Digital Service Launched for Subject Access Requests to Ministry of Justice & Legal Aid Agency
A new digital service allowing individuals to request personal information held by the Legal Aid Agency and other parts of the Ministry of Justice is now available. In a statement on the UK government website, the Legal Aid Agency said the new online service had been designed to “improve user experience” for individuals making Subject […]
No Fault Divorce Now Allowed in England & Wales
From today, separating couples in England and Wales will no longer need to apportion blame as part of the legal divorce process. The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (2020) brings in the most far-reaching change in divorce laws in more than 50 years. Under the new no-fault divorce rules, either one or both of the […]
Redundancy Pay (How Much Are You Entitled To?)
If you are made redundant from your job, you may be eligible to receive redundancy pay. There are two types of redundancy payments: statutory and contractual. Statutory redundancy payments must be paid by employers to qualifying employees who are being made redundant. Contractual redundancy pay refers to any payment stated as a term within your […]
Increases to Statutory Employment Payments from April 2022
National minimum wage and other statutory rates of pay are set to change for the year April 2022-2023. Employers must ensure they adjust employee pay levels to comply with the new statutory rates. National minimum wage 2022-2023 From 1 April 2022, the following increases will apply: For workers aged 23 and over, the national living […]
Disqualification of Directors Explained
Directors of limited companies have to meet a number of legal duties. You can face disqualification from acting as a director if you have failed to meet these legal responsibilities by participating in unfit conduct, or wrongful or fraudulent trading. What are a director’s legal responsibilities? The Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 is the primary legislation […]
UK Removes All COVID Travel Restrictions
From 4am Friday 18 March 2022, travel into the UK will no be longer subject to COVID-19 restrictions. The UK Government has removed the requirement on passengers arriving into the UK to take a COVID test or to complete a passenger locator form. In addition, unvaccinated passengers no longer need to take a pre-departure test […]
UK Launches Ukraine Visa Schemes
The UK Government has launched a number of visa schemes in response to the humanitarian crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. ‘Homes for Ukraine’ local sponsorship scheme A new local sponsorship scheme has been launched for Ukrainians without any family ties to the UK. Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, sponsors such as communities, private […]
Divorce Portal to Close on 31 March as New System is Rolled Out
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) will be closing the MyHMCTS portal from 31 March 2022 as new no-fault divorce rules take effect in England and Wales. A new system for applications is expected to be available on 6 April. In practical terms, the closure means that from 31 March to 5 April, the digital […]
Ending a Fixed Term Tenancy Early
What happens if you are a tenant living in a privately rented property that has a fixed term tenancy and you have to leave it early? Perhaps your job has changed and you need to move out of the area or a family member has become ill and you are leaving to care for them. […]
Journalist Wins in ‘Kleptocrat’ Book Libel Case
The High Court has dimissed a libel case brought by a post-Soviet mining company against a UK journalist. Kazakhstan-based Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC), a mining company with interests around the world, brought the lawsuit against journalist Tom Burgis for his book ‘Kleptopia’. The book is about how dirty money and corruption are now “flooding […]
Home Office Announces Visa Extensions for Ukrainian Nationals in UK
The UK Home Office has announced temporary measures for Ukrainian nationals in the UK who need to need to extend their visa but who cannot return to Ukraine. Under the UK Immigration Rules, for most visa categories, visa holders are generally required to leave the country in order to apply to extend or switch their […]
Tier 1 Investor Visa Closure: Alternative Options
With the Tier 1 Investor visa now closed, what are the alternative UK immigration routes? In its statement announcing the closure of the Tier 1 investor visa, the Home Office made no reference to opening a replacement or new route for investors. This is perhaps unsurprising, given the Tier 1 investor visa had been subject […]
UK Government Closes Tier 1 Investor Visa
The UK Government has permanently closed the Tier 1 (Investor) Visa route for foreign nationals. The closure took effect from 4pm 17 February 2022, and applies to all new investor visa applications from applicants of all nationalities. In its statement, the Home Office advised that the visa route had been “under constant review” and that […]
HMRC seizes NFTs for first time in fraud probe
HMRC, the UK tax authority, has reported its first ever seizure of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), following a probe into an alleged £1.4 million VAT fraud. The HMRC investigation involved over 250 sham companies, resulting in three NFTs being confiscated, along with £5,000 in other cryptoassets. Three people were also detained following allegations they used a […]
What is a Decree Absolute & Do You Need One?
Getting divorced can be a stressful time for separated spouses, not least because the legal process for filing for divorce can often be acrimonious, typically requiring one party to attribute some form of blame against the other to establish grounds for divorce. However, with the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (DDSA) 2020 is coming into […]
Private parking fines to be capped at £50
A new Code of Practice has been announced to bring the rules for private parking companies in line with those that apply to local councils and to give motorists better protection from confusing and unreasonable fees. Under the new government plans, private car parks in England and Wales will be required to display prices more […]
New Offences Introduced Under New Online Safety Bill
The government has made a number of additions to the Online Safety Bill that will see more online behaviour being made illegal. A press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport on 4 February 2022 details three additional criminal offences that will be introduced to the Bill, as proposed by the […]
New Heirarchy of Road Users from 29 January 2022
A number of changes to the Highway Code will take effect from 29 January 2022. Among the new rules, a hierarchy of road users is being introduced which places more responsibility on drivers of larger vehicles to look after vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians. The updated code states: “Those in charge of […]
TUPE for Employees Guide
If the organisation you are employed by changes hands, there are rules in place that protect you from any unfair disadvantage when your employment moves across to your new employer. These are called the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, or ‘TUPE regulations’. For employees affected by a TUPE transfer, and potential changes […]
Law Allowing Video-Witnessed Wills Extended to 2024
Vulnerable people across England and Wales will continue to be able to have their wills witnessed via video-link up until 2024, under legislation extending temporary pandemic measures. The change was announced yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, who stated “this is a common-sense measure that will […]