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A report by relationship charity Relate earlier this year showed that almost a third of mothers think their children’s fathers should have no say in their upbringing. The report said 32 per cent of separated mothers thought that they were the only...
Finally the long awaited judgment in the GAME case has been handed down. A group of commercial landlords took action following the collapse of digital game retailer, GAME, to seek payment of rent for the period the administrators had used the various retail...
A review of nursing care has found a link between low levels of nursing staff and higher patient death rates in hospitals. The review, carried out across hospitals in nine European countries and observing over 422,000 patients, was published in The Lancet...
In the recent case of Westminster City Council v Sykes [2014] EWHC B9 (24/02/2014) the Court of Protection has ordered that an 89-year-old dementia sufferer who spent her life campaigning for political causes and the rights of others can to return to...
This column was first published in the Wigan Observer on the 25th February 2014 Q: I have been with my girlfriend for 6 months and I have recently noticed her behaviour changing. She has become possessive and gets angry easily; after she has calmed down...
Family law is an unpredictable area…it is an art not a science. In recent years there has been a move towards prenuptial agreements to try and avoid some of the distress and expense attached to the breakdown of a marriage. The central theme of...
In November 2013, the Court of Appeal upheld a judgment in relation to costs in the case of Mitchell v News Group Newspapers Ltd. Andrew Mitchell's solicitors were refused relief from sanction for filing a costs budget seven days late. This means...
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published Guidance on 10th February 2014 on promoting mutual exchange. Mutual exchange occurs when two tenants of social landlords swap properties. The guidance suggests that not enough tenants are...
‘The right to decide whether or not to consent to medical treatment is one of the most important rights guaranteed by law. Few decisions are as significant as the decision about whether to have major surgery. For the doctors, it can be difficult to...
Bitcoin is a crypto-currency, so called because it uses public key cryptography for security, and is a peer-to-peer version of electronic cash. Users send payments by broadcasting digitally signed messages to the network. Transactions are verified,...
The M3 motorway has become the latest victim of the European Union and has been earmarked to have its speed limit reduced to 60 mph. The speed limit laws of the UK that apply to motorists have been set in stone for a very long time and yet the powers...
Stephensons Solicitors LLP have a team of lawyers who advise and defend professional clients across a range of sectors. Our team regularly deals with disciplinary cases before the General Dental Council , primarily acting for Dental Technicians. A referral...
Judges at the Court of Appeal have ruled that the most serious offenders in England and Wales can be jailed for their whole life. This was despite the fact that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said last year that whole life terms breached a...
We are fast approaching the somewhat anxious time of year when the allocation of secondary school places will be announced. This will take place on 3rd March 2014 and is known as National Offer Day. (Reception places are expected to be announced on 16th...
This February marks the ten-year anniversary of the cockle picking tragedy at Morecambe Bay where 23 men and women lost their lives while searching for cockles. Much has been written in the past week about the tragedy with one of the common themes being to...
What are confiscation proceedings? Confiscation proceedings are brought following a conviction for an offence where there has been a financial gain. This could be a fraud, drugs or indeed any regulatory offence where it is perceived that the criminal...
I have been made the subject of a restraint order what does this mean? This means that a Court has been asked to freeze all or some of your assets including bank accounts, property and vehicles. You will not be able to transfer or sell any assets listed...
As many people will agree their home is a peaceful and quiet escape from the chaos of everyday life. That is until your not-so-considerate neighbour’s deafening music, incessant shouting and vulgar behaviour breaches that tranquillity, causing you and...
This was first published in the Wigan Observer on 11th February Q: My long-term partner has recently passed away without making a Will. Where do I stand legally with his inheritance? A: None of us want to think about the inevitable but as the saying goes...
For some insurers the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act was a significant step in the journey towards what they perceived as a fairer system whereby claimants could no longer pursue compensation at no personal financial risk...
The grey depressing month of January has passed and the shops are awash with romantic cards for Valentines Day. For some it is the perfect opportunity to propose but should we take a step back and think what happens if the red roses are no longer welcome and...
The Nursing and Midwifery Council , the regulator for nurses and midwives, has been told that delays in concluding fitness to practice investigations are causing trauma to patients and nurses. The NMC is currently consulting on its plans to...
Being under investigation or arrested is never a pleasant experience and if you have not received legal advice it can be even more distressing. Call us on 01616 966 229 , we have specialist lawyers on call 24 hrs a day 7 days a week who are ready to...
Today, the BBC reports that the UK Homecare Association (UKHCA), which represents care providers, care agencies and care workers want their members and companies to be paid a minimum of £15.19 an hour to cover wages, training and travel. The care they...
S1 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 states that a person lacks mental capacity if ‘he is unable to make a specific decision for himself in relation to the matter because of an impairment of, or a disturbance in the functioning of, the mind or...
