Slips or trips in public places such as supermarkets are common place but it

Another case dropped

Another great result

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This week I have been dealing with a housing disrepair case. Appeared in court to seek permission to add personal injury to the claim and deal with an issue of a counterclaim

Last week I was able to help an individual set aside he default judgment for a debt he accepted he owed but wasn t aware of the court proceedings as he was in prison. The judge agreed that this was one of the rare occasions where there was a good reason that default judgment ought to be set aside. The client now can now start to move forward from the errors of his past and focus on making up for his mistakes

When you instruct a law firm you usually get allocated a lawyer. When you instruct a consultant lawyer, you are choosing the lawyer. All legal work is carried out through a regulated lawyer. I act for clients (as I say) from bean to cup. In some firms you can be passed from one lawyer to another as the firm reallocates resources. Some clients have so many different people acting for them they lose track. This doesn t happen when you instruct a consultant

Today s debt recovery trial against a litigant in person was taxing. The Judge needed to make sure the Defendant wasn t disadvantaged by not being legally represented and I was questioned repeatedly by the judge in my client s case. Fortunately I had reviewed the papers throughly and was able to answer all questions.

Yesterday I had a hearing where there was a dispute as to whether my client slowed down as he approached a stop section. The rear view dash cam footage showed my client came to a stop very smoothly. The judge accepted my tea test  analogy that the stop was so smooth and quick that the conclusion was that he was slowing down as per his evidence.

Are you looking to recruit workers for your UK business? Our panel of immigration solicitors can advise you on all aspects of business immigration law. We can also help if you re facing an audit at from the UK Home Office, and help ensure your business is compliant with Tier 2 regulations. We understand that it may be complex for you to navigate this complex area of law, which is why our immigration lawyers will always begin with a detailed video consultation - to put your mind at ease. In situations like this, it helps to have the experts on your side, and to benefit from their support every step of the way. #tier2 #immigration #business #sponsorlicense

I ve had a hearing every day this week but I ve still had time to ensure my litigation clients  cases are looked after. One of the the perks of being a consultant lawyer is that I don t have to worry about being over burdened with work to ensure my clients  cases get the attention they need

Automated contracts happening now  says master of rolls Digital contracts offer 'the most exciting technological opportunities since computer processing power and the internet', said Sir Geoffrey Vos. The 'smarter contracts' project aims to promote the move from paper to digital media when creating legally binding contracts. So-called smarter contracts are widely defined, ranging from the application of electronic signatures to machine-readable digital documents, to self-executing  contracts, which may be integrated with blockchain technology. -Contract management tools enabling contracts to be read by both machines and humans so that the data they contain can be instantly extracted -The use of digital documents and blockchain technology in supply chains -Smarter parametric insurance contracts allowing for immediate payments to be made as soon as the relevant data is recorded - for example, when flights are delayed or storm damage occurs ( -Self-executing contracts being central to renewable energy microgrids, with the automatic recording of transactions and immediate payments for small amounts of energy -Smarter contracts and blockchain technology being used to expedite the sale, purchase and registration of homes ( -Smart legal contracts and non-fungible tokens being securely linked to the ownership of physical assets. " The Smarter Contracts report is a living demonstration of use cases including automated contracting, the automation of house purchases, smart supply chains reducing friction in global trade, digitized insurance pay-outs, smart energy microgrids, and artworks bought and sold as non-fungible tokens. These are not things that might happen in years to come. They are happening now" said the master of rolls.

COVIS-19 Vaccination Key Employment Law Issues - Employers should keep up to date with the latest information on the vaccine rollout program across the UK. - Employers still need to undertake coronavirus-specific risk management assessments and consider measures such as continued home or hybrid working and workplace measures such as ventilation, handwashing, social distancing, and the use of PPE even though most legal restrictions have come to an end. - Employers should stay up to date with the latest plans and advice on the UK government website, covering all UK countries, and adjust their plans accordingly. - Employees who can t have the vaccine, some individuals may be advised not to have the vaccine due to a medical condition, while others may be allergic or have trypanophobia (a fear of needles). These people could be protected by the disability provisions within the Equality Act 2010 if they refuse the vaccine. - Vaccine hesitancy  is the term used to describe either a delay in taking vaccines or a refusal to have them. It is a complex area with much scientific research considering the reasons behind it and the approaches to take. - Employees may refuse vaccines for many reasons, ranging from concerns about potential allergy, a phobia of needles or misplaced concerns about fertility. Other reasons include; - Refusal due to philosophical belief - Refusal due to religious belief If your company needs advice on how to navigate this very complex area; contact Employment lawyers https://www.lawyer365.app/s?category=employment-lawyer

