Read our latest articles, news briefs and legal updates across all our different services.
The government has announced a change to the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme amid concerns over rising house prices. New loans granted under the scheme must now be less than 4.5 times the borrower’s income. In a separate move, the Bank of England has told mortgage lenders that only 15% of loans they grant
A personal assistant who was sacked after her affair with her boss was discovered has won her claim of unfair dismissal. The PA lost her job after the affair was discovered by the boss’s wife. The PA, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been in a relationship with her boss who was chief
Delays in the process of setting up lasting powers of attorney (LPA) are causing considerable stress and expense for thousands of families, according to a report in the Times newspaper. An LPA is a legal arrangement that enables you to authorise someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf should you lose mental capacity
One of Britain’s leading family law judges is calling for changes in the divorce process that would take most cases out of the courts altogether. Sir James Munby is the President of the Family Division of the High Court. He wants uncontested divorce cases without any claims over money or children to be settled in
A grandmother’s will, which led to a family dispute over the ownership of her flat, has been upheld by the High Court. The grandmother had originally intended to leave the flat to her daughter and granddaughter and had written this into her will. When she was 90 years old, she moved in with them because
A mother has been given a second chance to try to leave the UK despite a judge’s concerns that she was only doing so to take her children away from their father. The case involved a German couple who had lived in England for more than 12 years. They had two children aged four and
A Sikh employee has been awarded £18,000 compensation after being racially abused by his Muslim boss. He had worked as a forecourt cleaner at a garage and was often given demeaning tasks and made to perform them repeatedly. His boss made him collect things from the cash and carry up to four times a week
You have two employees both want to work shorter hours, starting late and finishing early. One, a father for school drop offs/pick-ups and his colleague who wants the same flexibility to train for triathlons. What do you do if you can’t agree to both? Previously, employers only have to consider requests from employees caring for
From 30th June 2014 all employees, provided they have 26 weeks’ continuous service, will have the statutory right to request working flexibly. Employers need to be fully prepared. In order to protect against employment claims, we recommend employers have an updated flexible working process in place. Some businesses can easily accommodate flexible working but your
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