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Paul Burton looks at the chancellor's winter economy plan, including the coronavirus job support scheme, viable jobs, pay as you grow and the VAT changes.
What is the new furlough scheme? How will it work, who is eligible and how long will the coronavirus job support scheme run for?
How much does it cost to buy a house? Our specialist solicitors explain how conveyancing legal fees are calculated, and what you need to pay for when buying a house.
While every business sale is different, there are three main parts to the process. An overview of each of the three sections is offered below. Preparation. Structure, and the legal process.
Specialist Employment and HR solicitor, Chris Dobbs offers the 9 points that all HR managers and business owners should consider when writing a working from home policy.
Should every business have a working from home policy? What should be included? Chris Dobbs, Employment & HR Law specialist examines an increasingly important topic.
A constructive dismissal takes place when an employee resigns in response to a fundamental breach of contract on the part of the employer. Paul Burton, specialist employment and HR lawyer examines a recent case and looks at the final straw doctrine.
Chris Dobbs looks at a recent case concerning homophobia, gross misconduct, unfair dismissals and the use of anonymous evidence.
Announcement of the extension of ban on evictions being progressed by the Courts to 20th September 2020; as well as the extension of notice period for both Section 21 and Section 8 to 6 months from 3 months effective from now.
The government announced on Friday 21st August, that the coronavirus ban on evictions would be extended by four weeks .
The announcement came just two days before the ban was due to end, having already been extended.
Sometimes referred to as a ‘romalpa clause’ or a ‘reservation of title clause’, a retention of title clause is a clause within a contract that allows a seller to retain the legal title to goods that have been sold and delivered to a buyer
Chris Dobbs, solicitor in our specialist employment & HR team, offers a comprehensive guide to remote monitoring of employees working from home.
Are company directors are always automatically banned from running another business with the same name? And is there a legal way to sidestep a section 216 ban?
Section 216 Insolvency Act 1986
When are landlords able to start the eviction process now that the ban on evictions is going to be lifted?
Divorce - what am I entitled to?
One of the first things we are often asked by clients considering divorce, is ‘what am I entitled to?’ or ‘who gets what?’
Anna Curtis answers your FAQs on coronavirus holiday cancellations, quarantine and how to get your holiday refund.
Only employees with two years’ continuous service have the right not to be unfairly dismissed. This qualifying period is measured to the day - so it is important to be clear about precisely when an employee started work.
One of the least often claimed grounds of discrimination is marriage and civil partnership. Prejudice against married people is hardly widespread and there are few circumstances in which an employer might treat an employee less favourably because they were married.
The Transfer of Undertakings Regulations (known as TUPE) provide that an employee’s terms and conditions cannot be changed because of the transfer of their employment from one employer to another.
Doing so knowingly is a criminal offence and inadvertently employing someone who is working illegally can lead to a civil penalty of up to £20,000 for an employer who has not carried out a proper documentation check.
Frettens have completed a complete overhaul of their IT systems, in order to provide their team with greater flexibility and their clients with a faster, more efficient service.
In a 44-page judgment released last month, an Employment Tribunal dismissed a claim that an employer discriminated against the only female member of its leadership team by talking about football all the time.
Chris Dobbs, specialist employment law solicitor, examines an important ruling for self-employed hairdressers in the case of Megan Gorman.
An employee dismissed without notice will often claim both unfair and wrongful dismissal. These are two distinct claims.
Unfair dismissal is concerned with the reasonableness of the employer’s decision to dismiss the employee.
Wrongful dismissal is a contractual claim centred around whether the employer was entitled to dismiss the employee without giving the full contractual notice required. That in turn depends on whether or not the employee was actually guilty of gross misconduct.
Who is a first time buyer? Are first time buyers exempt from stamp duty? Will first time buyers need a bigger deposit? Sophie Pope explains.
Understandably, a lot of people are still concerned about the coronavirus and whether returning to work is safe. Chris Dobbs, employment law & HR specialist answers your questions.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a temporary stamp duty holiday in last week’s summer statement.
The announcement has been welcomed by many, as homebuyers are set to save thousands in Stamp Duty Land Tax.