Visa Support for Ukrainians in the UK Changes allow Ukrainians in the UK to have their visas temporarily extended or be able to switch onto different visa routes. Home Secretary Priti Patel: " I have ordered immediate changes to our visa policy to provide certainty to our Ukrainian friends and colleagues living, working, and studying in the UK. "We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine amid this unprovoked and antidemocratic act of Russian aggression." The changes announced for Ukrainian nationals in the UK include: - Ukrainian nationals on an existing points-based system route can extend their leave in the UK. Ukrainian nationals on an existing visitor visa can exceptionally switch into a points-based system immigration route without having to leave the UK - Ukrainian nationals on an existing visitor visa can apply under the family route for further leave without meeting the immigration status requirement, provided they meet the requirements for leave based on exceptional circumstances - Ukrainian nationals on an existing seasonal worker visa will have their leave in the UK extended to 31 December 2022 - Ukrainian nationals in temporary HGV/pork butcher jobs will have their leave in the UK extended to 31 December 2022 and will also be allowed to apply to the skilled worker route. The UK Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Kyiv is now closed and all UK visa services in Kyiv are suspended. Family members of British nationals who usually live in Ukraine and need a UK visa can apply through the new, temporary location in the Lemberg Business Centre in the city of Lviv to give their biometrics. Alternatively, you can apply through a VAC in a nearby country if you are able to safely travel. VACs are currently operating in: - Poland - Romania - Hungary - Moldova All other visa applicants will be unable to apply through a VAC in Ukraine. If you are able to safely travel, you can apply through a VAC in one of these nearby countries. If you need an immigration lawyer to explain your options please choose from a panel solicitor here https://www.lawyer365.app/s?category=immigration-lawyer&sort_by=4&view=grid

Our panel of business lawyers is here to make things easier for you. From initial start-up processes such as drafting leases and creating shareholder agreements to more complex legal work such as disputes and contractual work - there's always a business law expert available to help on the Lawyer 365 platform. If you have a business legal matter, it s important to contact us as soon as possible. Next steps: Download the Lawyer 365 app and book a free appointment with a PI Lawyer listed on the platform. www.onelink.to/fayakd www.lawyer365.app &

Leading family and criminal law firm open office in Luton. A law firm has opened a fourth office in Luton and is adding several solicitors to its growing team. The new office  The Office, 33 Alma Street  is Oxford-based SMQ Legal LLP fourth recent office opening after success with growth in Bedford, Kidlington and Oxford. Managing Director Suezanne King said: Over our many years in Oxford, we have helped many individuals in surrounding areas such as Luton - so it's great with our recent acquisition to be able to now have an office here, and we continue to welcome queries from across Oxfordshire and beyond. The firm s new office is accompanied by new hire Bianca Geangalau, who will be helping those looking for assistance in Family Law. She said: I am excited to be part of the team's rapid expansion and look forward to being part of a network of top-quality lawyers at SMQ Legal LLP". Suezanne added: "We are really looking forward to all the possibilities that will grow from our new Luton base. SMQ Legal LLP was founded from a standing start by highly regarded family and crime lawyer Suezanne King, who trained in London and practiced in London for over 6 years before moving to Oxford to start her own firm.

Commercial firm gunnercooke to accept crypto payments Full-service commercial firm gunnercooke has become the latest practice to announce it is accepting payment for services in cryptoassets such as ether and Bitcoin. It claims to be the first major law firm in the UK to offer clients the choice. Payments will be routed through Coinpass, a cryptoasset exchange registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. The firm said it expects the option to be popular with clients in the cryptoasset sector. The gunnercooke announcement cites Attestant, a cryptocurrency transactions verification service, as one that is paying by Ethereum. Bitcoin Gunnercooke expects the option to be popular with clients in the cryptoasset sector Several niche practices, including Isle of Man firm Quinn Legal, have previously announced that they will accept payment in cryptoassets, however the sector as a whole is wary. One issue is the volatility of exchange rates: Bitcoin has dropped from a high of

Living with Covid plan: End of self isolation, free testing to be slashed and other key rule changes As the onus shifts from state mandation to personal responsibility, we explore the Covid rule changes that lie ahead. Legal duty to self-isolate ends People who test positive and their close contacts will no longer be required by law to self-isolate. Anyone who receives a positive test result after Feb 24 will be advised to isolate for five days and avoid contact with vulnerable people, but will not be required to do so. People who are unvaccinated and have come into close contact with a positive case will also no longer be required to isolate. From April 1, the Government will remove the Covid provisions on statutory sick pay, which allow employees to claim sick pay and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) from the first day they are not at work. From March 24, the system will return to its pre-pandemic form, which allows people to claim sick pay after four days off work and ESA after seven days. Blanket lockdown regulations will also be replaced by a requirement on local authorities to manage outbreaks through planning and pre-existing public health powers, as they would with other diseases. The general public will no longer be able to access free lateral flow and PCR tests from the NHS from April 1. Tests are expected to be available for the over-80s and the clinically vulnerable, but the precise groups able to access them are to be decided by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) before the April 1 deadline.

