Expert Comments

Opinion

Staying warm this winter – be mindful of the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning

With winter firmly upon us, home owners and tenants alike will be switching on the heating to keep warm. Whether you have a gas boiler, water heater or coal fire,...

January 2, 2018
Opinion

Homeless Families this Christmas

Shelter estimates in its recent study that 128,000 children will be homeless in emergency accommodation this Christmas. This is an increase of 20,000 from last year and 52% higher than...

December 22, 2017
Opinion

The Right to Buy: A tale of two cities

The Right to Buy scheme was one of the flagship policies of Margaret Thatcher's government, and one of its most controversial legacies. Introduced in 1980, it gave former council tenants...

December 21, 2017
Opinion

Grenfell – Six Months On

Last week, on Thursday, 14th December a memorial service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark 6 months since the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, to remember those that lost...

December 18, 2017
Opinion

No Universal Credit for Christmas

The purpose of the government’s flagship policy of Universal Credit is to combine a range of working-age benefits into a single payment. The theory was that it would simplify the...

December 18, 2017
Blog

White Christmas? Don't have a slippery one

We have already experienced snowfall in the UK and my colleague, Lauren Hannath has commented how hazardous weather conditions of ice, snow and heavy rain greatly increase the risk to...

December 18, 2017
Opinion

Despite my natural scepticism, I found myself genuinely impressed by the Lammy Review.”

The Lammy Review was finally published on 8 September 2017. Despite my natural scepticism, I found myself genuinely impressed. But will it be acted on? And will it make a difference? That over 40…

December 15, 2017
Opinion

Disrepair but no disrepair claim? Tenants’ Rights under the Environmental Protection Act

Sadly, many tenants find themselves living in unsatisfactory living conditions which are having or could have an impact on the health and safety of their families. However, not all are...

December 14, 2017
Blog

Private Renting, Disrepair and an Unsatisfactory Landlord

Around 5 million households in Britain are in private rented accommodation and a quarter of these households are families with children. It has been reported that this number is set...

December 14, 2017
Opinion

Children held unlawfully in police cells – an institutional and systematic problem

A recent report relating to inspections of police custody has found that too many children who were charged and refused bail remained in custody overnight. Some of these children were...

December 14, 2017
Opinion

Access to justice is slow going

The Law Gazette confirmed yesterday what all practitioners have felt for a while now – claims are taking longer. Apparently we have hit a 10 year high – 560 claims...

December 13, 2017
Blog

Legal Expense Insurance Policy: choosing your solicitor gets one step easier

I have previously blogged on the growing importance of having Legal Expense Insurance to fund litigation matters given the limitations of alternative funding arrangements. A big stumbling block though was...

December 12, 2017
Opinion

Truth beneath the Cape

On 5 December 2017 the High Court ruled in Dring v Cape Distribution and others [2017] EWHC 2103 (QB) that historic documents held by the asbestos company Cape and disclosed...

December 11, 2017
Opinion

Living Wills – who knew?

This week, a significant award was made to the family of an 81 year old woman who was kept alive by a hospital, against her will. This case highlights the...

December 8, 2017
Opinion
  • fatal-claims

Bereavement Damages – The price of a life

Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things most people will ever have to go through. But losing someone due to the fault of someone else can make...

December 8, 2017
Opinion

Beauty and the Beast at Christmas

Everyone loves a good Christmas and New Year party. A big part of the build up to these events is going shopping for outfits and getting ready for a big...

December 7, 2017
Blog

Waiver of privilege even where there is a lack of advice

Legal privilege is a fundamental base of our English legal system upon which the administration of justice is built. In Ventouris v Mountain, The Italia Express (1991) 1WLR 607, Lord...

December 6, 2017
Blog

Brain Injury: Football. Not on my Head!!

It was great to see Alan Shearer back in action when he took part in the BBC documentary Alan Shearer: Dementia, Football and Me. Shearer took part in an assessment...

December 5, 2017
Opinion

#SocialHousing – the reality of what’s to come

The previous #SocialHousing position If we turn back time and go back a decade or so, we would consider #SocialHousing to be an opportunity for those who had low income...

December 4, 2017
Opinion

Investigating perinatal deaths, a new approach?

The clinical negligence team at Hodge Jones & Allen is frequently contacted by relatives of patients who have died who find their grief compounded by a lack of transparency in...

November 28, 2017
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