Articles
These days, Wills and Estate Planning is about much more than simply ‘who do I wish to inherit once I’m no longer around’. There is a lot to think about, and it can often involve some tough decisions. At Lawson-West, we understand this, and have tailored our Wills and our procedures to what we feel is important to our clients.
So what does having a Will with Lawson-West mean?
MEES (short for Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) originate from the Energy Act 2011. They help the Government in meeting carbon reduction targets. The better the insulation and heating systems, the less amount of heating and energy will be required and therefore, reducing the carbon footprint.
If you own a business or shares in a business, then you might wish to consider planning now and writing your Will in a tax efficient manner to help minimise Inheritance Tax.
There are several ways you can beat Inheritance Tax by giving away assets, setting up a trust or changing your Will. Make sure you pay close attention to the legal details and tax consequences and if you are unsure of anything, one of Lawson West's Wills and Probate solicitors can help you out.
Britain has been thrown into complete chaos as the 'Beast from the East' together with Storm Emma continues to cause havoc across much of the country. With many people unable to get to work, what impact does the adverse weather have on an employee's rights?
At Lawson-West our Employment team are extremely knowledgeable about employee's rights, so if you need advice about the disruptions the weather has caused you, contact us today and find out how we can help.
The annual update to employment tribunal limits has been released and from 6 April 2018 will increase.
Our employment team at Lawson-West have dealt with many employment tribunals in the past and have a vast amount of knowledge to be able to advise you on how to make a claim successfully.
The latest and seemingly final edition of the long running battle between Gary Smith and Pimlico Plumbers was deliberated in the Supreme Court last week. For a breakdown of the preceding Court of Appeal decision see here: http://www.lawson-west.co.uk/articles/pimlico-plumbers-b0576a93-ee94-4d10-b75c-f58aedc8eb8d. The finding of worker status was based on the lack of an effective right to substitution and the level of control that was exerted by Pimlico.
If you are a tenant in a former council property that has been transferred to housing association ownership, or a council tenant, you may be eligible to purchase your home at a discounted rate. Known as Right to Buy.
By instructing Lawson-West to deal with your divorce or separation you know that you are going to receive the very best legal advice and representation from a team with a combined 50 years’ experience.
At Lawson-West we understand the sensitive nature of divorce and separation, especially when children are involved. Despite a divorce ultimately being between two people, we believe where children are involved they must come first.
Depending on the age of the child, their awareness of the situation and understanding of the outcome is going to vary massively. Trying to get your own head around what is happening might seem difficult enough, but you must remember the children are equally affected by what is going on too and you need to put their needs first.
With most mortgage lenders requiring a minimum of 70 years left on the Lease at the date of completion, you may wish to address the issue of extending your Lease before is becomes a necessity.
Lease terms which have been left to decrease can cause owners severe headaches when they come to sell or mortgage their property. If left until a sale or mortgage is required, the burden of additional costs and time will be added to what is already considered a stressful situation. The sale price of the property is also likely to decrease in line with the risk of purchasing a short term lease.
At Lawson-West we can help you and your organisation to understand the importance of pregnancy and maternity rights within the workplace.
Writing a Will is important for a number of reasons including the assurance that your estate will be dealt with as you wish when you are no longer around, that the people you want to be beneficiaries have the correct legal rights and additionally for inheritance tax reasons.
We know that getting around to writing a Will may not be everyone’s top priority which is another reason we chose to take part in Will Aid - as a way of supporting increased awareness of the importance of making a Will, which is also a surprisingly easy process.
Often individuals suffer from multiple complaints that could in essence be considered as a Disability in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. Recently, colour blindness has been determined within the Employment Tribunal as an impairment, but the Claimant’s red-green colour blindness could not be considered a disability under the Equality Act 2010. Cases such as this could leave many wondering whether or not they have the right to make a disability claim.
A Will is a document that you create, and it details who is to benefit from your estate on your death. A Will is a document that should ideally be drawn up by a solicitor. This is due to the potential complications that can arise from homemade Wills. These include invalidity, unclear instructions and accidental beneficiaries. It is highly recommended that you see a solicitor, especially if you have more than one beneficiary in your Will.
Equal pay for equal work and equal pay for work of equal value. These are the two key concepts that underpin UK legislation in regard to pay equality.
