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    You are here: Home / Insights / Page 72

    Are you ready for Shared Parental Leave?

    15th July 2015 by

    In respect of children born or matched for adoption on or after 5 April 2015, parents can now share leave entitlement by taking Shared Parental Leave (SPL). We haven’t seen a rush of interest in SPL but it is likely to become more popular as time goes on. Therefore, if you haven’t already, we recommend employers develop a policy that sets out the rules and procedures for applying for and taking SPL as this is a confusing area.  A policy will help to alleviate concern amongst both employers and employees, and ensure any applications are dealt with in a fair and consistent manner. Continue reading →

    15th July 2015 0 Comments Employment law blog posts

    Conveyancing Association calls for open engagement

    13th July 2015 by

    The Conveyancing Association (CA) has begun a course of action that is designed to foster positive relations with the lender community in order to try and provide a smoother conveyancing process for both buyers and sellers.

    The CA move comes in the wake of 2013’s Conveyancing Association Protocol, an initiative designed to provide impetus and guidance to try to ensure that conveyancers, regardless of whether they were representing buyers or sellers, were “singing from the same hymn sheet”. This document was followed by 2014’s Conveyancing Association Best Practice Guide for Conveyancers and Estate Agents.

    Continue reading →

    13th July 2015 0 Comments Conveyancing blog posts ,

    Firm must pay professional negligence for property advice failures

    7th July 2015 by

    International law firm Bird & Bird has been told it must pay £1.8m in property solicitor professional negligence compensation as a result of its failure to inform a client of the development of property adjacent to the one it planned to purchase; a development which would have had a negative impact on the value of the purchased property.

    The claimant, Orientfield Holdings Ltd, began the professional negligence claim in relation to its attempted purchase of a property in St John’s Wood, North London, for £25m.

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    7th July 2015 0 Comments Professional negligence blog posts ,

    SLC calls for boycott of conveyancing seminar

    6th July 2015 by

    The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) has called on residential conveyancing solicitors to boycott the conveyancing seminar being held in London by Metro Bank on 2 July.

    Although it might at first seem harsh, the call has been issued because Metro Bank does not include licensed conveyancers on its panel, a strategy which has resulted in strong criticism from SLC and prompted the body to suggest it might refer Metro to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) – it is understood that any decision hinges on the SLC’s receipt of legal advice regarding Metro Bank’s panel.

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    6th July 2015 0 Comments Conveyancing blog posts , , , ,

    Sony must face negligence claims

    30th June 2015 by

    Sony Pictures Entertainment has failed in an attempt to have a professional negligence claim against it thrown out.

    The claim, which is being brought by nine ex-employees, relates to the high-profile cyber attack that hit the studio in the wake of its release of The Interview, a film about an assassination attempt on North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un.

    The judge in the US court said that the claimants were free to pursue their allegations that Sony Corporation had been professionally negligent in failing to ensure adequate security from cyber “hack” attacks.

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    30th June 2015 0 Comments Professional negligence blog posts ,

    Buy-to-let conveyancing a factor in shortage of properties

    27th June 2015 by

    A boom in the number of buy-to-let conveyancing customers is a significant factor in the current major property shortage in the UK. Estate agents averaged just 52 properties per branch during May, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ most recent reports.

    The figures mean that there are now fewer properties on the market than at any time in the past 37 years.

    Unfortunately, for first-time buyers and those hoping to position themselves to gain a foothold in the UK property market, it is buy-to-let conveyancing customers who are creating the squeeze; the Council for Mortgage Lenders recently found that one in seven of all mortgages currently outstanding in the UK are for buy-to-let properties. Five years ago this figure was just one in nine.

    Continue reading →

    27th June 2015 0 Comments Conveyancing blog posts , , ,