News & Insights
Read our latest articles, news briefs and legal updates across all our different services.
New Year, New Will?
If you have a will it is worth reviewing it on a regular basis, just reading it once a year and talking it over with your legal advisor can ensure that you keep it up to date and have in place a will that accurately reflects your wishes. It is not uncommon to see cases
Divorcing couples must try mediation before court
The government says mediation is a cheaper, less stressful process than going through the courts, and also provides more long-term solutions that are acceptable to both parties. According to official statistics, separations involving court action take about four times longer than when mediation is used. Mediation involves couples holding discussions overseen by a trained mediator
Banker who complained about pay wins unfair dismissal claim
Benjamin Price said that he had “signed his own death warrant” because he was “not prepared to put up and shut up”. The case centred on an unwritten agreement that Mr Price had with his employers. He had been employed by Morgan Stanley for 14 years, and was on a salary of £533,000. He was
Disinherited sons fail to overturn their father’s will
The court heard that the man had originally made a will which benefited both his daughter and his sons. However, following a family dispute involving the sons and the daughter, the situation changed. The father wrote to both his sons telling them he was upset by the situation and asked them to engage in mediation
Social tenants to receive more help to buy their homes
The government wants to make it easier for tenants to purchase their homes by improving the Right to Buy scheme. Currently, council tenants who want to buy their homes can qualify for a discount of up to 60%, depending on how long they have lived in the property. This is to rise to 70%. The
Surge in number of children abducted by their parents
The number of children abducted from the UK by their parents has doubled in the last 10 years, according to official figures from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In 2003-04, the FCO dealt with 272 parental child abduction and international custody cases. This figure had risen to 580 in 2012-13. That is the second
Gender pay gap increases for the first time in five years
The pay gap between men and women has widened for the first time since 2008. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that women earn £5,000 less on average. The difference is calculated on median hourly earnings for full time workers. The median wage gap increased from 9.5% to 10% in the last
Liquidators reclaim money director wrongly paid to himself
The director of an insolvent company has been ordered to return money he paid to himself at a time when he knew the business was struggling and likely to fail. The case involved the director of a company specialising in waste management projects. The business got into financial difficulties and started to build up debts
UK businesses forget to invoice clients for work worth £3.7billion
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the UK are failing to invoice their clients for up to £3.7billion a year, according to recent research. Even though businesses are battling through a difficult economic climate, 20% admit they have forgotten to invoice for work on at least one occasion. Of the 450 SMEs surveyed, 6% admitted