They are things that sound simple, but the latter point about work of equal value is where the controversy and confusion arises. What is work of equal value is a question that is being argued in a number of high profile recent cases, involving such mammoth employers as the BBC, ASDA, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
A new Government scheme is managing partial refunds to people who were overcharged when paying the registration fee/s for Lasting Power of Attorneys (LPAs) between 1/4/2013 and 31/3/2017.
The breakdown of a relationship isn’t something people really want to think about, but with 42% of marriages ending in divorce, this is a reality for a lot of people.
If the worst was to happen, and you and your partner were unable to reconcile, the next step is seeking advice and finding a solution that is best for you.
Alistair Dobson, head of the Lawson-West Family department, has provided some advice for things to consider before instructing a Solicitor.
Are you prepared for GDPR?
With the upcoming deadline in May 2018 are you equipped to handle the changes to your business? Failure to comply with the new legislation is costly, €20 million, or 4 per cent of annual revenue, whichever is higher.
The Court of Protection and its powers is an area I am advising clients on more and more. I was recently asked to dispel some common urban myths surrounding the Court of Protection for the benefit of my colleagues, and I realised that there were no urban myths because the Court of Protection was not common knowledge.
In December 2017 the Law Commission announced that one of its consultation areas would be Chancel Repair Liability.
What is Chancel Repair Liability?
It is a legal obligation on some property owners in England and Wales to pay for certain repairs to a local church. Homeowners have found themselves with a large bill to pay for repairs, under a medieval law which dates back to the time of Henry VIII.
From 1st April 2018, the national minimum wage for workers who are aged 25 or over will rise to £7.83 per hour.
Did you know, as a result of the way in which the Easter bank holidays fall in 2018 and 2019, some employers could breach their employees’ annual leave rights without even realising?
The deadline for private and volunteer sector companies with 250 or more employees have until 4th April 2018 to publish their first gender pay gap reports.
The process of making a Will does not have to be as complicated as you may think. Don’t think of it as morbid instead think about it as another insurance policy or as making provision for the future.
Workers who are aged18 and over are entitled to 3 types of break - rest breaks at work, daily rest and weekly rest.
The growing price of property has resulted in 1 in 6 newly divorced couples having to continue living in the same house – a figure that has increased since 2014 when it was 1 in 10.
A recent case that was heard at an Employment Law Tribunal awarded a former restaurant worker nearly £9,000 to compensate for the discrimination she faced at work and the lack of professionalism shown by management when she raised a grievance.
We recently had an enquiry from a client who is a 50% shareholder, director and employee with her business partner in a company. Although the relationship was good when the company was formed two years ago, it has since turned acrimonious, both parties have separate goals and aspirations for the business and are not on speaking terms.
Today (Monday 8th January) is the day coined ‘Divorce Day’ by the media. This essentially means that this is the day people are most likely to make the call to a law firm or carry out internet research in order to find out more about the process of divorcing or separating from their spouse or partner.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
The revised Electronic Communications Code, now known as The Digital Economy Act, came into effect on the 28th December 2017, it changes the rights under the Telecommunications Act 1984.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
As well as being disruptive, the passenger also reportedly breached the airlines terms. This case highlights the importance of reading the small print and making sure you fully understand any terms and conditions that you have entered into be it in a business transaction or social pursuits.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
Our team of Solicitors consists of dedicated specialists and lawyers who deal with Employment law, Family law, Wills and Probate, Residential Conveyancing, Commercial law and Dispute Resolution. Each team has vast experience collectively and have wide, in-depth knowledge of all possible matters and disputes.
The amount of paternity pay new fathers are eligible to claim could change forever depending on the result of an Employment Appeal Tribunal. The case is being bought by a father who took paternity leave after his wife was advised to return to work after being diagnosed with postnatal depression after the birth of their daughter.
Lawson-West Solicitors successfully established that a ‘freelance personal trainer’ for a UK wide gym franchise, had been an ‘employee’ in a claim under the Equality Act 2010.
The claim for disability discrimination arose from the Respondent’s termination of our Clients contract on the grounds of absence from work, which our Client says was caused by a medical condition amounting to a disability.
There is a story in the news today (19/12/17) that has revealed there are properties in certain UK cities and towns that require a fairly low deposit meaning it is easier for first time buyers to get on the property ladder – and one of these places is North West Leicestershire.
Our conveyancing team, received this wonderful poem from a grateful client, it’s so good we wanted to share it with you.
The Purpose of a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is to give the legal authority to a person/s of your choice (called your Attorney(s)) allowing them to make important financial decisions on your behalf if you lose capacity and are unable to make these decisions yourself.
