Continuing our series on alternative dispute resolution
Part IV: Disputes solved through mediation Today is the third part of our blog series on alternative dispute resolution. The two previous posts have looked at mediation in general and what types of disputes are suitable for mediation. In this post we will be looking at arbitration, which will be continued in next week’s post [...]
Filed under Disputes, May 16th, 2012Husband tells court that wife must be “unstable” for wanting to divorce him
A man recently appeared in the Court of Appeal expressing his discontent with his wife’s decision to divorce him. Peter Savva, a 64-year-old chartered accountant, told the court that the relaxed nature of Britain’s divorce laws was to blame for the current state of the country. The wife, 54-year-old teacher Nikki Savva, told the court [...]
Filed under Family law, May 15th, 2012Free webinar
On Thursday 24 May we will be running a free online webinar promoting effective website strategies for client generation, and would like to invite solicitors to attend. It will be presented by Daniel Batten, one of our most experienced consultants. It will run for about 30 minutes and will cover:
Filed under General legal information, May 15th, 2012Queen’s speech criticised for ignoring employment problems
Yesterday’s Queen’s speech outlined the legislative reforms that can be expected from the Government. The speech officially opened the new session of Parliament. The speech contained a range of measures, including the Government’s intention to reform the House of Lords and implement changes to family law. There was little mention of the weak financial climate [...]
Filed under General legal information, May 10th, 2012Continuing our series on alternative dispute resolution
Part III: Disputes solved through mediation Today is the third part of our series on alternative dispute resolution. The last post looked at mediation in general, and today we will be looking closer at some forms of disputes that are particularly suitable for being resolved through this form of alternative dispute resolution. Mediation is a [...]
Filed under Disputes, May 9th, 2012Tenants facing eviction as Olympics come to town
The tourist industry is benefiting from the Olympics coming to town as non-Londoners are looking for accommodation and many will be visiting the capital’s many sites and restaurants. The Games are expected to give a much-needed boost to several London businesses. However, many tenants renting accommodation in London are less pleased with the coming sporting [...]
Filed under Property law, May 8th, 2012Government looking to tackle false whiplash claims
The number of cases involving a car whiplash injury has increased dramatically over the past few years. This, in turn, has led to the price of car insurance soaring. During a recent motor insurance summit in London, ministers stressed that the Government is looking to tackle what it perceives as the high number of false [...]
Filed under Personal injury claims, May 2nd, 2012Employee dismissed after sexually harassing female colleague online
Employers have an obligation to look after the well-being of their employees, which goes beyond ensuring a safe work environment. As such, many companies have procedures in place to ensure that no worker is discriminated, harassed or bullied at the workplace. With the expansion of the internet such behaviour now risks occurring in another forum, [...]
Filed under Employment law, May 1st, 2012Judge champions marriage as the ideal family structure
A High Court judge is today formally launching his foundation aimed with putting a stop to Britain’s high divorce rates. Sir Paul Coleridge, who sits on the High Court Family Division, has said that couples are influenced by tabloids and their portrayal of Hollywood divorces. “I am not knocking Hello! magazine. I read it frequently. [...]
Filed under Family law, April 30th, 2012Company blames benefits system for unmotivated jobseekers
A small and expanding company in Kent thinks that the benefits system is too generous and makes it difficult for businesses to recruit. The company, Car Smart, had accepted seven jobseekers for telesales positions but they all failed to arrive on their first day of work. Car Smart Sales Director, Carl Cooper, said that the [...]
Filed under Employment law, April 27th, 2012Law firm fighting back against Government no-win, no-fee measures
The Government is looking to cut the availability of no-win, no-fee personal injury cases in order to put a stop to what they consider has become an over-litigious culture in Britain. In response, a personal injury firm is now trying to encourage victims to make their claims by offering them money in advance.
Filed under Personal injury claims, April 26th, 2012Continuing our series on alternative dispute resolution
Part II: Mediation We are currently running a series on alternative dispute resolution, and this week we are looking into mediation. This will be continued next week when we look closer at what types of disputes can be solved through this method. For last week’s opening blog, click here. Mediation has become a very popular [...]
Filed under Disputes, April 25th, 2012London house prices rise with the Olympics coming to town
Living in London has always been expensive but with the Olympics round the corner prices have soared. This has not only attracted homeowners in the capital to temporarily let their property for the summer weeks and earn some extra money, but it is also leaving councils struggling with finding affordable accommodation for individuals on housing [...]
Filed under General legal information, April 24th, 2012Divorce debt – how can you limit the costs?
Many couples looking to divorce are not only concerned about the emotional distress but also the financial ramifications that often follow with the process. Divorce can be expensive as legal advice, separate homes and separate bills can significantly change your financial situation. This can lead to parties having to change their habits and make other [...]
Filed under Family law, April 23rd, 2012Personal injury professional criticises insurance industry and planned legislative changes
The new President of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, Karl Tonks, took the opportunity to criticise the insurance industry and the Government in his inaugural speech on Thursday. Tonks said, “We have a system where insurers can contest claims until the eve of an expensive trial, cause significant costs to be incurred unnecessarily, and [...]
Filed under Personal injury claims, April 20th, 2012Interpreting mistake leads to suspension of trial
Early this year the Ministry of Justice decided to let one company, Applied Language Solutions (ALS), handle all its interpreting needs. However, the contract with ALS has come under intense criticism as the service provider is accused of having incompetent interpreters and for failing to provide interpreters to several trials. Since the contract between ALS [...]
Filed under General legal information, April 19th, 2012Disputes and alternative dispute resolution: first of a five-part series
A few weeks ago we concluded our ‘Back to Work’ blog series. Today we are starting a new series on alternative dispute resolution methods and how these can be constructively applied to your situation. The series will look at: Mediation Common disputes where mediation can be applied Arbitration The forms of disputes that arbitration is [...]
Filed under Disputes, April 18th, 2012Government looking to redirect disputing parties from courts to mediation
The Government has on several occasions announced its intention to cut the number of cases going to court by encouraging parties to try alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation, in the first instance. There is currently no single set of rules for mediators across the country. The Justice Minister, Jonathan Djanogly, recently said that [...]
Filed under Disputes, April 17th, 2012Government looking to increase the system of fines for parents of absent children
Many working parents are struggling in the current financial climate. Changes to employment law have led to increased job insecurity. And parents can now face further costs under a new proposal, which suggests an increase in fines if children are repeatedly absent from school. The initiative is a product of the Government’s analysis of pupils’ [...]
Filed under General legal information, April 16th, 2012Christian groups’ adverts banned from London buses
Bus adverts encouraging homosexuals to undergo conversion therapy to change their sexual orientation have been banned after the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, said that the adverts were offensive. “London is one of the most tolerant cities in the world and intolerant of intolerance. It is clearly offensive to suggest that being gay is an illness [...]
Filed under Human Rights, April 13th, 2012