WhatsApp exchange created binding contract, High Court rules
August 27th 2025A High Court judge has ruled that a brief exchange of WhatsApp messages was enough to create a legally binding construction contract worth nearly £250,000 – even though one party never signed any formal agreement. Rob Winder Senior Associate Chartered Legal Executive and Head of Property Litigation in our Dispute Resolution team provides an update. In Jaevee Homes Ltd v Fincham, Deputy High Court Judge Roger ter Haar KC found that all the…
Husband ‘tried to isolate wife from legal advice’ in £230m divorce
August 12th 2025A High Court judge has found that a wealthy husband deliberately tried to prevent his wife from accessing legal support during their divorce negotiations, contributing to what the court described as an unfair and coercive process. Liz Wilson, Senior Associate Solicitor in our Family team, reports on this recent case. In one of the largest divorce awards ever made by the English courts, Mr Justice Cobb ordered the husband to…
Managing director of Cumbrian law firm steps down after 10 years
August 6th 2025The managing director of one of Cumbria’s leading law firms has announced he is stepping down from his role next month. Peter Stafford will retire from Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors at the end of September after more than a decade leading the company. He will be replaced by Joanne Stronach, who is a director of Cartmell Shepherd and the firm’s Head of Employment and HR. Peter, who has been at Cartmell…
Prison officer who resigned over racism wins tribunal claim
July 29th 2025A prison officer who was racially abused and ostracised by colleagues at a high-security Kent prison has won his case for race discrimination, harassment and constructive unfair dismissal. Jennifer Cafferky, Associate Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. Uzo Mbonu, who was born in Nigeria and worked at HMP Swaleside from 2018 until his resignation in 2023, brought claims before the Employment Tribunal, alleging he was targeted, isolated,…
Cartmell Shepherd restructures Dispute Resolution team to highlight specialisms
July 29th 2025Leading law firm Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors has announced three senior promotions this week, as part of a move to highlight specialisms within its Dispute Resolution team. Director and Head of Dispute Resolution Mark Aspin said: “Dispute Resolution encompasses a broad spectrum of legal work. While our team deals with the majority of ‘Civil Disputes’, we also employ recognised specialists in the areas of Will & Inheritance Disputes, Property Disputes, and Court of Protection,…
Landlords urged to turn to High Court to combat eviction delays
July 28th 2025Landlords facing long delays in evicting tenants are being urged to consider High Court enforcement as a quicker alternative to the overstretched County Court system. Laura Murphy, Paralegal in our Dispute Resolution team provides an update. The High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA) says landlords in parts of England and Wales are waiting more than a year in some cases to recover possession of their properties, even after being granted…
Judge favours divorcing couple’s written agreement in ongoing dispute
July 23rd 2025A Family Court judge has settled a dispute between a divorcing couple who had reached a voluntary financial settlement but then continued to argue over specific details. He said the court should generally favour the contents of the written agreement reached between the parties. Joanne Grey Senior Associate Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. Sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice, His Honour Judge Hess was asked to…
Lidl worker wins age discrimination case over redundancy scoring
July 18th 2025An employment tribunal has ruled that Lidl unfairly dismissed a senior construction consultant and discriminated against him because of his age after marking him down in a redundancy process for not having a degree. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment reports on this recent case. Mr Wayne Norman, who was over 60 at the time of his dismissal in 2023, was one of three senior construction consultants competing for a…
Directors ordered to pay £1m for defending hopeless insolvency petition
July 16th 2025Two company directors have been ordered to personally pay the costs of a creditors’ petition to wind up their firm, after the High Court found they pursued a speculative and self-interested defence they did not believe in. Carly Davies, our Debt Control Manager, reports on this recent case. Mrs Justice Joanna Smith ruled that Paul Hilton and Matthew Welsh, directors of MPB Developments Ltd, were the “real parties” behind the company’s failed…
More than half of first-time home buyers get help from Mum and Dad
July 7th 2025More than half of all first-time home buyers in the UK now get help from the Bank of Mum and Dad, according to research by the estate agents, Savills. Mandy Shum Conveyancer in our property team provides an update. Approximately 173,500 first-time buyers received assistance last year, receiving on average £55,572. This equates to just over half (52%) of all first-time buyers, which, although lower than the proportion that received assistance…
