General Blog

Unsurprisingly, Employment Law news this month is dominated by the extension of the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until March 2021. Until January 2021 employees will receive 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. The cap is proportionate to the hours not worked. Points of note: Employers do not need to… Read More

Following HMRC’s announcement on 12 June confirming the winding down of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), many employers may have no choice but to start thinking about reducing their work force. We have seen many big companies recently making redundancies, here, we address questions we find employers are asking in these difficult times. Can employees be made redundant… Read More

With many changes to the Furlough Scheme around the corner, here we set out what employers can expect over the next few months. Closure to New Entrants From 1 July 2020, employers will not be able to furlough anyone new (unless they are returning from family leave). In order to be furloughed after 1 July, the employee must have previously been furloughed for… Read More

Yesterday, the government announced that all non-essential shops can re-open on 15 June.  This includes all retail shops, money branches such as post offices and money businesses as well as markets and car dealerships. On May 25 the Government updated its guidance on working safely during coronavirus, including a section on shops and branches. If you are looking to re-open your… Read More

What changes has the Government made to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)? Ordinarily to qualify for SSP an employee or worker must be absent from work due to incapacity. This would not normally include a person who is self-isolating without suffering symptoms. However with effect from 13 March 2020, a new piece of legislation provides that a person in self-isolation is deemed incapable… Read More

During these unprecedented times many of our clients have asked how they can execute their will in order to make it a proper legal document whilst still observing proper social distancing. This brief guide contains some options available to you which comply with the government’s guidelines of remaining a minimum of two metres apart at all times, whilst… Read More

If you are a beneficiary of a Will which you believe the deceased was put under pressure to sign and you wish to contest the Will read on for some sound initial advice.   It is not uncommon for loved ones that thought they would be included in a Will to be disappointed when they discover they are not,… Read More

Introduction - What is an EPC? All domestic and commercial buildings in the UK that are available to buy or rent must have an Energy Performance Certificate (‘EPC’). By obtaining an energy performance survey, it will allow you identify ways to save money on your energy bills and improve the comfort of the property. What is changing? From… Read More

5 Key Dates and Changes in 2018 1. Gender Pay Gap Reporting To address the gender pay gap, the Government has introduced a new requirement for all large organisations (those with 250 or more employees) to publish statutory calculations each year including the difference in hourly earnings between male and female employees as well as the gap in bonus pay. Public sector employers must… Read More

Sue Brakell, our Private Client Solicitor with over 30 years’ experience flags up the dangers of DIY legal forms: Over the past few years there has been a rapidly growing market for DIY legal forms that allow people to create legally binding documents through online tools and shop-bought kits.  The latest documents to be marketed in this way are… Read More