Lender claims dealt a blow by Supreme Court
This morning the Supreme Court handed down its much anticipated judgment in the case of Tiuta International Limited (in Liquidation) v De Villiers Surveyors Ltd [2017] UKSC 77. Despite the Court of...
Back to Basics: What is a Trust?
You’ve heard of them. You think they might save you tax. You think you might want one. But what exactly is a Trust and how can it be of benefit?...
ATE policies: CA decision serves as warning to robustly negotiate terms
Recently the Court of Appeal (“CA”) handed down its much anticipated judgment in Premier Motorauctions Ltd (in Liquidation) v PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Lloyds Bank Plc, which overturned the first instance decision...
Debenhams Ottaway celebrates success in the new Legal 500 Directory
Debenhams Ottaway, St Albans leading law firm is pleased to announce that eight of its practices have been recognised by Legal 500, a leading guide to the UK legal profession....
Debenhams Ottaway strengthens commercial litigation team with two exceptional hires from London
Debenhams Ottaway is delighted to announce two new lateral hires that take our fast growing dispute resolution practice to a higher level of client focus and service capability. Recently, cited...
What happens to your pension when you divorce?
When going through the painful process of divorce, your pension may be one of the last things to be taken into consideration. Many people don’t even realise that your former...
Ex-KWM staff to receive £1m in compensation
You will recall that in our August 2017 update we reported on the ongoing dispute involving former employees of defunct law firm King & Wood Malleson (KWM) regarding KWM’s alleged failure to...
Debenhams Ottaway leads rankings for private client advice
Debenhams Ottaway has been ranked as the only “Band 1” firm in the Private Wealth category in St Albans and Hertfordshire. The well regarded industry directory, Chambers & Partners, UK...
ECHR rules employee whose messages were monitored suffered breach of human rights
A ruling by the European Court of Human Rights means many businesses will need rethink their approach to the monitoring of private messages sent by employees during the working day. Mr Barbulescu, a...
What are the solutions to parental alienation?
The Scenario A couple have a child together. Both play a full role in looking after the child for the first years of the child’s life but, sadly, they separate...
Lasting powers of attorney – preventing abuse of the system
Recent comments by a retired senior judge regarding the lack of safeguards in the power of attorney system has caused concern amongst the general public. Susan Glenholme, a partner in...
Insolvency and restructuring network update
Two recent judicial decisions highlight the importance of taking specialist employment and insolvency advice when dealing with employees in an insolvency or restructuring situation The first case centres on a group employment...
How can security be turned into cash?
Strictly speaking, where the Court awards a money judgment, the other side should pay up, right? In practice, this does not always prove to be the case. Whether it’s a...
e-wills…tweet your last wishes?
Would you want to tweet your will rather than have it written out and signed? How about a will made by text message, video recording or Facebook post? The Law...
Declarations of Trust… you get out what you put in?
If you jointly own a property did you know on a sale the presumption in law is that the proceeds get split equally? That may work for many co-owners but...
Will new DIY divorce petition lead to more acrimony?
A new divorce petition introduced recently by the Ministry of Justice becomes compulsory from 4 September 2017. The rationale behind the introduction of the new form is the recognition that more people are...
Could your business be exposed to holiday pay claims?
In the recent case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts and others, UKEAT/0334/1 the EAT has decided that regular payments for voluntary overtime should be taken into account when calculating employee’s...
Challenging a will? your questions answered
According to the Law Commission an estimated 40% of adults die without having a will in place, and it is thought that the outdated and complicated laws are putting people...
The importance of health and welfare lasting powers of attorney
A Lasting Power of Attorney provides reassurance that arrangements are in place so you can take future control of your own health and financial affairs. Lasting powers of attorney are...
The circumstance in which a default judgment can be set aside
The default judgment is a powerful tool for claimants, however consideration must be given to the circumstances in which a default judgment could be set-aside. A defendant has 14 days...