Thousands of people under the age of 40 have been signing up to buy starter homes at a 20% discount. The homes are being made available as part of a government scheme to get Britain building and help young people get on the housing ladder. It’s hoped that 100,000 new homes will be made available.
A divorcing wife has won the right to have a share of a property in India owned by her husband, even though he claimed he was not in a position to sell it. The case involved a couple who had been married for 30 years and wanted a clean break when they divorced. They both
The Court of Appeal has urged “warring” parents to put the needs of their children first when taking legal action over contact arrangements. It says many parents focus too much on their rights at the expense of their duties and responsibilities towards their children. The plea came during a case involving two parents in a
Many small businesses are unsure about how to deal with shared parental leave (SPL) according to a survey reported in The Times newspaper. Half of the 400 firms polled said they didn’t understand the legislation and how it would work. A further 17% said they were worried about the effect the new rights would have
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled against the employees and the union involved in the Woolworths redundancy case. It’s good news for employers because it could reduce the time they have to spend negotiating collective redundancies in the future. The case brought into focus the issue of when do employers need to negotiate
It has always been a delicate issue trying to check whether potential employees have criminal records and now it has become even trickier, leaving employers in danger of acquiring a criminal record of their own if they don’t follow the correct procedures. The official way to check is to use the Disclosure and Barring Service,
A whistleblower who was sacked after revealing what he regarded as unfair practices by his employers has won his claim of unfair dismissal. The Employment Tribunal held that the disclosure was in the public interest. The case involved a manager who worked at a branch of a large estate agency chain. He told his area
When preparing restrictive covenants to protect a business from competition from former employees, the question of balance is always vitally important. The restrictions need to be tight enough to ensure protection but not so tight that the courts might rule them to be unenforceable. A recent case before the High Court highlighted the balancing act
The new system of Shared Parental Leave (SPL) allowing mothers and fathers to share 52 weeks’ leave came into effect on 5 April 2015. Under the SPL scheme, mothers are still required to take two weeks’ compulsory leave immediately after the birth, but the other 50 weeks can be shared between both parents. The benefits
One of the UK’s leading judges has called for the introduction of no-fault divorces to remove the sense of blame and bitterness that accompany so many break-ups. Baroness Hale says the current system is outdated. She wants it to be modernised so that couples don’t end up making unnecessary accusations about infidelity or unreasonable behaviour.