traditional Legal Practice Course (LPC) route…
