News

By Claire Wilson Associate Solicitor The High Court has allowed a family to correct an error in a trust fund that would have had costly tax implications. The case arose out of financial arrangements outlined in the will of a man who died in 2015. He bequeathed £4.2m to be held on trust for the benefit of his widow and his children, with a class of discretionary beneficiaries comprising of…

By Laura Wilson Following the death of an individual, in some circumstances it is necessary for the Personal Representatives (the people responsible for dealing with the Estate) to apply to the Court for a document known as a Grant of Probate (GoP) to allow them to obtain the deceased’s assets. Currently, the Court fee for obtaining the GoP is set at £155 if applying through a Solicitor or £215 for…

Lambing season is a joyous, if tiring, time for many sheep farmers. It is the product of a long hard year of work. However with the NFU Mutual reporting that the increasing numbers of livestock attacks is costing the agriculture sector an estimated £1.2 million, it is important that farmers know the rights that they have to receive compensation. With 60% of dog walkers admitting to letting their dog roam off…

Laura Ousby Solicitor Every parent wants the best for their child…but sometimes in the emotional turmoil of a divorce, that natural protective instinct can become a little blurred. It means that in some cases, children are caught in the cross fire between warring couples.  They can feel as though they are being overlooked and that their views are not being taken into account. A survey by the family law group…

Joanne Stronach Head of Employment & HR reports. An Employment Tribunal has decided that a company did not act unfairly when it dismissed an employee for gross misconduct after he made offensive comments about the managing director on Facebook. However, the employee’s behaviour had not been so bad that it warranted dismissal without any notice pay so he was entitled to compensation. This was the decision of the Employment Tribunal…

BUSINESS banking customers who have an account with the Natwest or RBS could be in line for a payout of up to £50k if they switch to another bank, a leading solicitor has said. A new fund has been established after the two banks were instructed to reduce the number of business clients on their books in the aftermath of the 2008 banking crisis. It is open to companies which…

By Carol Fish Director and Head of Serious Injury Department When a child is injured at school can the school be held liable and as a result compensation claimed? In the recent case of Pook v Rossall School 2018 EWHC 522 (QB) this very point was raised. This case involved a pupil who having been encouraged to run to her sports lesson, slipped on some mud and fell injuring her elbow.…

By Laura Ousby Solicitor One of the most common questions I am asked when I meet parents who are going through separation or divorce and are looking to make arrangements for contact with their child is “what is normal?” My usual response is that there is no “normal”.  Every family is unique and to suggest something is “normal” can lead parents to make arrangements that are unsuitable and do not…

One year ago the young professionals networking group, Carlisle Futures, was launched by Laura Ousby and Laura Bright of Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors and Tom Fuller and Will Bell of Handelsbanken with the hope of replicating the success of Penrith Futures. TONIGHT sees the group celebrate its 1st birthday with a “Birthday Party” at Carlisle Airport, kindly sponsored by Cartmell Shepherd and Handelsbanken. Peter Stafford Managing Director of Cartmell Shepherd said “It…

Two builders have been ordered to pay compensation to a married couple despite claiming they were not responsible as individuals for problems with work they carried out. The couple had entered into a contract with builders advertising as HavenBuild, which was a trading name and not a limited company. The contract was for work on a property that was to be the couple’s home. The contract contained a clause stating…