Lawyers and trade unions say UK employers could face a barrage of legal action from employees over inadequate measures to protect them from the spread of Covid-19 when lockdown eases. Alok Sharma, business secretary, will this weekend produce “workplace by workplace” guidance on how companies can safely reopen to workers, requiring a myriad of different …
Continue reading “Lawyers warn employers could face legal claims after lockdown eases”
The Court Service, like many other sectors, has moved rapidly to deal with the effects of Covid-19. Broadly, only 45% of courts remain open to the public for ‘essential’ face-to-face hearings, one third of courts are closed and slightly over 20% are temporarily closed. For those going through the family courts we have seen a …
Continue reading “Are ‘remote’ hearings suitable for all family cases? – Family Law”
Main home relief: Periods of absence halved to 9 months If you have lived in your property for the whole time you have owned it there is no capital gains tax due when you sell or transfer the home. This relief is called principal private residence relief (PPR). The relief is only available for the …
Continue reading “New tax changes that may impact on divorcing couples – Family Law”
Image copyright Getty Images People living with domestic abuse will be able to access safe spaces at Boots pharmacies from Friday. Those needing help can ask staff at the counter to use the consultation room, where they will be able to contact services for help and advice. Charity Hestia said it launched the scheme in …
Continue reading “Coronavirus lockdown: Boots offers safe space for domestic abuse victims”
Seven jurors rather than the normal 12 could decide guilt or innocence in court trials as part of “radical” proposals to clear a mounting backlog of cases. The lord chief justice and the justice secretary have publicly supported the change, which was also made during the Second World War. Remote jury trials, where evidence is heard …
Thousands of high street and sole practitioner firms may shut within six months as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, alarming new research by the Law Society suggests. Cash flow pressures and lower fee income have put more than half of all the legal practices in England and Wales at risk. The finding is extrapolated …
Continue reading “Many high street law firms face collapse, research suggests”
“Going through my search history makes me feel self-conscious. Many of the things I’ve searched for can be completely innocent or potentially explosive and used as a tool for revenge.” As I clear my internet history, sign out of my mail accounts, check my banking is secure, delete any bills, apps, and documents, double-check photos …
Confidence levels among tech startups have slumped since the start of the year as the coronavirus crisis takes its toll on the UK’s thriving tech sector. Just 32 per cent of businesses are confident or very confident that their turnover will increase in the year ahead, City A.M. can reveal. Read more: Coronavirus: British tech …
Continue reading “Exclusive: UK tech startup confidence slumps amid Covid-19 crisis”
When a couple considers divorce, there’s a wash of confusion surrounding them and a mantra of “How did we get here?” repeating in their heads like a bad song. With quarantine, I’m guessing a lot more people are hearing this mantra on a daily basis. Can being locked in small quarters with someone really cause …
Continue reading “Quarantine Isn’t Ruining Your Marriage, But It Is Speeding Up Your Divorce”
More than £6bn of business grants have been distributed to English small and medium sized businesses through the government’s coronavirus grant schemes. A total of 491,725 grants, worth £6.11bn, have been distributed out of a pot of £12.3bn as of last night, translating into a 49.58 per cent delivery rate. Read more: Scottish government does U-turn …
Continue reading “More than £6bn of coronavirus grants given to English businesses”