Potentially 450,000 people gave a sigh of relief this morning with the news that the residential property market has reopened in England. That’s the estimate of the number of individuals who had to put their property plans on hold when the country went into lockdown. We have been saying for sometime that the property market […]
Everyone is aware that there are a lot of dubious emails in circulation. Probably within days of email being invented someone, somewhere was thinking up a way to try and take advantage of the format to con others out of money. Unfortunately, the present crisis has accentuated the problem. According to UK Action Fraud there […]
Here’s a surprising thing. If you are getting divorced the courts don’t care about who was the better spouse and the reasons driving you to separate will be of no interest to them. That’s a nasty shock to many people who initially regard the legal process as a chance to seek revenge. You may think […]
What should employers also be doing at the present time as the furlough leave and job retention scheme occupy the minds of many? Employers should be looking beyond the furlough leave and the job retention scheme and considering what will come after. Moving forward everything is not going to be completely straightforward for either employer […]
Force Majeure clauses are in the spotlight currently. They have been fairly standard in most contracts for a long time. A common clause in that essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, described by the legal term act of God, prevents one […]
Service of proceedings can be something of a minefield at the best of times. The rules surrounding service are strict and can be complicated. Covid-19 has potentially complicated matters further and businesses are not trading from their usual premises and personal service may not be practicable given the social distancing policies in place. Below are […]
Changes to Employment law that came into effect in April 2020 With all that’s happening currently you would be forgiven for missing the recent changes, so here is a quick A-Z summary of the main ones. If you require any further information on any of them, please do not hesitate to contact us. Agency Workers […]
There is some excellent advice in this article (click on the link below) that addresses some of the matters that concern both landlords and tenants in the commercial sector affected by Covid-19 issues. rhw can help with commercial leases as well as property management and property development matters. Have a read and if our commercial […]
Employment Law Update: Firms to be able to start claiming furlough money from the Government starting Monday 20th April 2020. The qualification date has just been moved to the 19th March 2020. As of 17.04.20 the end date for the scheme has been advanced to the end of June 2020. Need some employment law or […]
Don’t do any work for your employer – even if they say it is ok to do so! We are sure that most employers will be encouraging you not to work as they won’t want to get into trouble with HMRC for potential fraudulent claims, but just in case: The whole point of being furloughed […]
About 70% of the population do not have a Will. That is a fairly astonishing figure when you think about it. Sadly, quite a few people who do have a Will have not updated it recently, so it no longer reflects what they wish to happen after their death and also does not reflect the […]
This is the latest update from the Civil Courts (see link below) . The Courts remain open for the majority of legal work. Hearings are taking place through remote means such as Skype and telephone calls between the Judge & Legal Representatives. rhw are fully open to provide legal advice to existing clients and new […]
I have COVID-19 or I need to self-isolate and can’t continue working – will I still get paid? If you have COVID-19 you should receive either statutory sick pay (SSP) or your company’s sick pay, depending on what your employment contract states. There was some question over whether someone who wasn’t actually ill but couldn’t […]
I am worried about going to work in case I catch the virus – what can I do? Whilst most people have been told to work from home where possible, you may not be able to. Perhaps you are a key worker or your employer falls under the essential services category. In this case you […]
We are delighted to report that Bethany Rickerby of rhw’s family team has passed the Higher Rights Civil Advocacy Assessment. This allows Bethany to offer advocacy services up to the High Court and use the title of Solicitor Advocate. Many congratulations to Bethany on this accomplishment. If you require family law advice please call 01483 […]
With the news that both the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock have tested positive for coronavirus, the question of what happens when the virus gets into the workplace is now of intense interest to Employers. How do you deal with an employee who you think may be positive for the […]
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the “Scheme”) – what we know so far from an employee’s perspective. What is it? It enables employers to receive a grant from the Government to pay up to 80% of their employees’ wages or £2,500 per month, depending on which is the lower amount. How long does this Scheme […]
