Bates Solicitors Sponsor The Matthew Elvidge Trust 13.1 Miles for Matthew 199 Athletes signed up to run the Fleet Half Marathon 16 March 2014 in memory of Matthew Elvidge and in support of the Matthew Elvidge Trust. 23 years old, Matthew, having successfully completed a degree course and 1 day before he was due to start work in London old took his life after a short period of depression. 16 – …Read More
Make sure you have an up-to-date will in place
Making a will is one the easiest and best things you can do to protect the interests of the people you care about. It’s also the only way of ensuring that your wealth is passed on in the way you want. Unfortunately, many people never get round to making a will, which means they are said to have died intestate. If that is the case, their wishes will not be …Read More
Workers over 67 win age discrimination claim
A group of 21 workers have won an age discrimination claim against their former employer after they were sacked for being too old. The group were drivers for Purple Parking, a company that provides bus shuttle services and car chauffeuring to UK airports. They were told they could no longer work for the company because there had been a change in their insurance policy which now excluded employees over the …Read More
Woman compensated after falling on escalator
A woman has been awarded £3,750 compensation after she fell on a malfunctioning escalator in a department store. The woman was shopping in British Home Stores when she travelled on the in-store escalator to get to a different floor. The escalator suddenly stopped causing her to fall. She suffered bruising to both hands, the right side of her body and her forehead. The woman took legal action against the store, …Read More
Father wins right to have daughter returned to England
A father has been granted a court order to return his eight-year-old daughter to England so that an assessment regarding her long term residence can be completed. The father was from Scotland and the mother from Italy. The daughter had spent her life living in England until 2010 when the couple divorced. The father agreed to let his former partner take their daughter to live in Italy, on the basis …Read More
Changes to mortgage laws will further protect borrowers
Banks must now adhere to a new set of rules when considering someone for a mortgage as the government tries to prevent borrowers over-stretching themselves as some have done in the past. Under the new legislation, most borrowers will be given advice from a financial expert before they take out a mortgage. This will give consumers a better understanding of how much they can afford to borrow, taking into account …Read More
Boy to live with father because mother ignored contact orders
A court has ordered that a six-year-old boy should live with his father because the mother had constantly ignored contact orders over several years. The two parents separated before the boy was born and the mother became the primary carer following the birth. The father tried to establish contact with his son but the mother objected. The subsequent court proceedings lasted three years. The mother ignored several contact orders that …Read More
£123,000 compensation for asbestos cancer victims
People who contract mesothelioma after working with asbestos could now receive £123,000 as part of a new compensation scheme introduced by the government. Ministers had initially set the figure at £115,000 per case, but have been able to increase it following savings in the cost of administering the scheme. Mesothelioma is a deadly strain of cancer that attacks the linings of the major organs in the body. It is common …Read More
Government schemes help 100,000 to buy a home
Government schemes have enabled more than 100,000 people to buy a home over the last four years. The main schemes available are Right to Buy and Help to Buy. The Right to Buy scheme gives people who have lived in a council property for at least five years the right to buy at a discount. With the Help to Buy schemes, the government provides loans or guarantees to make it …Read More
Redundancy offer to over-60s breached Age Regulations
A redundancy package offering different terms to employees based on their age has been ruled unlawful. The issue arose after two civil servants were offered a lower redundancy package than their younger colleagues. The employees were both over 60 and entitled to draw a full pension. On this basis, their employers offered them a redundancy package of just 6 months’ salary, whereas their younger counterparts were offered 21 months’. The …Read More