3rd November 2021

We are delighted to welcome Georgia Chandler to the Wills, Probate and Trusts department. James Sawers, Partner and Head of the Wills, Probate and Trust department, stated “I am delighted that Georgia has joined our team. She joins us ...

19th October 2021

Making a lasting power of attorney for your finances is an important part of lifetime legal planning, especially if you have built up a portfolio of assets and investments which require regular management. While this legal authority ...

Trees
9th September 2021

Making a will is an important part of lifetime legal planning, but do you need to put all your wishes in your will? Where should you set out your wishes for gifts or your funeral arrangements? Is it appropriate to explain your ...

8th September 2021

Through this series of articles, ‘Protecting your business’, our Employment partner, Linda Wilson, takes a look at different topics providing tips and advice to help businesses. This article focuses on what managers in your business ...

5th August 2021

Next of kin is a commonly used term in everyday language, yet despite its frequent use ‘next of kin’ only provides legal rights where children are concerned and, even then, only in certain circumstances. The general rule is that the ...

5th July 2021

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT), in Dobson v North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, recently looked at a case of indirect sex discrimination and what it termed the “childcare disparity”. This refers to the fact that ...

21st June 2021

Through this series of articles, ‘Protecting your business’, our Employment Partner, Linda Wilson, takes a look at different topics, providing tips and advice to help businesses. This article focusses on confidential ...

9th June 2021

Living through a global pandemic has meant seeing loved ones taken from us at an alarming rate, and it has been distressing for many to see someone taken into hospital and not know if you might be able to see them again. ‘Whilst ...

Hills
3rd June 2021

We are currently recruiting secretarial staff, and also looking for solicitors or legal executives for our Commercial Property team and Wills, Probate and Trusts department. We are a friendly firm with a focus on client service based ...

5th May 2021

If you are someone’s executor, then it can be tempting to try to administer the estate yourself with a view to saving money. If the estate is simple and you are comfortable with the legal and tax regulations, then this may be fairly ...

29th March 2021

Preparing and collecting all the information for your first meeting with your conveyancing solicitor, whether that meeting is face-to-face or virtual, will get your transaction off to a good start. Here Sarah Rowden, a residential ...

18th March 2021

MacDonald Oates is delighted to announce the recent completion of a seven figure company sale acting for the management team on its buyout of The Green Oak Carpentry Co. Ltd. which is a local, highly-regarded designer and provider of ...

15th March 2021

There have been a number of changes in regard to marriage law since 2004, with the most recent being the introduction of opposite-sex civil partnerships in 2019.  These changes have provided clarity over legal rights and financial ...

1st March 2021

If you are an executor of an estate, you may need to deal with debts that have been left behind. Any estate may have debts to be considered, even if the deceased was wealthy – it is reported that Michael Jackson died with around $500 ...

24th February 2021

The Supreme Court has handed down its decision in Uber v Aslam, upholding the decisions from the Employment Tribunal, Employment Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal.  This case was summarised helpfully by Lord Legatt of the ...

12th January 2021

Can I challenge a will that fails to make reasonable provision for me? It is becoming increasingly common for a dispute over a will or a deceased’s estate to arise, particularly where someone who expected to inherit has been excluded ...

6th January 2021

“Silver lining: a sign of hope in an unfortunate or gloomy situation; a bright prospect” As we enter the third lockdown in the UK, it is not surprising that many businesses and employers are struggling to cope and some sectors, such as ...

Employment Law
11th November 2020

HMRC has published updated guidance on the extended Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The CJRS was originally due to close on 31 October but has been extended to 31 March 2021. For the period 1 November 2020 to 31 January 2021, ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
6th October 2020

We are delighted to congratulate Matthew Archer and Ben Holden on their promotion to Partners. Matt joined the firm in 2013 and specialises in commercial property and Ben who joined in 2018, specialises in wills, trusts and probate. ...

21st September 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a sharpened focus on health and safety in the workplace, there has been an increased interest in the statutory regime that protects employees from “automatically unfair dismissal” for certain prescribed ...

Stags
3rd September 2020

With life expectancy in the UK predicted to rise into the late 80s for men and women by 2030, an increasing number of people are choosing to safeguard their interests by making lasting powers of attorney. These enable a relative or ...

12th August 2020

Due to the devastating impact that COVID-19 has had on our economy, many predicted that businesses would be facing difficult decisions with regards to how they would be able to manage to retain staff whilst revenue dropped. The ...