Job Support Scheme closed: expansion for closed business premises
The Job Support Scheme is expanding to provide an additional level of support for businesses which are legally required to close as a direct result of national or local lockdown....
Chambers UK 2021: Debenhams Ottaway’s commercial property team receives top ranking
Debenhams Ottaway’s commercial property team has moved up to band 1 status in Chambers UK 2021. The family team and individual lawyers across the firm are also recognised. Clients comment that the commercial property team is “very efficient, very...
Sophie Taylor
Sophie is a legal assistant in our debt recovery team and assists in advising a variety of clients, both businesses and individuals, on debt recovery and credit control. Sophie specifically...
The court considers whether a third-party debt order can be obtained over funds held in a solicitor’s client account
In the case of BCS Corporate Acceptances Ltd and others v Terry [2018] EWHC 2349 (QB) it was considered whether an application for a third party debt order was appropriate...
Susan Glenholme wins the business leader award
Susan Glenholme, managing partner of Debenhams Ottaway, wins the Business Leader of the Year award at the St Albans Chamber of Commerce Community Business Awards on Wednesday 30 September 2020....
Debenhams Ottaway continues to rank high in the Legal 500!
One of the leading UK legal directories, The Legal 500, has revealed the results of its 2021 research. Debenhams Ottaway has been recognised as at top-tier law firm in two...
Employment update – catch up from 6 April 2020
During the UK lockdown, the focus in UK employment law was the Government Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and it was easy to lose sight of other important changes in law...
Costs in inheritance litigation
Several interesting costs cases have been reported so far in 2020. Claims Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975 The case of Re H (Deceased) [2020] EWHC...
Job Support Scheme: What we know so far
On 24 September 2020, the Government announced the Job Support Scheme, which will follow on from the expiration of the Job Retention Scheme. The Job Support Scheme is designed to...
Farming inheritance disputes
Inheritance disputes can unfortunately arise where farming and agricultural assets and businesses are involved. Broken promises; family feuds; a lack of succession planning; complex business structures; there are so many...
Video-witnessed Wills to be made legal during coronavirus pandemic
On 28 September 2020 the Statutory Instrument making temporary amendments to the Wills Act 1837 is due to come into force. The catalyst for the amendment has of course been...
Are trusts trustworthy?
Trusts are a way of protecting or sheltering assets for others. They can take various forms and often get a bad press as vehicles for the super-rich, but in fact...
Sharing assets acquired following separation but before divorce
Many couples do not divorce for some considerable time following their separation. A common reason for this is that they want to avoid attributing blame in the divorce paperwork. In...
What considerations should you be aware of when separating
We are all still coming to terms with the way our world has been turned upside down this year by the coronavirus. Adjusting to working from home, home-schooling and being...
Have you issued an invoice that has been disputed? What should you do now?
Your customer is refusing to pay your invoice- what do you do next? Late payment of invoices is often considered part and parcel of running a business but are you...
The importance of having a shareholders’ agreement
Numerous professional healthcare businesses, such as care home operators, are structured as limited companies. In many circumstances, such companies have a number of shareholders, and regulating their relationship can be...
Do I need a business lasting power of attorney?
Most people these days are aware of Lasting powers of attorney (LPAs), either having written one for themselves or having dealt with their parents’. They fall into two categories ‘health...
How has the rule against reflective loss been varied following the supreme court’s judgment in Sevilleja v Marex financial limited?
The principle of reflective loss was established in the case of Prudential Assurance Co Limited v Newman Industries Limited (No. 2) [1982] Ch 204. The rule states that a shareholder...
Penalties for misuse of the job retention scheme
Figures released by HMRC show that it had received 6,749 reports about fraudulent claims under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“CJRS”). On 28 July HMRC published two new guidance documents...
Debenhams Ottaway celebrates latest promotion in dispute resolution team
Debenhams Ottaway, award-winning law firm in St Albans and Radlett, promotes one of its rising stars, Robyn Adams. Robyn, a lawyer in the dispute resolution team, joined in 2016 as...