Couples moving in together currently have little in the way of a framework to ensure the fair dissolution of assets in the event of the relationship breaking down. With cohabitation becoming more and more commonplace, especially where families are concerned, with a quarter of children now growing up within cohabiting familes.   The nature of the Bill   The Bill’s proposals are reasonably modest, and it’s not designed to be a “divorce Bill for cohabitants” – so the relief at

In 1989, the private sector housing market was altered by the introduction of the Assured Shorthold Tenancy (“the AST”). Since 1997, the AST has been the default agreement between residential landlords and tenants.   The significance of an AST is that it can be terminated by a landlord without any fault on a tenant’s part. Under s21 of the Housing Act 1988, 2 months’ notice is required to do so. Without s21, a landlord would have to prove grounds for

On 5th August 2019, the actor Emma Watson launched a workplace harassment legal advice helpline, aiming to give more women a better understanding of their rights. The helpline is being funded by public donations, including money from Watson, and will be managed by Rosa, the UK fund for women and girls.   Positive progress   The launch of this new advice line has been widely welcomed and marks a positive step forward. Research carried out by the TUC has found

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has just released its annual strategic report, highlighting the main concerns people have about how companies collect and store their personal information. The Trust and Confidence report found that the perceived importance of data protection has increased on previous years, with significantly higher numbers of people strongly agreeing that their personal information should be protected by companies they share it with.   Major findings   The report also found that more people were concerned about

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee of the House of Commons has concluded an inquiry into the unfair practices of the leasehold market. The result is a lengthy report addressing the issues leaseholders face, considering the potential need for reforms and/or interventions. The report does make some recommendations to the Government, the Law Commission and the Competition and Markets Authority, and those entities have two months to respond. The key areas for concern are as follows:   Ground rents

The Government has, once again, completed a review of the Discount Rate.  This is the rate used by all parties in a personal injury/clinical negligence action when quantifying future losses.   Historically, the figure used to be 2.5%.  The Government then reduced it to -.75%, which brought about considerably higher awards for Claimants.  The paying parties were up in arms about the substantial reduction.  In reality, the reason for the considerable reduction came about because the Government had delayed reviewing

Greater awareness of employer obligations – and equality, diversity and discrimination issues –has led to a 40% increase in the number of claims made at UK employment tribunals, according to figures released by Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service). The conciliatory organisation announced that 40,000 claims were lodged in the 12 months to 31 March 2019.   Why are Employment tribunals more common? The reasons behind this increase are complex but include the power of the internet and social

In the wake of the controversy surrounding the misuse of Non-disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and settlement agreements, the UK government has announced they will be introducing new legislation to crack down on abuses of the system. There has been mounting pressure on ministers to act, following revelations that some prominent figures have been using so-called ‘gagging clauses’ to silence former employees who have accused them of sexual misconduct.   New proposals announced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

A recent report has proven that even judges are not immune from GDPR requirements after a member of the judiciary was involved in an accidental breach that meant their emails were automatically forwarded to a malicious account in Nigeria.   The slip-up was revealed in an annual report from HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to the Information Commissioner’s Office, alongside four other personal data-related incidents.   According to the report from HMCTS, the breach was uncovered on 20th September

Planning the practical arrangements after your death is a matter that most people would prefer not to think about, but it’s vital that you consider what happens to your assets when the inevitable happens. The death of a loved one is a time of considerable emotional upheaval for family members and it’s as much in their interest as yours that your wishes are fulfilled about how your estate will be shared out.   Sadly, the number of inheritance disputes heard