Get your CFA and ATE in place before it’s too late
With the looming removal of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) insolvency exemption, insolvency practitioners need to act quickly to fund and insure cases in order...
A place in the sun, or snow, needs the right Will
Everyone looks forward to going on holiday and getting away from it all. Some take it a step further and buy a property abroad, perhaps visiting for the rest of...
When can tweets on a personal Twitter account justify a dismissal?
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) went some way towards answering this question in the case of Game v Laws UKEAT/0188/14. This case highlights the importance of employers taking a proactive approach to...
Uncertainties in ‘holding over’ for tenants and landlords
A recent Court of Appeal (CoA) ruling reinforces the need for tenants and commercial landlords to seek to minimise the uncertainties of ‘holding over’. A contracted-out tenant who continues to occupy the...
Two easy steps to help your family financially
Step 1: Pension nomination If you are contributing to a pension scheme but have not yet taken any benefits, this can be a valuable part of your estate. Of course,...
The start of something new
People often use the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one to evaluate their lives. This can result in someone deciding that they are unhappy...
The shifting sands of IHT
In the chancellor’s autumn statement he dropped plans for a general review of inheritance tax and trusts. However the government has now published draft legislation targeting multiple-trust inheritance tax (IHT)...
Stamp duty changes – Winners and losers
From 4 December 2014 Stamp Duty Land Tax, payable on the purchase of a residential property, will be charged at different rates depending on the portion of the purchase price...
Putting St Albans ‘City of Expertise’ on the map for professional services
Debenhams Ottaway, along with other lawyers, accountants and chartered surveyors is working with St Albans City and District Council to raise the profile of St Albans as a ‘City of...
Property litigation update
Prominent letting agent agrees to waive tenancy renewal fees In a recent case, Foxtons had entered into a letting agreement with a private landlord entitling them to a commission payment...
Obesity in the workplace: Don’t believe all you read in the press
Efforts to lose weight come into sharp focus in January after the excesses of Christmas. How many of us have decided to shed a few pounds this month? For some,...
How to help your children if the worst should happen
A lack of information, busy lives and a reluctance to think about death means parents of young children struggle to make plans for their children in the event of the...
Helping to safeguard vulnerable adults this season
Christmas and New Year is a time for many to be with family and friends but what about those people we meet in our professional lives who are lonely, or...
Debenhams Ottaway Successful in Enforcement Notice Appeal
Debenhams Ottaway recently won an appeal against an Enforcement Notice at Runways Fam, Bovingdon Airfield. For many years Bovingdon Airfield has been used for motor activities such as advanced driver...
Debenhams Ottaway signs 10 year contract with Peppermint
Debenhams Ottaway is the latest Advanced Legal (formerly Videss) client to join the growing number of leading law firms investing in the multi award winning Peppermint Legal Service Platform. As...
Changes to holiday pay calculations and how your business is affected
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) made headlines recently when it ruled that certain overtime needed to be taken into account by employers when calculating holiday pay. The decision sent the...
An exciting year for Debenhams Ottaway
Debenhams Ottaway has just announced a major investment in a state of the art IT system. The multi award winning Peppermint Legal Service Platform will replace Debenhams Ottaway’s existing systems...
Debenhams Ottaway supports Eastern Approaches 2014
For the second year running, Debenhams Ottaway is sponsoring the University of Hertfordshire Galleries Eastern Approaches exhibition at the Museum of St Albans. This annual open submission exhibition has marked itself out...
Holiday pay case decided today by EAT
A number of linked cases referred to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) on the issue of whether holiday pay should include overtime payments, have been decided today. The EAT has...
Estate planning opportunities from pension pot tax change
The chancellor’s announcement to scrap a 55% tax charge on unspent pension pots has been hailed as a new way to save inheritance tax. The change is specific to drawdown pensions...