Although employers are often faced with employees who are genuinely unable to attend work due to illness, there will be times when an employer suspects that the employee is abusing the sick leave provisions, and possibly sick pay ...
Legal Updates
Recent cases of property fraud have highlighted the importance of property owners ensuring that their address for service recorded at the Land Registry is up to date, as this is the address the Land Registry will rely upon if they need ...
This time of year is all about change and it is also the time that employers need to watch out for any changes to payments such as statutory sick pay and maternity pay. Although this year there is little change to such payments, ...
Linda Wilson, Head of our Employment Department, provides employers with some guidance on dealing with employees who are absent from work on long term sick leave or maternity leave. Employees can be absent for long periods of time due ...
It is not unusual for a couple entering into marriage to want to protect their money by drawing up a pre-nuptial agreement before the wedding; a pre-nuptial agreement specifies how they have agreed to divide the finances if they ...
The statutory holiday entitlement that workers have under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (the Regulations) is 5.6 weeks leave in each leave year, and to be paid during that leave a weeks pay for each weeks leave. Due to recent ...
I am often asked by my clients whether or not they can still divorce their spouse if he/she is refusing to “sign the papers”. It is not uncommon when a relationship breaks down for one party to feel that the other will cause ...
It is important for employers to follow a fair process if dismissing an employee because employees can bring claims for certain types of unfair dismissal, as well as other claims such as discrimination, regardless of their length of ...
There is often a great deal of media hype in the New Year about family lawyers being inundated with new divorce enquiries, grappling to keep up with the post-Christmas surge of people wanting a new start; the so-called “Black Monday”. ...
What to look out for in 2016 So far, from an employment law perspective, 2016 is looking quieter than usual although this could all change! Here are a few pointers to look out for. Consultation on the government’s plans to extend ...
Patrick Jenkins, Partner and Head of Litigation at MacDonald Oates LLP, looks at the legal issues which can arise where no will, or a deficient will, has been prepared and why it is important to ensure that you have an up-to-date and ...
We are delighted to announce that for a limited time we are able to offer businesses a complimentary audit of their employment documentation. This could be of significant value to your business as it ensures your contracts are up to ...
There are a number of ways that you, as an employer, can try to resolve internal disputes. Disputes can vary from misunderstandings and disagreements to formal grievances which can involve complaints of bullying or discrimination and ...
Following the latest instalment in the long running case of Ilott v Mitson the Court of Appeal may have made it easier for adult children to challenge wills if they do not believe that they have been left reasonable financial provision ...
When does a uniform policy amount to religious discrimination? There have been many cases which have looked at the question of where do employers cross the line with uniform policies, resulting in religious discrimination. Applicants ...
The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (SBEEA 2015) was introduced in 2014 and some of the employment law provisions were brought into force on 26 May 2015. These are: A ban on exclusivity clauses in zero hours ...
Under the Trade Union Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA), UK law implemented the European Directive which sets out how to carry out collective redundancies. Under this legislation, employers are obliged to collectively ...
As usual, rates such as statutory maternity pay and statutory sick pay, together with compensation limits in the Tribunal, will be increased as from 6 April this year. We have updated our guide to the current rate and limits, which can ...
Given that we are an aging population, care home fees are becoming more and more of a concern for everyone: whether they will be eligible to pay, how much they will need to pay and whether they can keep their home. How do care home ...
The Alzheimer’s Society has released a booklet on ‘Acting on behalf of a person with dementia’ which provides some useful guidance on Lasting Powers of Attorney and Deputyship applications. You can download a copy for free from their ...
Victoria Bischoff’s article in the Daily Mail, ‘When William Herd died he left £300,000 but his only son Stuart never saw a penny: Why you must write a will’, sums up what many solicitors tell a client dragging their ...
For some time, firstly under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and now under the Equality Act 2010, workers in the UK suffering from a disability have been protected from discrimination. The UK was required to introduce such ...