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Dealing with dampness caused by condensation

As the weather turns colder and the days become darker and damper, many people are dreading the return of damp and mould to their homes. Condensation dampness is a menace…

November 17, 2016
Blog

Homelessness – sleeping out to raise funds for webber street day centre

As housing lawyers, we have daily contact with clients facing the threat – or reality – of homelessness and we do all we can using the power of the law...

November 14, 2016
Opinion

The bedroom tax: discrimination or simply discriminatory effects?

On 9 November 2016 the Supreme Court handed down a significant judgment on several joined cases centring on the much disputed bedroom tax.

November 11, 2016
Blog

Today is Equal Pay Day

Today (10 November 2016) is equal pay day. If you are a women, today is the day that you effectively stop earning relative to men. Due to the 18% differential...

November 10, 2016
Blog

On Divorce: What do you actually “need”?

Financial “Needs” are always considered before a court makes a financial order to resolve the distribution of money of a marriage. WHAT IS A FINANCIAL ORDER?

November 9, 2016
Opinion

Married at first sight

In its second series on TV, “Married at First Sight” shows couples, matched by experts, getting married on their very first meeting – as complete strangers! But what happens if...

November 2, 2016
Opinion

Family Drug and Alcohol Court – a different approach to tackling substance misuse and its impact on families

I had my first experience of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) as a trainee solicitor. My supervisor was representing a father with longstanding alcohol dependency. He was a...

October 31, 2016
Opinion

Total Recall

It is not an uncommon occurrence in the UK for products to be recalled. Often this is a minor inconvenience but the reason for the recall is because the product...

October 31, 2016
Opinion

Practice Direction 27A – A gentle reminder…..

With increasing cuts in funding of cases and the increasing number of litigants in person on the rise before the family courts, practitioners and advocates have recently received a gentle...

October 27, 2016
Blog

What is in a number? Age assessment and the help and support of young people in the UK

In April 2016 an amendment to the Immigration bill was passed that allowed the safe passage of unaccompanied minors to the UK. Lord Dubs, a former child refugee and campaigner...

October 26, 2016
Opinion

Killer clowns beware

With Halloween, fast approaching it’s highly likely that we will see further reports of incidents involving ‘killer clowns’ in the UK. Over the past few weeks the media has been…

October 26, 2016
Opinion

Bringing down the house

With the evident and increasing demand for affordable housing, the conditions of properties already in occupation are often overlooked. Over the last 9 months, the housing charity Shelter in co-operation...

October 26, 2016
Opinion

LASPO – It’s time for a review, but by whom?

‘A plea to all the lawyers – those coming up and those already there. You have got to accept that bandying about access to justice, it’s really quite fraudulent. To...

October 25, 2016
Opinion

Samsung phones recalled

Almost everyone now owns a smartphone. We carry it in our pockets and our bags, some even sleep with it under their pillow. But do we really consider the serious...

October 25, 2016
Blog

Should I have a pre-nuptial agreement?

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Amal and George Clooney and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are just some of the big name stars to have signed pre-nuptial agreements ahead of...

October 21, 2016
Blog

Helping vulnerable women building a more positive future

I recently attended a very interesting talk by an organisation called Pause. Pause work with women who have experienced repeat removals of their children through care proceedings. The Pause programme...

October 20, 2016
Opinion

My first few weeks at HJA

I started working at Hodge Jones & Allen on 1st August 2016 and I am thoroughly enjoying working at the firm. Fighting for what’s right is the underlying ethos of…

October 20, 2016
Opinion

Worried about your pension?

It’s easy not to think about your pension while you are working and earning a salary. But now that life expectancy is longer, you could live for decades without earning...

October 19, 2016
Opinion

‘Openness and transparency’ or ‘conceal and cover up’ in our NHS?

Following publication of an independent report into 10 deaths at the hands of mental health patients under the care of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the Trust tweeted a quote...

October 18, 2016
Blog

Reflecting on Breast Cancer Awareness Month and planning for the unknown

I have been reminded by recent press and media stories that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it has made me stop and think again about how life changing...

October 18, 2016
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