News

Thinking it over with Carol Fish Director & Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury… Children being subjected to sexual abuse is too horrific for many of us to contemplate. Yet, as has been highlighted in the media recently, it can be taking place in schools, religious, sporting or other institutions, as well as within families. Understandably the trauma means it can take many survivors a number of years to come forward. Yet,…

Many clients don’t realise that there are significant restrictions on what information they should be accessing in relation to their spouse’s finances. Indeed, some anticipate that you will want them to have done some ‘digging’. In fact, the opposite is true. A recent case highlights the difficulties which develop if one party takes the search for financial information into their own hands. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of…

A solicitor at a leading legal firm is embarking on the latest in a series of challenges to raise vital funds for a local charity. Zoe Calway, who is a director at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, has been a committed supporter for Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland since 2015, raising funds through sponsored runs, walks and cycles. After various charity challenges including cycling Coast-to-Coast and taking part in duathlons,…

The Treasury has agreed to make changes to the administration of Inheritance Tax following complaints from the public that it is too complex, old fashioned and needs to be simplified. Sarah Heal Private Client Executive provides an update. The announcement comes after more than 3,500 people responded to a public consultation carried out by the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) on behalf of the government. Many of those who responded…

The Government has extended its temporary insolvency measures to support businesses struggling during the pandemic. Sam Lyon Associate Solicitor and Head of Corporate & Commercial provides an update. The measures were introduced in the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act in March 2020, including protecting businesses from aggressive creditor enforcement and removing personal liability on company directors. They are being extended till the end of June 2021. The extension means that: Statutory…

The government has extended the ban on evicting commercial tenants until 30th June 2021. Natalie Tatton Solicitor in our Dispute Resolution team provides an update. The move is designed to help those worst affected by the pandemic, such as bars and restaurants, get back to business when doors fully reopen for hospitality no earlier than 17th May. Residential tenants will also be supported as the ban on bailiff-enforced evictions in…

A white worker at a firm producing Asian food was racially discriminated against after his supervisor told him to “go and work for an English company”. Claire Davies Director and Employment & HR Solicitor reports. The case involved Colin Sorby who worked at Mumtaz Foods on a zero-hour contract with Bradford Management Services. In October 2019, his supervisor Azeem Akhtar told him that Mumtaz Foods was an Asian company and…

A LEADING legal firm has recruited two new staff members to its growing team. Holly Berwick and Sarah Heal have joined Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors as part of its continued expansion. Holly is a solicitor with the Agriculture team, based at the firm’s office in Cockermouth. Sarah is a private client executive with its Wills, Probate and Inheritance team based at the Rosehill office in Carlisle. Holly Berwick, has returned to…

On 3rd March Rishi Sunak introduced a number of new measures of support for SMEs as part of his budget.  He also extended some of the existing schemes as well as announcing some new initiatives designed to support the survival, growth and development of businesses. From the extension of furlough to a continuance of business rate relief for retail, hospitality and leisure, right through to grants, a new VAT deferral…

The Family Court has ordered that two children who were wrongfully removed from Italy by their mother must be returned to their father in Rome. This is a timely reminder that children cannot be removed from a country where they are habitually resident without the consent of both parents. Many children may have become resident in England as a result of lockdown. It is important to remember that they now…