Rebecca Lorne
I’m an experienced lawyer in our corporate and commercial team, with many years of advising clients across a broad range of sectors. My career began in the City, where I...
Debenhams Ottaway signs Menopause Workplace Pledge
Debenhams Ottaway is one of the first employers in the legal sector to sign up to the Menopause Workplace Pledge. The campaign is run by the Wellbeing of Women charity...
Debenhams Ottaway wins Excellence in Customer Service Award
Debenhams Ottaway is the winner of the Excellence in Customer Service award at the St Albans Chamber of Commerce Business Community Awards 2021. The award recognises businesses which consistently deliver...
Webinar: The latest workplace wellbeing trends for 2022
We partnered up with SecondSight and Via Vita Health on in November 2021 to discuss the latest trends for workplace wellbeing in 2022 with leading industry experts. Speakers included: Louise...
Recent changes to possession notices – what does this mean for landlords and tenants?
The minimum amount of notice which must be given when serving a section 8 or section 21 notice for assured shorthold tenancies was extended multiple times to protect tenants because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But with life is starting to return to ‘normal’, from 1 October notice...
Legal superstars of the future: Debenhams Ottaway celebrates two qualifying lawyers and welcomes four new trainees
Debenhams Ottaway celebrates the qualification of two lawyers, Olivia Harris and Jessica Kavanagh, and welcomes four new trainees, highlighting our commitment to developing the next generation of lawyers. Olivia, who...
Helping a multinational optical manufacturer with alterations to their UK head office
We advise Hoya Group, a multinational Japanese manufacturer of optical products with commercial property matters relating to their UK head office. Most recently we have assisted with two deeds of...
Three lawyers receive new rankings in Chambers UK 2022 and the family team is promoted to top band
Chambers UK has published its latest results that celebrate the leading law firms and lawyers in the UK. Highlights this year for Debenhams Ottaway include three lawyers receiving individual lawyer rankings for...
Helping a grounds maintenance company with the employment law aspects of an acquisition
Our client is a leading independent grounds maintenance provider. We advised on the employment aspects of a bolt-on acquisition of the entire issued share capital of a private limited company...
Letters Before Action – not just a steppingstone to litigation but a useful tool to avoid a costly court dispute
Before starting litigation through the issuing of proceedings, the court will generally expect a potential claimant to have conducted themselves in accordance with the Practice Direction on Pre-action Conduct and Protocols. Whilst there are specific...
Can children receive the Covid-19 vaccine without parental consent?
Following recommendations by the UK’s Chief Medical Officers, children aged 12 to 15 in England will be offered one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Consent from a parent, guardian...
Where next for Defendants in the Inheritance Act 1975 litigation world post Hirachand v Hirachand?
Last year I wrote about two interesting inheritance litigation cases concerning costs. This included the case of Re H (Deceased) [2020] EWHC 1134 (Fam) that addressed the question “Should a...
Wills, trusts and inheritance disputes glossary
ACTAPS: The Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): various methods of resolving disputes without going to court. Beneficiary: a person entitled to benefit from a...
The impact of the menopause at home and in the workplace
It is refreshing to see that the menopause is being talked about more widely in the media and that people are feeling more comfortable in sharing their experiences and the...
Debenhams Ottaway’s Health and Wellbeing Week celebrates #WorldMentalHealthDay
To celebrate World Mental Health Day (on Sunday 10 October 2021), Debenhams Ottaway ran its annual week of health and wellbeing initiatives from 4-8 October to promote ongoing wellness and a healthy work/life balance for its people. Staff participated in a range...
A rotten outcome for the sex pistols front man as he loses his High Court battle
Following a recent High Court decision, The Sex Pistols frontman, Johnny Rotten (real name John Lydon)(the defendant) has been prevented from stopping the band’s songs being used in the upcoming television...
Debunking the common misconceptions around trusts…
Trusts are useful tools for protecting and controlling assets and family wealth. In this article, we answer some questions about trusts that help to debunk any of the common misconceptions....
Jonathan Holgate
I am a commercial litigation and dispute resolution lawyer working on variety of commercial disputes and contentious insolvency matters. I am committed to providing clients with a high- quality service...
Helping a technology company remove its CEO with minimal liabilities
We helped a c.£50 million private equity owned technology company. A difference of opinion between the CEO and shareholders after a failed exit event meant a new CEO was needed...
Debenhams Ottaway recognised in The Legal 500 2022
The Legal 500, one of the leading legal directories, has published its latest results that celebrate the leading law firms and lawyers in the UK. Debenhams Ottaway is recognised in...