From the close of business on the 17th March 2020 rhw will be moving to a remote working status. This allows us to take precautions to limit any exposure to the coronavirus. With reference to working practices, this means that many of our solicitors and support staff will be working from home. You will be […]
Coronavirus is in the news a lot at the moment and probably will be for the next few months. Here at rhw Solicitors we are very aware that some people may be feeling anxious about the spread of the virus and wish to minimise contact with other people during this time. It can be inconvenient […]
1) rhw are delighted to welcome Niresha Umaichelvam to the family law team in Guildford. Niresha practices across all areas of family law including nuptials, divorce and financial settlements; cohabitation, separation and children matters. Niresha has already established a strong following through her friendly and positive attitude coupled with her genuine interest in assisting clients achieve […]
Put yourself into this scenario: You have gone as far as you can with your marriage and you want a divorce. You want to get it done, without fuss and delay, and you want to spend as little money as you can. You therefore look online and see websites offering an online divorce service. Some […]
Why is the 2nd December 2019 significant? Well, on the 15th March 2019 the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Bill completed its passage through the Houses of Parliament. The Bill received Royal Assent on 26th March 2019 and came into force on 26th May 2019. The reason the 2nd December is relevant to […]
Although a joyous and festive time of year for most, every year law firms consistently report that December to January is the peak time for couples to commence divorce proceedings. It is unlikely that the reason for this is one awkward incident with the in-laws on Christmas Day. With couples and families spending more time […]
The Help to Buy ISA scheme assists those saving for a deposit on their first home. Through this scheme individuals can potentially walk away with a £3,000 government bonus and couples can pool their separate ISAs together for a total bonus of up to £6,000. According to the Government over 225,000 bonuses have been paid […]
There are a number of boutique/niche law firms (as well as some very large law firms), who position themselves as the champions of the very wealthy when it comes to dealing with family law and divorce matters. rhw often find ourselves representing clients who have former partners that have instructed one of those types of […]
TUPE (sellers & buyers) Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, if a business or part of a business is being transferred to a new owner, then you need to be aware of The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, know as TUPE. These in effect provide protection for the employees of the […]
rhw are delighted to be able to share this news. On top of the two Awards rhw staff won at the Surrey Law Society (SLS) Awards last week, we have just had our top conveyancing quality award (The Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS)) renewed and we have just heard we are in the 2020 edition […]
We are delighted to report that rhw won two awards at the Surrey Law Society Legal Awards last night! At a glittering evening held at the Mandolay Hotel in Guildford, rhw’s Arjun Sreedaran won the “Rising Star” award and Sarah England won the “Support Team Member of the Year” award. We are delighted for both […]
I was talking to the CEO of our Website and SEO support provider a couple of days ago. We were having a chat about the core ideals that both of us have in terms of how we conduct business and how we look to project that through the businesses we represent. It was interesting how […]
Dispute resolution and ADR (sellers & buyers) ADR means Alternative Dispute Resolution. The idea here is that some form of “alternative” process is adopted that is likely to work effectively and be acceptable to more people but (fundamentally) seeks to avoid the conventional process of issuing claims, threats, demands etc. Litigation is the term used […]
Company Will – do you have one and do you need one? Your business partner of 20 years has just died. Apart from the immediate cash-flow crisis that you’re facing, there is a fundamental question over the future of the business as a whole. Who will have control of his share? Will the share be […]
Individual people have very different attitudes as to how they approach a divorce. Some clients want to know about every single aspect of the legal process, others just want their solicitor to get on with it, whilst a few are surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing. Adjusting to the way our clients want us to […]
It is a well-recognised fact among Family Law Teams that the period after the traditional summer holidays (usually July and August) sees a steep increase in inbound divorce enquiries. Yes, it can be a bit depressing to think that what should be a fun time has actually become the catalyst for a terminal split but […]
