News archive: November 2021

• Shining a light on secret and half secret trusts
  Posted on November 30, 2021
  A secret trust can be a useful way of leaving a gift in your will if you do not wish the details of that gift to become public knowledge. Historically, secret trusts were used by those wishing to pass assets to extra-marital partners or illegitimate children without revealing the relationships to the immediate family.
  Read more...
• Domestic Abuse Drop in Centre reaches its 8th Anniversary
  Posted on November 26, 2021
  We are pleased to announce that the Domestic Abuse Drop in Centre is now fully open and able to meet people face to face following the recent restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  Read more...
• New director-member joining your company? Time to review your shareholder agreement
  Posted on November 18, 2021
  If you are planning to appoint a new director to work in your business who will also acquire shares in your company then, as well as drawing up a directors service agreement to govern their employment, you will also need to consider whether you need to make any changes to your current shareholder agreement.
  Read more...
• Can my business get out of a contract we were misled into agreeing?
  Posted on November 5, 2021
  If your business finds out that it agreed to enter a commercial contract based on factual or legal statements that now turn out to be untrue, what can you do? It may be possible for you to bring the contract to an end and to claim compensation for any losses that you have sustained.
  Read more...
• Implacably hostile over child arrangements – could this be you?
  Posted on November 5, 2021
  If you cannot reach an agreement with your former partner about arrangements for your children, one of you may apply to the family court for an independent decision. The courts have a wide range of powers in deciding where a child should live and how often they should see each of their parents. In most cases, a court will want to preserve a relationship between a child and both of their parents, even if it recognises that one parent’s behaviour is far from ideal.
  Read more...
• Carers’ rights at work
  Posted on November 4, 2021
  According to Care UK, three million people in the UK are juggling work with unpaid caring for disabled, seriously ill, or older loved ones. NHS England reports that carers are twice as likely to have poorer physical and mental health than those without caring responsibilities and it is important that employers recognise this risk.
  Read more...
• Don’t fall out over the fixtures and fittings
  Posted on November 1, 2021
  A home buyer on an internet forum asked, ‘What is the pettiest thing your seller has removed?’ Most replies are light-hearted: a loo roll holder, the curtain rails, a basketball hoop from above the garage door. Some tell a different story of buyers moving in and discovering missing kitchen units or damage from ripped out features. Others tell of an attic stuffed full of junk.
  Read more...