Temporary worker contracts
It is that busy time of year again where there is often an influx of temporary workers over the summer months. Now is the ideal time to check that your...
Debenhams Ottaway sponsor young cyclist Lorna Bowler
Lorna Bowler, the young cyclist we are sponsoring through the SportsAid programme has had a great start to this year’s main races. Lorna raced in the recent Youth Tour of...
Chamber cheers for St Albans and St George at annual fundraising lunch
Over 300 businesses enjoyed a fantastic afternoon with the St Albans Chamber of Commerce on Friday 22 April for their annual St George’s Day Lunch. Debenhams Ottaway sponsored the champagne...
First conviction for failing to prevent an act of bribery
The Sweett Group plc became the first company to be convicted under section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010. Sweett pleaded guilty to failing to prevent an act of bribery...
A very public care arrangement dispute
Madonna and Guy Ritchie have again been embroiled in a legal dispute. This time they are fighting about the care arrangements for their 15 year old son, Rocco who failed...
A simple guide to trusts
Many people who want to give their assets to their loved ones choose a trust to allow them to retain some control over their assets as part of their inheritance tax...
The French diplomat’s daughter, his disputed Will, the false CCTV evidence and the family inheritanc
After the widely reported inheritance claim brought by an adult child in the Ilott v Mitson case, the recent case of Brennan v Prior is another example of an adult child disputing their inheritance. ...
Suspension of childcare vouchers not discriminatory
A recent judgment will come as a welcome relief for employers after the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) confirmed that it is not discriminatory to suspend the provision of childcare vouchers...
Ilott v Mitson inheritance dispute going all the way to the Supreme Court
On 1 March 2016 the Supreme Court granted three charities permission to appeal an inheritance dispute. The Court of Appeal decision in 2015 attracted a significant media response and no...
Helping our children without paying more inheritance tax
With many people living longer and the younger generation unlikely to be as well off as their parents, helping our children and grandchildren financially is increasingly common. Concerns about inheritance...
Details in the Will kept secret
Unusually, the Will of recently deceased American author Harper Lee, the writer of To Kill A Mockingbird, is to be kept private after an Alabama Judge ordered the record sealed. ...
No fault divorce update
The second reading of the ‘No Fault’ Divorce Private Members Bill is due in Parliament on 11 March 2016. At the moment, to apply for a divorce in England and...
DNA test is the key to inheritance dispute over $1billion estate
A legal dispute spanning three countries and involving an estimated $1bn fortune went before the High Court recently. The key issue involves access to tissue samples from the oligarch’s body,...
Debenhams Ottaway in the top 50 Hertfordshire Power List
Debenhams Ottaway is one of only four Hertfordshire law firms ranked in the top 50 of The Hertfordshire Power 100. Each week, local business publication Hertfordshire Business Independent reports The Hertfordshire...
Debenhams Ottaway Dragon leads Team Cohesion to success
Team Cohesion, a group of students from St Albans Girls School led by their Dragon, Alex Neale, litigation lawyer at Debenhams Ottaway was triumphant at the Dragons’ Apprentice St Albans...
Cap on care costs delayed – now is the time to plan
Why save and nurture my finances only for them to be used to pay for my care? The Care Act 2014 was to be introduced in April 2016 to cap...
47,426 deaths registered in January 2016 – did they each have a Will?
The number of deaths registered in England and Wales in January 2016 was recorded as 47,426 according to figures recently released by the Office of National Statistics. Despite the fact...
Shooting blindly in the ‘battle of the forms’
The term ‘battle of the forms’ has been coined to describe situations where parties have reached an agreement negotiated on two different sets of standard terms, and it is uncertain...
Changing schools post divorce
Half of all couples who divorce have children under 16 and in full time education. Whatever problems existed to trigger the relationship breakdown will inevitably intensify if one parent moves out of...
Can employers monitor employees’ personal communications during work hours?
In the recent case of Barbulescu v Romania, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that the employee’s right to privacy under the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR)...