As the government starts to wind down the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, many businesses are taking advantage of the flexibility in lock down rules and staffing options to reopen.
How does the redundancy interview process work and can it be unfair? Chris Dobbs examines.
What is the flexible furlough scheme and how will it work? An employment law expert gives an overview.
On 1st July, the BBC reported that coronavirus led to UK companies cutting 12,000 jobs in just two days. These job losses, the article claimed, were largely in high street retailers and, particularly badly hit by the pandemic, the aviation industry.
Many large companies, including H&M, Boots, and John Lewis announced redundancies in early July too.
Chris Dobbs, employment & HR specialist, looks at why so many redundancies are being announced at this time, and how the timing ties in to the furlough scheme.
What is the job retention bonus? Who is eligible and how will it work?
Reports have emerged this week that Rishi Sunak will announce a temporary ‘stamp duty holiday’ in the autumn statement.
With the increase in Airbnb hosting in seaside towns like Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, Anna Curtis answers your most frequently-asked questions, including planning, restrictive covenants and mortgages.
Dealing with ground rent increases
It would appear the government will not be extending the ban on evictions currently in place due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Lord Greenhalgh, of the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, confirmed that “the courts will begin to process possession cases again” from 24th August. He was speaking in response to parliamentary questions on Wednesday 1st June.
A Shareholders’ Agreement is a written document between two or more shareholders in a private limited company.
It records the terms and conditions on which that company shall carry out business, and how the shareholders shall exercise their rights in relation to the company.
The property market seems to be moving very quickly since COVID-19 lockdown measures were eased.
However, many clients are wary of exchanging contracts for fear of what could happen if their sale or purchase were to be affected by coronavirus.
These concerns are amplified when a client’s sale forms part of a property chain.
Jennifer Smith, one of our bright, friendly lawyers in our conveyancing team, answers some of the most common questions she’s been receiving about buying or selling a home during coronavirus.
The ‘Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill’, often commonly referred to as the ‘No-fault Divorce Bill’ was first introduced in June 2019.
It has seen delays to it’s progression into law thanks to Brexit, elections and the coronavirus pandemic, and entered the parliamentary process on 7th January 2020.
It was announced on 17th June that it will now pass to the House of Lords to consider an amendment, and will then receive Royal Assent.
Are we seeing a recovery in the local property market?
Clare Hallett is Partner in Frettens’ Residential Conveyancing Partner. With years of experience in both residential and commercial property, she’s seen a lot of ups and downs.
Here, she provides her thoughts on the local property market, how it has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and how businesses are dealing with the challenges they face.
Evictions from social or private rented accommodation are now suspended until at least 23rd August.
The government also announced that new court rules will ensure vulnerable renters will be protected when the suspension of evictions ends.
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has just provided more detail regarding the changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme that he announced a couple of weeks ago. Contributions The changes to the contributions by the government and employers are...
Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, has just announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will carry on as it is now until the end of July and will then be extended to the end of October with changes, including employees being able to be brought back to work...
HMRC has opened its portal for employers to claim under the government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) this morning. Paul Burton went on to the website early this morning and it appeared to be working, although he could not test it...
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has this afternoon announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is being extended by one month to the end of June. When he originally announced the scheme he did say it would be kept under review and...
The Treasury issued a formal direction to HMRC yesterday concerning the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and it does potentially raise a concern for employers . The Treasury Direction appears to say that not only should employers have notified ...
The government has amended its guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) again today and, while there is only one real change, it is a very important one. They have amended the qualification date for employees to be eligible for...
The government has published not one, but two new sets of updates on the guidance relating to the job retention scheme over the last week or so. Paul Burton summarises the additional information and clarification provided by the government in...
At the end of last week, the government released further details of the coronavirus job retention scheme, including the areas below. We have tried to summarise these details in this article, however the full government release can be viewed by clicking the...
Workers who are unable to take all of their statutory annual leave entitlement by the end of 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak will now be able to carry it over into the next two years.
Business secretary Alok Sharma announced on Friday that the measures would come into force.
The announcement comes after pressure from employers and the CBI. Furloughed workers returning may have to take a large amount of leave in a short space of time, leaving businesses short-staffed whilst trying to recover.
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