Read our latest articles, news briefs and legal updates across all our different services.
Despite an ever growing proportion of the population choosing to cohabit rather than get married, nearly half (46%) of adults in England and Wales mistakenly think that couples acquire ‘common law’ rights after living together for a certain amount of time or having children together. These misconceptions can lead to one party being particularly vulnerable in the
Parliament has just passed The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 which will impose a peppercorn ground rent in new leases of flats. There will be a few exceptions such as shared ownership properties and in Islamic financing – they will continue to include rent. Ground rents will also be allowed to remain in flats
Which? has recently undertaken a survey whereby 58% of people said that pensions were not discussed or shared as part of their financial settlement. Pensions often make up a large proportion of the matrimonial assets and sharing of pensions should always be considered upon the breakdown of a marriage, particularly when there is a disparity
Having recently commenced the final seat of my training contract, I have had a good opportunity to reflect on the last 18 months. In particular I have reflected on my first week as a trainee solicitor and how I would navigate my first week as a trainee if I were to start again. I remember
The first step in many training contract application processes (including ours!) is to provide a CV and cover letter. While this could be the first stage of many, it is a crucial step to set the tone of your application throughout the process. It is no secret that training contracts are hugely competitive, with some
Generally, a marriage is considered to be ‘short’ if it was less than five years in duration. The Court will however take into consideration the period of cohabitation prior to the marriage if there was a seamless transition between the two. Parties are more likely to be successful with ring-fencing non-matrimonial assets where there was
The return from the Christmas break as a trainee not only means a return to work, but a fresh start in a new seat (i.e. department). For me, this means a move from our Private Family department into my second seat in Private Client. It also means I am back in our Luton office having
My team are currently hybrid working, because of the pandemic which means that some days we are in the office and some days we work from home. We make sure that we speak regularly over the phone and on zoom when working from home. When I do go into office, I usually arrive slightly early
Introduction Ikea, Ocado, Next and Morrisons along with several other large employers have recently announced that unvaccinated UK employees, without a valid medical exemption, who take time off work to self-isolate will not be paid their normal ‘day rate’. Instead, they will be paid the legal minimum Statutory Sick Pay rate of just £96.35 a
The government scheme to help key workers and local first-time buyers on to the housing ladder has now got under way. A nurse and a police officer from Derbyshire are among the first people to benefit. The First Homes scheme offers homes at a discount of at least 30% of the market price to local