News
First time buyers will need to act quickly to benefit from the current Stamp Duty Land Tax (“SDLT”) relief.
Three prisoners (including Jeremy Bamber) serving whole life sentences for murder have been told today that their sentences do not amount to inhuman or degrading punishment and that the sentence is not disporportionate to the crime committed.
GOTELEE DO NOT PAY REFERRAL FEES in personal injury cases. Many will have heard and read in the news today about the "scandal" of referral fees paid by lawyers to insurers in a "dysfunctional" personal injury system. Tim Humpage and his team have established their excellent reputation in personal injury work on client referral and referrals from other professionals, without needing to pay for the referral of cases. This fact alone sets Gotelee apart from the majority of personal injury lawyers - and you may feel gives our clients confidence that they are getting the best representation at their time of most need.
Many will wonder how it is that the sentencing for such a despicable crime could be as little as a minimum term of 15 and 14 years respectively for the two convicted defendants. The answer lies in the fact that sentencing for murder has, in some respects, been made significantly harsher since 2003.
Two related developments here and both are good news for employers.
It was established some time ago that a worker on long term sick leave who eventually leaves, can claim pay for any statutory holiday built up during the time off sick. One question has been left in doubt - how far back can the worker claim the holiday pay? The following cases help to clarify.
A person undergoing selection for redundancy has a right to see her scores and know the criteria against which she is being scored. But does a failure to provide other information mean a dismissal is unfair?
A person is protected from discrimination if they are treated less favourably because they are married or in a civil partnership (Incidentally, a person cannot claim discrimination if they are treated less favourably because they are unmarried).
I know, I know, it’s one of our favourite subjects – what comes within the definition of religion or belief when deciding who is protected from discrimination in the workplace. The ingenuity of litigants has been impressive and has generally been rewarded.
Workers on a ‘field break ’ can be required to take annual leave during periods when they are not working (Russell & others v Transocean International Resources Ltd & others).
Hugh Rowland comments in the East Anglian Daily Times on the policy of dealing with offences by community resolution and other out of court disposals rather than by court action.
The new Ipswich Town Centre plan has been published for consultation
The Supreme Court gave Judgment on the 9 November 2011 in the case of Jones –v- Kernott involving a couple who had lived together but not married and had purchased a house in joint names. An unequal contribution to the initial purchase price was not necessarily enough to show that shares on sale should be divided unequally.
On 9 November 2011 the Supreme Court (the highest Court of England, Wales & Scotland) gave Judgment in a case concerning the contentious issue of joint owners’ entitlement to shares in the proceeds of a home where those owners are not married.
The EAT has confirmed that there is no longer such a thing as "self-dismissal".
On 3 October 2011, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, delivered a speech to the Conservative Party conference in which he stated that the unfair dismissal qualifying period would rise to two years, and that fees will be introduced for employees wishing to bring employment tribunal claims.
Tribunal statistics show a surprising increase in claims by part-time workers and age discrimination claims.
In a recent case, the Employment Appeal Tribunal has held that it was not a reasonable adjustment for an employer to have to offer an employee who was on long term sick leave a career break.
Liverpool City Council provided a reference for Mr Jackson which included unsubstantiated concerns about his performance. Mr Jackson brought a claim which went all the way to the Court of Appeal, but they held that the reference was not unfair.
The EAT has held that there is nothing to stop an employee claiming sick pay while medically unfit for one job, and carrying on working for another job for which she is still fit as long as the two employment contracts are with separate employers.
The EAT has confirmed that time spent staying overnight in accommodation paid for by the employer is not working time and there is no obligation to pay national minimum wage in respect of that time.