Manager was discriminated against while on maternity leave
February 22nd 2021A middle-aged father who was overlooked for a role in the NHS because he was “very different” to the person who had previously held the position has won his claim of age discrimination. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports. Mr N Clements applied for the role as a band 7 project manager at Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust in June 2018. The interviews were…
Travel agency ‘wrong to use data from rival’s former employees’
February 18th 2021The Court of Appeal has ruled that a travel agency was wrong to take client contact information disclosed by its competitor’s former employees and add it to its own computer database. Mark Aspin Director and Head of Dispute Resolution reports. The issue arose after the agency, Trailfinders, hired some employees from a rival agency, Travel Counsellors Ltd (TCL). Trailfinders expected new employees to bring their own customers and encouraged them…
Tenant not allowed to change defence over service charges
February 15th 2021A commercial tenant has been refused permission to re-amend its defence to a service charge claim four weeks before trial. Stephanie Johnson Associate Solicitor reports. The court ruled that although the new defences had reasonable prospects of success, they could have been pleaded earlier and there was no good reason for the delay. The issue arose because the tenant refused to pay certain elements of the service charge relating to the…
1 in 10 workers ‘told to re-apply for their jobs on worse terms’
February 11th 2021The Covid-19 pandemic has led to nearly 1 in 10 workers being told to re-apply for their jobs on worse terms and conditions or face the sack, according to research by the TUC. Joanne Stronach Director & Head of Employment & HR reports. Almost a quarter say their working terms, such as pay or hours, have been downgraded since the first lockdown in March. The TUC commissioned an online survey of…
Charity which helps people find work boosted by appointment
February 10th 2021A SOLICITOR at a leading legal firm has joined the board of a charity which helps young people and adults find employment. Sam Lyon Head of Corporate and Commercial at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, has become a trustee of Inspira, which supports people in Cumbria and Lancashire prepare for a career, return to work or look for a first job. Sam has spent most of his legal career advising both large…
Sudden surge in corporate insolvencies with more yet to come
February 9th 2021There has been a sudden surge in personal and corporate insolvencies, due mainly to the effects of the Covid pandemic. Sam Lyon Associate Solicitor and Head of Corporate & Commercial reports. Figures released by the Insolvency Service show there were 1,228 business failures in December 2020 compared with 891 in November. That’s a rise of 37.8%. It’s also 9.2% higher than in December 2019, when there were 1,125 insolvencies. There were…
Getting those steps in for Dementia
February 8th 2021Three members of Team Cartmells have signed up to take on the Step Up for Dementia challenge. The challenge to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society is to complete 850,000 steps in three months – that’s the same number of people currently living with dementia in the UK. The team members that are taking part in the challenge are: Zoe Calway Director specialising in wills, probate and inheritance work and is…
New rules to ensure large firms pay invoices within 30 days
February 5th 2021The government is strengthening the Prompt Payment Code to ensure large companies pay small businesses on time. Carly Davies Debt Recovery Manager reports. Companies that have signed up to the code will be obliged to pay invoices within 30 days – half the time outlined under the current agreement. Despite almost 3,000 companies signing the code, poor payment practices are still rife, with many payments delayed well beyond the current 60-day…
Child arrangements for separated parents in lockdown
February 2nd 2021There are so many pressures on parents just now. Home-school projects, internet speeds and on-line lessons all add to the stress of working parents. For many of us, ‘survival’ is the main aim of the game. By Amy Fallows Head of our Family law team. If you add tension between separated parents to the mix, it is easy to see why child arrangements might break down in lockdown. The government has…
Encouraging to see sport and society taking brain injuries seriously
February 1st 2021Thinking it over with Carol Fish Director & Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury… DURING lockdown many of us will have been relieved that elite sport has not ground to a halt – and has kept us entertained on our televisions. Even with no crowds able to attend it has given many people interest and joy and at least some sense of normality. Whether it’s top flight football, Test cricket, horseracing, or…
