Press Release – 31st January 2019 With legal aid drastically cut back, Machins Solicitors is delighted to be supporting a national, not-for-profit social enterprise working to provide accessible support to families through the difficulties of separation and divorce. Paul Owen, Kathryn Ainsworth and Joe Colley are delighted to have contributed to 101 Questions Answered About
A tenant has been awarded a refund of more than £18,000 after a wall collapsed at the property he was renting. The court heard that the tenant had signed a two-year lease on a house with no break clause. He paid all the £34,000 rent in advance. After moving in, the tenant contacted the letting
Settling contract disputes through court action doesn’t necessarily mean having to go through a full trial. Often, it’s possible to get a ‘summary judgment’ in which a decision is given in favour of one of the parties if it’s felt the other side has no reasonable chance of success. A recent case before the High
The High Court has approved a divorce settlement that shares the couple’s assets 60 – 40 in the husband’s favour, on the basis that it was a fair outcome for both husband and wife. The couple married in May 2008 and separated in June 2016. They had two children, aged nine and six. For the
More than six out of 10 people are unaware that will-writers who aren’t solicitors are unregulated and may have no insurance and very little experience. The Wills & Probate Consumer Research Report 2018 shows that only 37% of adults have made a will. It says the wills ‘take-up’ is skewed towards older age groups with
The government has unveiled plans to ensure home buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords and leaseholders receive the best possible service from property agents. A new working group, chaired by Lord Best, and made up of experts from across the property sector will consider areas that can be improved. This will include the case for regulation
The Court of Protection has appointed a deputy to look after the interests of a woman who lacked capacity to manage her property and affairs. The woman was 71 and prior to becoming ill, had not set up a Lasting Power of Attorney, which would have enabled her to appoint someone in advance to look
A woman who suffered facial paralysis after being grabbed by the neck and held in a headlock by a colleague at a Christmas Party has won her claim of constructive unfair dismissal. The judge criticised the employers for not investigating the case properly, even though incident had been captured on CCTV. Molly Phillips worked for
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) has backed government plans to introduce a no-fault divorce system and urges parents to seek legal advice at an early stage to reduce potential conflict. In a statement it said: “Early legal advice in the divorce process would be advantageous to parents to help them
More than 458,000 homes have been sold to people using one or more of the government’s Help to Buy schemes. Just over 400,000 went to first time buyers. Under the Help to Buy: ISA, the government will boost your savings by 25%. So, for every £200 you save, you receive a government bonus of £50.