There is a whole host of reasons and circumstances that can leave people’s finances in disarray. Even with the best of intentions, there are times when situations occur and keeping up with repayments is not possible.

If you find yourself facing such a situation, it can be easy to want to hide and ignore demands for payment. However, hiding from your creditors will not make the situation go away and could even mean you incur extra charges and cause damage to your credit score; affecting future financing options.

Smith Partnership, one of the largest firms of solicitors in the East Midlands, offers its view on the impact of Brexit on UK regulatory law, following the dramatic results of the EU referendum on 23rd June 2016. 

Kevin McGrath, Partner at Smith Partnership commented: “For many who voted leave in the EU referendum, one of the primary motivations was to restore the sovereignty of the United Kingdom parliament, and to wrestle away from Europe its apparent control over our law making. 

One of the first questions we are asked when someone dies is “what do I do now?”

If the person who has died has left a Will, it is the responsibility of the Executors named in the Will to deal with the estate. Our Solicitors are best placed to guide you carefully through the initial process of registering the death and dealing with the assets held by the deceased. The first thing to establish is whether a “Grant of Probate” is needed.

At some point in our lives we will almost certainly need someone reliable to call on, when life gets tough. This may be anything from support during an illness or help in the home. At Smith Partnership we understand when it comes to needing help with financial affairs, you may need to engage with a number of organisations such as banks and insurance or pension companies. 

The Home Secretary Amber Rudd has come under pressure this month for failing to publish a report on deaths and serious incidents in police custody.  In a letter published in The Guardian, a coalition of activist groups called on the Home Secretary to release the report immediately.

Over the last few years the use of social media has become one of the most common places for most people to source news, entertainment and share social banter with friends and family members. However did you realise it has now become a source of invaluable information and evidence for family lawyers?

Social media platforms have also become increasingly important for businesses to raise brand awareness and share news, therefore if people are using social media for personal or business purposes it is advisable to be very careful and considered when uploading content.

Smith Partnership has followed a seemingly normal divorce legal case ruling with interest when advising its clients, where a wife was refused a divorce simply on the basis of her petition of her husband’s alleged unreasonable behaviour.

High profile divorce cases are increasingly finding their way to the front pages of newspapers more than ever before, often involving celebrities or where the assets are of such a high level as to be of interest to the readers, however this case was far from it. 

The Case: Owens versus Owens

Any employee seeking to pursue a claim in the employment tribunals must first have engaged in the ACAS Early Conciliation (”Early Conciliation”). 

In the majority of cases, an employee must bring their claim within three months less one day of the act complained of.  The Early Conciliation process, though, “stops the clock” so that the time spent in Early Conciliation is not counted against the employee’s three month less one day time limit. 

The news that the government have scrapped their controversial plans to increase the Probate fees, justifying the announcement on the basis that the snap general election proposed for 8 June has disrupted the decision-making process.

For the time being, therefore, the Probate fees will remain at £155.00 whether your Estate is worth £5,000 or £5,000,000.