Late August and early September usually herald all the ‘back to school’ adverts on TV and in the papers. These really used to annoy many of us when we were younger, particularly when they appeared only a week after the summer holidays had started! This year the whole ‘back to school’ theme is tinged with […]
We are now rapidly heading towards the middle of July. It would be nice to say that we have moved on to a more certain place from where we all were a couple of months ago but it really doesn’t feel that way at present. The uncertainty over the ongoing presence of the virus and […]
Valentine’s Day, the invention of the insensitive no doubt. It reminds those who are single that they are – well – single. It reminds those who have been dumped that they have been – well – dumped. It reminds those who have been cheated on that their louse of an ex will be – well […]
Back in the day, I used to have a lecturer at University who hated February. He regarded it as a ‘waste of time’ and a bit of a carbon copy of January with slightly more light. He may have had a point, though I have always found it rather a cheerful month. This may, of […]
Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 Demolish or Reconstruct ground [s.30(1)(f)] to be considered by the Supreme Court – Part 1 S Franses Ltd v The Cavendish Hotel (London) Ltd (Judgement [2017] EWHC 1670 QB appealed) was heard by the Supreme Court on 17 October 2018. The decision will have significant consequences and landlords and tenants across […]
In June, the Supreme Court ruled that denying heterosexual couples the right to have a Civil Partnership was inherently discriminatory. Hot on the heels of this judgement, The Prime Minister recently announced her government’s intentions to make it possible for heterosexual couples to enter into Civil Partnerships, rather than get married. Would this be an […]
Unless you have been in hibernation for the last 12 months you cannot have failed to notice the “#MeToo” campaign. Some dismiss this campaign as over sensitive, hysterical women. Surely, there is nothing wrong with a bit of flirtation and banter in the work place or at a corporate event? Surely such behaviour does not […]
Many employers talk about wellbeing and mental health issues. At rhw we are putting what we talk about into action! To mark World Mental Health Day we are posting this snap-shot of what’s going on inside rhw. Know a colleague who doesn’t sleep well? Someone in your team who doesn’t cope well under pressure or recently suffered […]
When is the residential property market not in the news? Very rarely is the correct answer and if you are a Daily Mail reader, the answer is never! Recently the usual hares were set running with regard to house prices, when the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, speculated that a no-deal Brexit […]
Much has been said and written about the “death of the high street” in recent times. The decline in high street sales happened quite rapidly after the recession hit in 2008 and Britain’s high streets struggled to recover in line with the remainder of the economy in the years that followed. In the last twelve […]
At some point landlords might have the misfortune of their tenant falling into rent arrears and this often leaves landlords unsure of their rights, while at the same time wanting to ensure that they continue to receive rental income. What can a landlord do about a defaulting tenant? This blog considers one of the rights […]
Many of us would have already come across or received notifications from ‘ghost’ accounts (where someone has died but their online account is still open) on one social media platform or another. It can be a little disconcerting and sometime distressing to receive a message reminding you of the birthday for someone who is no […]
Dispute Resolution, what’s that about then? That’s a question we get asked a lot. It is certainly one of the less easily defined parts of legal work rhw get involved with. We can usually provide a typical example of the sort of ‘matter’ we would expect to handle in, for example, Family Law or Wills […]
The current divorce law dates back to 1973 and allows parties to get divorced on the ground that there has been an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage and provided that they can prove one of the following facts: Adultery – one party being unfaithful with a member of the opposite sex in […]
On Tuesday 24th April 2018 thousands of viewers across the Nation tuned in to watch the first episode of the new legal drama on BBC one, The Split. But for many of us in the legal profession, family lawyers in particular, it left us with a “splitting” headache after trying to digest some of the […]
The case of Kim Waggott and William Waggott which was dubbed ‘the meal ticket for life’ has returned to court. Kim Waggott had been awarded £9.7m in the original financial proceedings, with £175,000 in annual maintenance payments for the rest of her life. However Mrs Waggott considered the deal an unfair one as she would […]
