What is a Compulsory Purchase Order?
Discovering that the property you own or occupy may be compulsorily acquired can be very distressing, particularly if you are unaware of where you stand legally. Below we examine in more detail the question of ‘what is a compulsory purchase order?’, including your rights as an owner and what an authorised body is required to […]
Vacant Possession (An Explanatory Overview!)
Vacant possession is the contractual right to exclusive use of a property, both physically and legally, following the sale of a property or grant of a lease. The purchaser or tenant must be free to enjoy the property for the purpose intended, without hindrance from any physical presence or legal impediment. By way of example, […]
A Guide to Fracking and Manorial Rights
Fracking has become highly controversial for a number of reasons, with concerns around the environmental impact of this activity, access rights and ownership of the minerals. Fracking is a technique used to recover gas and oil from shale rock. Shale gas reserves have been identified across large parts of the UK, and are especially common […]
Defending an Allegation of Gross Misconduct
An allegation of gross misconduct at work can be extremely daunting, carrying the risk of disciplinary action, including possible dismissal, and potentially impacting your professional reputation. If you are facing an allegation of gross misconduct, it will be important to understand your rights through the disciplinary process and to prepare for any resulting investigation or […]
Employment Law for Employees
Employment Law: What are my rights? The growth of non-traditional working relationships might have left you feeling confused about your employment status and, consequently, your rights. But whether you are employed on a full-time, part-time, temporary or permanent basis, everybody has the right to be treated fairly in the workplace and is protected by employment […]
EMI Scheme: Guide for Employees
The EMI (Enterprise Management Incentive) was introduced in 2000 to help small and medium sized businesses to retain and reward their employees. If you are offered the option of shares under an EMI – what do you need to consider before deciding if this is the right option for you? What is an EMI scheme? […]
Making a Claim for Constructive Dismissal
If you can show a tribunal that your employer has acted unlawfully, thus making your position untenable, you may have a claim for constructive dismissal. Constructive dismissal is when your employer puts you in a situation where you feel you have no choice but to resign. Unlike unfair dismissal, where your employer ends your employment […]
Wrongful Dismissal (What is it?)
Wrongful dismissal from employment occurs when an employer terminates your employment in breach of your employment contract. You will be able to bring a breach of contract claim against your employer, no matter how long you’ve been employed for. There are of course lawful ways an employer is permitted to terminate a contract of employment. Wrongful […]
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP: What is it?)
Statutory Sick Pay is an employment related benefit. It is paid to employees should they be unable to go to work due to sickness, physical or mental, for a period of four days or more, as long as they earn above a lower earnings limit. It is payable for up to twenty eight weeks. [toc] […]
UK Private Tenants’ Rights
If you rent a home from a private landlord, it’s important that you are aware of your legal tenants rights. These rights are in place to ensure that you are protected and that landlords do not take advantage of tenants or treat them unfairly in any way. There are certain tenants rights you have if […]
A Guide to Inheritance Tax
Planning for the future can help to ensure that your loved ones are financially secure when you pass away and allow you to decide who receives what assets. A solicitor experienced in probate law can help you with this task and give you peace of mind for the future. One of the most important questions […]
How to Avoid Inheritance Tax
When looking at ‘how to avoid inheritance tax’, you would generally be looking at ways to reduce the size of your taxable estate while making full and effective use of IHT reliefs and exemptions. Inheritance tax becomes payable when the value of an individual’s estate, including gifts made by the deceased in the seven years […]
Inheritance Tax Rates
Understanding how inheritance tax works – in particular the rules relating to individual and married couple allowances, current thresholds and applicable inheritance tax rates – can be key to effective financial planning for the future. By planning ahead you may be able to minimise any inheritance tax liability after you die and, in turn, maximise […]
What is the Inheritance Tax Threshold?
UK inheritance tax, commonly known as IHT, is the tax payable on the transfer of assets from an estate to its beneficiaries. The current rate for IHT is 40%, which becomes payable if the estate is greater than the inheritance tax threshold once all exemptions and reliefs have been deducted. What is the inheritance tax […]
What is an Authorised Guarantee Agreement?
Authorised guarantee agreements (AGA’s) were introduced under the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 in an attempt to conciliate the potential risk to the landlord if the new tenant proves unreliable and confusion over the outgoing tenant’s liability. Simply put, an AGA’s is a type of legally binding guarantee used to protect a landlord’s interests […]
Do I Have a Personal Injury Claim?
If you’ve been in an accident, or developed an illness, that wasn’t your fault or was the result of another person’s negligence, you may have a case for a personal injury claim to recover financial compensation. This compensation can be used to cover loss of earnings, medical treatment, rehabilitation, loss of earning potential and other […]
Holiday Sickness Claims- Are You Owed Compensation?
When you or your family fall ill abroad, it can not only spoil your holiday but be expensive, upsetting, and possibly cause long-term health problems too. Your tour operator and hotel have a duty of care to you as its customer when you are on holiday. So if any of your party become ill as […]
Do I Have a Case for Medical Negligence?
What is medical negligence? If you receive medical advice or treatment in the UK, you have the right to expect that this will be done to certain standards. In legal terms you are owed a ‘duty of care’ by the person who gave the advice or carried out the procedure. Their duty towards you is […]
What is a Liquidated Damages Clause
A liquidated damages clause is a provision which represents an agreement between parties as to the payment that should be made if a particular contractual term is breached. Where a liquidated damages clause is included in a contract, it is specific to an obligation which is known as the primary obligation, with the payment clause […]
N244 Form (Where to Find & How to Complete!)
The N244 form is an application notice, used to apply for a court order in the civil courts. The N244 form is used in relation to a number of different applications, normally in relation to monies owed to or by the applicant. It could be that this is an application for an initial court order […]