COVID-19 Legal Hub

In response to mounting and more vocal concern, the Government has announced the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, a world leading scheme to assist millions of self-employed individuals in the UK. So what is the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme?

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was announced on 20 March 2020 to provide security for employees over the coming months in light of the current crisis. The scheme provides a mechanism that allows businesses to retain employees without the need for them to work and for those employees to still receive a minimum level of their salary. The scheme’s purpose is to reduce the amount of redundancies and avoid employees being laid off without pay.

Our clients who are living with asbestos diseases fall into the category of people classed by the Government as “extremely vulnerable” and who are currently being shielded during the COVID-19 crisis. We understand that this is a very distressing time as they are having to make deeply personal decisions about whether or not to risk attending hospital to get the cancer treatment they so desperately need.

As the UK begins to adjust to the “new normal” that we face amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many families are approaching their affairs with an increased sense of reflection and pragmatism. In the Wills and Probate sector, this has manifested itself in a significant increase in clients looking to update or create their will.

A proposed judicial review challenge to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (‘NICE’) COVID-19 guideline for clinical care has secured important changes to protect the rights of people with autism, learning difficulties and mental disorders from unjustified discrimination in access to critical care during the coronavirus pandemic.

With comments from the Prime Minister in the House of Commons saying that they would be passing legislation to protect private renters during the Covid-19 epidemic you would hope that people could sleep easier in their beds at night during this national crisis.

During these unprecedented times, there are a number of questions on every employee’s mind about what might happen to their employment in the coming weeks/months. Read our Employment team's COVID-19 FAQs for employees.

As the Coronavirus pandemic unfolds, businesses across the UK are entering uncharted territory. From self-isolation to sick pay, read our Employment team's COVID-19 FAQs for businesses.

In these unprecedented times, the Private Client team here at Hodge Jones & Allen Solicitors wishes good health to everyone with the hope that life will return to normal as soon as possible. In the interim, we are very much still dedicated to helping those who require assistance, particularly those at risk who require assistance with their Will or Probate.

It can be daunting to be told you are at risk of redundancy. In such circumstances, it is helpful to understand what your rights are, as well as, your employer’s obligations towards you.Redundancy can be a lawful reason to terminate someone’s employment. However, just because an employee is told she is being made redundant, does not mean that a dismissal resulting will be automatically lawful.

A lease or tenancy agreement may contain a clause which suspends the rent in the event that the property becomes uninhabitable. The clause may state that there should be a suspension of the whole of the rent, or sometimes part of the rent, subject to how much of the property is usable.

Whilst the Government continues to announce ever stricter measures for the UK’s population to help stop the catastrophic spread of the virus sweeping the globe, the consistent message to all has been to stay in our homes. This advice is impossible to follow for those who are homeless and sleeping rough, not to mention the estimated 70,400 people who are relying on friends and family to “sofa surf”. With households encouraged to stay indoors it can only be imagined the strain that these relationships are being put under.

As much of the country finds itself under “lockdown”, after the Prime Minister announced strict measures for leaving home on 23 March 2020, what is the position with children from separated families moving between households?

A Section 21 (Housing Act 1988) Notice is the first step a landlord would take to gain back possession of a property. It is a written notice to terminate an Assured Shorthold Tenancy on a ‘no fault’ basis (without providing a reason for wishing to take possession). There are new requirements under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 which can be seen in recent post about legal guidance for landlords and tenants on the Tenant Fees Act 2019.

We are living in a situation caused by the Coronavirus which for the vast majority of the population is unprecedented. Most of us will never have experienced anything in our lifetimes equivalent to the effect this pandemic will have on our lives. This is a time of massive uncertainty, of global concern, and soaring rates of infection. Many people’s lives at risk. The virus has severely affected the economy, which in turn has affected the income of a lot of people, and in some cases put their livelihoods at risk.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) originating from China on 31st December 2019 has now infected over 100,000 people in over 100 countries with nearly 31,500 deaths. As at 8th March there was over 250 reported and confirmed cases in the UK with 3 deaths. The risk level has been raised from low to moderate and the UK government produced an action plan on 3rd March 2020 to deal with the growing epidemic.