Debt Recovery under the new Pre-Action Protocol for debt claims With wage increases not keeping up with inflation is it any surprise that more and more creditors are having to chase debtors for payment of their overdue debts and it seems that many of my small business clients are unaware of the new Protocol and […]
The Office of the Public Guardian has now published details of the Ministry of Justice’s “power of attorney refund scheme” (attorney fee refund scheme). This scheme has been launched to refund those who may have paid more than they should have for applying to register powers of attorney. If you applied to register a lasting […]
Settlement Agreements & Harassment (please be aware there is some strong language within this update relevant to the case background) An employee claiming harassment is likely to take the claim both against the alleged harasser and the employer who is vicariously liable for the actions of all its employees. The employer may well prefer to […]
Moving House is hard work. Some people seem to love it and do it on a regular basis, others view it as an appalling prospect and will avoid having to move house unless it is absolutely necessary. A lot of people do have a strange approach to the whole matter. House viewings usually last less […]
Legal service providers live or die on the quality of what they deliver. According to the latest Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) research involving over 4,000 members of the public, nearly three-quarters chose a conveyancer on the basis of a recommendation from an acquaintance. Those surveyed cited a firms’ reputation (42%) ahead of cost (32%) as […]
Jamie and Louise Redknapp apparently ended their 19 year marriage in 25 seconds in a “quickie divorce”. Gary Lineker says he divorced quickly and easily online and then took a swipe at the legal profession who are apparently, the root of all evil (yeah, right!). If you read the papers you can apparently end your marriage […]
We have all been there. We start the year with good intentions, no more drinking, smoking or eating kebabs. We will be definitely joining the gym and reading those books by the bedside… then by mid-February it all starts to slip. It is human nature to a certain extent. We like our habits and find […]
Thousands of unmarried couples in Surrey at risk of losing everything if their relationship breaks down This week marks Cohabitation Awareness Week, the focus of which is to raise awareness about the lack of rights that exist for unmarried couples who live together. With about 7 million people in the UK living in this type […]
Google key words around the area of Divorce and you will unleash a tsunami of promises based on either extraordinarily low level priced ‘fixed fee divorces’, so-called ‘quickie divorces’ and the alternative ‘non-legal divorce solutions’. Some of them seem to be claiming to be able to divorce you for little more than a round of […]
Doctor Foster is addictive TV viewing. The first series focused on the discovery and effects caused by the betrayal of adultery and the second series on the aftermath of a bitter divorce. So to test your knowledge of family law, as portrayed in the series, which of the following statements are fact or fiction? Series […]
A couple of weeks ago I was struck down by what I initially thought was a bad case of flu. What it actually turned out to be was cellulitis in my left leg which eventually landed me a bed in my local Hospital. I will say at the start of this article the standard of […]
Once in a while, rhw like to invite contacts to submit a guest Blog item. On this occasion it is the charming Ges Ray who gets to add a few words on the subject of speaking in public: So how will you leave your audience feeling? You’re giving a presentation in the morning, perhaps to clients, […]
New Pre-Action Protocol for debt claims On 1st October 2017 a new Pre-Action Protocol (“Protocol”) for debt claims will come into effect. The protocol will apply to all debts where the creditor is a business and seeks to recover a debt from an individual, including a sole trader. It will also apply where a creditor […]
I hate August. Yes, I know it seems an irrational thing to do, to hate a month but really it is the most loathsome month of the year. If anyone is going to vent their feelings about a month it is usually February but I have no issues with February. It’s short, the days are […]
There is only one ground for divorce; the irretrievable breakdown of marriage. One of the most commonly used facts to prove that a marriage is beyond repair is unreasonable behaviour, and the petitioner must provide some examples of their spouse’s bad behaviour in the divorce petition. The behaviour must be such that the petitioner cannot […]
At the beginning and end of the Taylor review on Modern Working practices1, Matthew Taylor and his team set out a 7 step plan for improving the state of work in Britain; this review and its suggestions for government policy and priority will likely have some effect on government policy going forward. The aim of […]