There have been several cases before the courts in recent years which arose because a house or property was purchased in the name of one of an unmarried couple and then when the couple split up, the ‘non-owner’ claimed that they were entitled to an equitable share in the property concerned.
In general, where it can be demonstrated that a couple’s intention was to...
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The Government has announced that it does not, for the time being at any rate, intend to proceed with reforms to the law that would have given cohabiting partners similar rights to married couples or civil partners on the breakdown of their relationship.
This unexpected announcement was made by Justice Minister Bridget Prentice and is all the more surprising given the inconsistency...
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An employer who fails to abide by certain requirements of the Working Time Regulations 1998 can face sanctions under criminal law.
Employers must take all reasonable steps to ensure that workers are not required to work more than an average of 48 hours a week, unless they have signed an opt-out agreement. The average weekly working time is normally calculated over 17 weeks. Local...
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Under the Maternity and Parental Leave (etc.) Regulations 1999 an employee who takes additional maternity leave is entitled to return to the ‘job in which she was employed before her absence or, if it is not reasonably practicable for the employer to permit her to return to that job, to another job which is both suitable for her and appropriate for her to do in the circumstances’. ...
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Direct Line Insurance, owner of the well-known ‘telephone on wheels’ image used in its advertising, has blocked an application by online insurance rival esure.com to register as a trade mark a computer mouse on wheels. The mark was a different colour from Direct Line’s red telephone, esure’s ‘house colours’ being blue and orange.
Whilst the court...
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Further protection for consumers from unfair selling practices is due to be introduced next April. This should help to reduce the litany of complaints of sharp practice that abound in some areas of trade.
The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, when enacted in UK law, will prohibit various unsavoury practices. These include high-pressure selling, unfair or misleading advertising...
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The outstanding achievements of solicitors throughout England and Wales were recently celebrated by the Law Society at a prestigious ceremony in London.
BBC broadcaster Jeremy Vine hosted the gala at the Honourable Artillery Company. The Awards rewarded outstanding achievement in the legal profession.
ABD won the 'Innovation in Business’ award for demonstrating...
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It is usual for a family’s biggest asset to be the family home and, in many cases, the value of the house dwarfs the value of the rest of the assets. In such cases, when a marriage breaks up the financial arrangements often allow one spouse to remain living in the house, with the other spouse entitled to a share of the proceeds when it is sold.
Recently, the Court of Appeal...
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When a couple divorces, decisions regarding the custody arrangements (known as ‘residence orders’ to lawyers) of children are made with the central aim of providing the best outcome for the children of the divorcing couple. Normally, one parent looks after the children and the other is given rights of access to them.
However, on occasions a shared residence order might...
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A couple who fell foul of an old law applying to their property are faced with a bill for building repairs plus legal costs amounting to an estimated total of £400,000, following a reverse in the House of Lords.
Andrew and Gail Wallbank, of Carno in Powys, are the owners of Glebe Farm in Warwickshire. The farmland includes a field which is classified under ecclesiastical law...
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Client survey results for 2009
Results show that 88% of our clients were “very satisfied” with the level of service provided by Awdry Bailey & Douglas. 96% said that we dealt with their work “as speedily as possible” and the vast majority said that they would recommend us to anyone who needed legal help and advice.
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