As of 2nd November 2020, all probate applications made by solicitors will now have to be conducted online under Ministry of Justice proposals to encourage practitioners to go digital, which should make it easier for individuals to deal with non-contentious grants of probate. Following a government consultation, it was found there was broad support for an online service, due to the benefits of being able to submit applications at any time of day, monitor the progress of cases and receive electronic notifications of developments....
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  Larcomes have a long-established record of obtaining compensation for sufferers of Asbestos related Diseases. We speak to Richard Hopgood, senior solicitor and director at Larcomes, who specialises in representing asbestos disease victims and their families and in dealing with compensation claims for asbestos related pleural thickening, asbestosis, asbestos related lung cancer and mesothelioma. What is an Industrial Disease Compensation Claim? Industrial Disease is a name given to illnesses that are historically linked to substances or working practices that have been found to be harmful to health...
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  The Coronavirus crisis has seen a huge surge in people contacting domestic abuse helplines, with over 40,000 calls and contacts made to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline during the first three months of the national lockdown and Domestic abuse charity, Refuge said they received 80 per cent more calls than usual in June.  The Domestic Abuse Bill which is currently before Parliament, will come into force in April 2021 and it is expected that thousands of victims of domestic abuse and their children will...
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Settlement Agreements could be on the increase Due to the impact of Covid-19 on businesses across the UK, some employers are reducing their workforces, and this seems to have led to an increase in employees being offered Settlement Agreements. What is a Settlement Agreement? In employment law, a Settlement Agreement is a legal contract and resolution between employer and a current or former employee, which settles a dispute that the employee or employer may have. The employee is signing an agreement that waives or settles...
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Solving Disputes Disputes by their very nature can be a stressful issue to tackle and often this is compounded by the fact that many people do not fully understand the different options open to them to resolve a dispute when a disagreement and potential conflict arises.  In this article we look at the main types of dispute resolution and what they might mean for you. What is Alternative dispute resolution? Over the last 20 years or so, the UK legal system has been actively driving...
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  What is Leasehold Enfranchisement? There are two types of property ownership, freehold or leasehold. Freehold is the outright ownership of the property, including the land it is build on with no time limit to the ownership. Owners of leasehold properties own the property for a fixed term (as set out in the lease) but not the land on which it stands on with the ownership of the property reverting to the freeholder at the end of the lease term, unless the lease is extended....
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Chloe Evans is a chartered legal executive in our private client team at Larcomes, assisting and advising clients in all aspects of Private Client Law, including Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Deputyship application and administration of estates. She has established a rapport with local care homes and authorities to ensure that clients are given the best care and professional support. Chloe enjoys meeting new clients and has always focused on providing them with support, guidance and practical legal solutions. We caught up with her to...
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The Coronavirus (COVID-19) virus has continued to impact on many businesses and that of  day to day life, and whilst we have started to see some return to normal, the Government is still introducing restrictions and regulations (as set out in the Coronavirus Act 2020) on an ad-hoc basis which could cause disruption to many businesses’ ability to perform their contractual obligations. In this instance, some businesses may look to rely on a force majeure clause to excuse parties from performing their obligations or from...
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Conveyancing Buying or selling a property and the conveyancing process involved is often complex for both buyer and seller and some of the information or unfamiliar legal terms can seem confusing if you have not heard of them before. Our Conveyancing FAQ aims to help you make sense of the conveyancing process and explains some of the common conveyancing legal terms. What does conveyancing mean? Conveyancing, in its most simple form, is the area of law that involves the preparation of documents necessary for the...
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  Personal Protective Equipment Whilst PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) has become more prevalent in the press recently due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, it has long been an established requirement for employers to provide PPE that is both suitable of the task in hand and that is also in good condition.  Most of the law in England and Wales regarding PPE can be found here, in the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. In addition to providing the correct PPE, employers must also ensure that...
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