Read our latest articles, news briefs and legal updates across all our different services.
A mother who took her son to England without court permission has been ordered to return him to Australia so that he can be close to his father. The mother had moved to Australia from England in 2002. While there, she had an eight-year relationship with the father. They separated in 2014 and began litigation
A wife in a divorce case has been granted a search order against her son following allegations that he had helped his father put matrimonial assets out of her reach. The wife said her son had assisted the husband in dishonest schemes that were intended to prevent her from obtaining the financial settlement awarded by
A woman has won the right to inherit her father’s estate after a “DIY will” supposedly signed on his deathbed was ruled invalid. Terri Tibbles had been the sole beneficiary of a will her father William wrote a year before he died. In a letter of wishes attached to that will, Mr Tibbles said that
The 15-month-old daughter of a vulnerable mother who could not care for her has been placed in the care of the local authority so she can be adopted. The girl’s parents had been in a relationship since 2017. The mother was a vulnerable adult with learning difficulties who suffered from a syndrome that required a
In an employment relationship, the identity of the employer is usually very clear; however, where an employee works for a group of companies, it can sometimes be trickier to identify which of the group companies is the true employer. This can sometimes cause issues, particularly from a tax perspective, when it comes to identifying where
My training contract was due to start on the 1st July 2020, and thankfully unlike many other firms, Machins did not postpone my start date because of COVID-19. I started my first seat, in the Private Family department in the Berkhamsted office, when the effects of the pandemic were lessened and ‘Rishies Dishes’ were all
Starting as a trainee can sometimes be daunting. Our trainee solicitors have put together 10 top tips to help you along the way. Prioritise effectively. Usually, you should prioritise your direct supervisor’s work before the work of other members of the department. Sometimes this may mean speaking to the Partner you work for about your
I remember grappling with this question in my third year of university when I was knee-deep in training contract research and applications. Was I better suited to a regional firm or a city firm? Would I still have exposure to big corporate transactions or litigation at a regional firm? Would I be working in a
I am a Solicitor in the Dispute Resolution team at Machins, and have been involved with the trainee solicitor recruitment process for a few years now, since I was a trainee myself. When I attend law fairs and do talks for law students, lots of candidates ask what my top tips are for when they
January 2021 marks the start of a new year, and I am delighted to embark on my final six months of life as a trainee solicitor, before qualifying – eeeeek! My previous seats have been private family, public family, company commercial/commercial property, and now I am back to private family where I hope to qualify