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Settlement Agreements and Protected Conversations – Tuesday 11th 7.45-9.30am, Putteridgebury Conference Centre, Hitchin Road, Luton Ending the employment relationship is never easy. The Government’s introduction of new laws on settlement agreements and pre-termination discussions is to make it easier to end the employment relationship consensually (and amicably) by allowing businesses and employees to have a
The Court of Appeal has rejected a woman’s claim that she is entitled to half the fortune her ex-husband amassed in the 20 years after they separated. The couple were married in 1985 and had two children, but divorced six years later. Their combined assets were divided between them, with the wife getting the family
The amount families will have to pay in inheritance tax is set to increase by £3billion to £21billion over the next five years. The rise is due to the revival of the housing market, which is increasing the value of properties. Meanwhile, Chancellor George Osborne has announced he’ll be introducing new measures making it more
A dyslexic employee who was subjected to disability discrimination at work has been awarded £6,000 compensation. The problem first arose when the man started to find his job increasingly stressful and was placed on a performance improvement plan by his employer. He later developed depression and had to take time off work. He raised a
An elderly woman’s will which left half her estate to her neighbour to the detriment of her family has been rejected by the High Court. The judge held that it was unlikely that the woman fully understood what she was doing at the time when she made such an important decision. She had first made
The Government has launched a new interactive online map to enable people to see the quality of care provided for dementia sufferers in their area. There are 670,000 people in England who suffer with dementia, and the number is likely to double over the next 30 years. A further 21 million people have a close
A company has been told it cannot recover wages that were overpaid to employees by mistake over a six-year period. The case illustrates the need for companies to fully understand their obligations when acquiring other businesses and their employees under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE). The company had bought another
One in six businesses are turning to pay day loans as an emergency measure to stay afloat. One in four businesses need additional funding to grow yet say they are being starved of credit. Nearly 20% are turning to friends and family for financial support. The alarming findings are from research carried out by One
A landlord has received £4.75m compensation after faulty workmanship and equipment led to “catastrophic” flooding at a block of flats. The damage occurred after a pressurised water system was installed throughout the building. The system enabled water to be pumped to the higher floors in the block, but could also produce an effect known as
The High Court has ruled that a housing development next to a protected wildlife area can go ahead despite protests that the correct procedures were not followed. The developer had received planning permission to build 65 houses, but a local protester claimed the fact that the proposed site was next to an area of special