Last Friday we were lucky enough to have our Firm outing at one of Goodwood’s Three Friday Nights. It was organised by our Culture Team, which organises our social events and encourages the positive culture at the Firm. The evening ...

It is almost two years since the law was changed so all employees who have 26 weeks service have the right to request flexible working. There is a duty on employers to consider requests in a reasonable manner, supplemented by a ...

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 ...

At MacDonald Oates we are passionate about our high standards of client service and therefore it is incredibly rewarding when we receive such positive feedback as reflected in our testimonials. We collect all the feedback we receive ...

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 ...

We are very pleased to announce the further growth of our Wills, Probate and Trusts team with the arrival of Kate Shires. Kate has joined us from a long established local firm where she was a Partner for a number of years. Kate ...

We are pleased to report that Tim Melville-Walker, the head of our family department, has become one of the first lawyers in the country to qualify as an arbitrator for children matters. Tim has been a family law arbitrator for some ...

If you are an employer having to deal with a disciplinary matter or poor performance, it is worth remembering that you need to ensure you follow the Acas Code. What is the Acas Code and why should you follow it? The Acas Code of ...

Well done to the 11 riders who successfully returned from three days of challenging riding in Mallorca with over 190 miles and 20,000 feet of climbing completed. Here’s some pictures of the riders sporting the Mac Oates colours! ...

MacDonald Oates’ Corporate Partner Kevin Smith led the Commercial Services team on the purchase of Erne Travel for client Norad Travel Limited. The Commercial Services team included Linda Wilson, Employment Associate, who advised on ...

We are delighted to announce the arrival of two new, specialist conveyancing lawyers this month, with Sarah Maker and Rosie Taylor joining our Residential Property team. Rosie, who is experienced in all aspects of residential ...

We are sadly saying goodbye to Julia Smith, who is leaving us to enjoy her well deserved retirement in the West Country. Julia has been at the firm for over 42 years as a secretary having worked in many different teams during her time ...

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 ...

We are delighted to be raising money this year for the Sussex Snowdrop Trust. This local charity provides care at home for children with life -threatening or terminal illnesses and support for their families. We have already held a ...

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”. ...

We value the quality of the service that we offer our clients above all else.   For that reason we ask our clients to describe their experience of using MacDonald Oates, in order that we can understand whether we are meeting our ...

A New Year often motivates us to change the way we look. It may be a new diet, more exercise or a new hair cut. However, when Becca Ashton, a member of our Family team, had her hair cut, her motivation was something a bit different. As ...