Formation of Contracts – Take 2 Making an offer (they can’t refuse)… Or how to avoid making an offer you can’t (but want to) refuse This is the second article in a series of 5. See the original Acquiring a Business – The Basic Steps Most of us know that to form a contract there […]
rhw have been shortlisted by the Law Society under the “Medium Law Firm of the Year 2019” category in their Excellence Awards. We are absolutely delighted to be recognised on a national level and look forward to the Awards evening in November. For further information see the Excellence Awards 2019 shortlist
rhw will be running 5 blog updates on the basics of acquiring a business. This is part one. There are 7 basic steps to any business acquisition. Skimp on any of them or get the order wrong and the dream deal may well go horribly wrong or not happen at all… Plan the deal. Strike […]
As is often the case in divorce proceedings that make national news, two exceedingly wealthy individuals, Sir Andrew Cook and Baroness Angelika Hirsch-Stronstorff, have recently ‘resolved’ their financial proceedings after what can only assumed to be “one hell of a bun fight”. Sir Andrew, the chairman of William Cook, and Baroness Hirsch-Stronstorff, an interior designer, […]
Statistics have shown that grandparents play a vital role in the upbringing of their grandchildren. One in three families rely on grandparents for child care. Sadly, it has been found that 42% of grandparents lose contact with grandchildren following separation. This article will discuss the steps that grandparents can take to maintain contact with their […]
Separated parents taking a child on holiday Taking your children on holiday, whether abroad or within the jurisdiction can prove to be a complicated process after separation. After all, whilst parents are together as a couple, it is simply a case of arranging travel, accommodation and shopping for holiday essentials (although we will all agree […]
This is one of our occasional guest blogs we run. This particular one is part of a series… So, what effect does taking a good breath have on you? Perhaps more importantly, what effect does it have on your audience? For you as the speaker, this is what happens when you start with a good […]
This Wednesday! rhw will be there in force. Stand 41. It is FREE to visit and there are various seminars and networking events running throughout the day! If you are in business it makes 100% sense to attend. You could even go for a swim afterwards! https://surreybusinessexpo.com/ photo credit: rawpixel
Just over 4 years ago, on 5th April 2015 to be precise, the right to shared parental leave was introduced. This gives employed parents a legal right, following the birth of their child, to share up to 50 weeks of leave between them and to receive statutory pay for 37 of those weeks. Statutory pay […]
There is a basic principle in law that the owner of a property will also own the airspace above that property, to such a height as is necessary for the ordinary use and enjoyment of it. This was established in the aptly named legal case Bernstein of Leigh (Baron) v Skyviews & General Ltd. Naturally, […]
The Prime Minister recently took a break from keeping her head above the waters of Brexit to announce that the Government will make it a legal duty of Councils in England to provide secure home for victims of domestic abuse. The plans aim to standardise access to refuges and help for victims of domestic abuse, […]
The Danny Baker story currently in the press is an important and rather high profile reminder that what you say and do on social media can be misinterpreted or taken out of context. As an employee you should always stop and think before hitting the post button – whether it is on your personal social […]
‘Purplebricks’ have featured in the business news rather a lot at the present time. From being the darlings of the markets with their shares reaching the dizzy heights of 500p a share a couple of years ago, they have now come crashing down to earth and are trading, at the time of writing, at just […]
Every now and then here at rhw we like to run a guest blog from selected parties… for this blog update we have a contribution from Ges Ray of ‘Speaking in Public’ addressing something many people dread! You’ve been there; you know the feeling. You are in your meeting, at your event. You’re about to […]
rhw are holding a FREE Family Law Clinic at “SiGNAL” in Bordon on the afternoon of Wednesday 1st May 2019 between 1:00pm and 3:00pm. SiGNAL is the popular shared work-space venue in central Bordon. rhw’s clinic will be held in a quiet and very discreet room within the complex. Want to get your life back […]
This article will be of interest to landlords in the residential property sector. It provides a summary of the Tenant Fees Act 2019, which became law on 12 February this year. The Act is being implemented in two stages: on 1 June 2019 in part and then on 1 June 2020 in full. The Act […]
Break clauses are a common feature of commercial leases. They allow a tenant (and sometimes a landlord, or both) to break the lease before the end of the contractual term. The lease will specify a break date, how much notice must be given and the conditions to validly exercise the break. Purpose There are many […]