Today I am appearing, via video link, a court concerning a matter where my client loaned money to her partner to purchase a vehicle and now their relationship has ended has refused to pay the money back.

Covid restrictions: The people who still have to live under the rules even after all laws scrapped in England The Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced earlier this week that all remaining Covid restrictions in England will be lifted by the end of the month as part of plans to start living with the virus . Self-isolation rules will be scrapped by the end of February even for people who test positive for Covid, while testing sites will gradually be wound down across the country. But there will likely be some parts of society that continue to implement Covid restrictions such as face masks, social distancing and self-isolation measures well into the future. The freshest exclusives and sharpest analysis, curated for your inbox Enter your email It comes as health chiefs accused Boris Johnson of irresponsible politics , warning that coronavirus cases, hospital admissions and deaths remain high. Tim Spector, professor of epidemiology at King s College London and head of the Zoe Covid study app, said on Friday that he was surprised and shocked  by the decision to scrap restrictions given the high prevalence of the Omicron variant in the UK. Britain recorded a further 66,638 Covid cases on Friday, alongside 1,308 hospital admissions and 206 coronavirus-related deaths. Here are the areas of society that may decide to keep further Covid restrictions until the spread of Omicron eases across the country: Prisons Stringent Covid measures have been in place across prisons in England and Wales since June 2020 to prevent outbreaks among staff and inmates. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said the tough Covid framework is in part to ensure security across prisons, as the prospect of large proportions of inmates contracting the virus could heighten the risk of disorder, violence, suicide, self-harm and escape . An MoJ spokesperson told i the department is currently in discussions over whether to extend Covid rules even after they are lifted for the rest of the country, but that this will likely be decided on a prison-by-prison basis according to the discretion of each governor. The 117 prisons in England and Wales are currently graded according to five levels of Covid infection  Complete Lockdown, Lockdown, Restrict, Reduce and Prepare. In all five levels, staff and inmates are required to social distance and wear PPE to prevent the spread of Covid, while all confirmed cases are forced to self-isolate. Wayne Couzens, the Metropolitan Police Service officer who kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard last year, is currently in isolation after falling seriously ill with Covid in HMP Frankland prison in County Durham. Prisons are placed in Complete Lockdown if an active outbreak is not contained by level four Lockdown measures, and the focus of the prison shifts to the preservation of life . This means inmates  social contact and time out of their cell are limited, they are not allowed time in the open air, and all meals are served at their cell door. The MoJ said in a statement last August that despite the inherently closed nature of the prison estate we have successfully avoided the reasonable worst-case scenario of explosive outbreaks and far higher fatality rates . However, justice campaigners have warned that strict Covid restrictions during the pandemic have caused significant mental distress  among prisoners. It comes after figures released last month showed that prisons in England and Wales recorded their highest ever number of deaths last year at 371, following a 28 per cent rise in suicides. Care homes Restrictions on care homes in England and Wales were eased last month as Plan B measures were lifted, allowing residents to have unlimited visitors for the first time this year. The move also saw outbreak management rules relaxed, meaning care homes must now implement tough measures for 14 days following a positive Covid case, rather than 28. Care home staff will also be asked to start using lateral flow tests before their shifts from 16 February, instead of weekly PCR tests. Care Minister Gillian Keegan said it was thanks to the continued success of the vaccine rollout  that restrictions across care homes could be eased, with the latest figures showing that around 87 per cent of care home residents have now had a booster vaccine. However, it is unlikely that the above rules will be entirely relaxed under Mr Johnson s Living with Covid  strategy due to be published later this month. Face masks are still mandatory across certain health care settings in England and Wales, including GPs, ICU wards and care homes, and the Government faces pressure to keep the measure in place until Covid cases fall further. National Care Association chair Nadra Ahmed said last month that the situation would need to be considered carefully  by independent providers, adding: I think there will be face masks and PPE in care homes for several more months.  NHS Face masks are currently still required among patients, staff and visitors across certain healthcare settings including GP practices and hospitals. NHS England confirmed last month that the UK Health Security Agency s infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance would remain in place indefinitely despite mask requirements being dropped elsewhere. NHS England is yet to comment on whether this will remain the case even after restrictions are dropped across the rest of society later this month. However, it is likely that regulations such as face masks and social distancing will remain in place in vulnerable settings as long as Covid infections remain high across the country. Professor Peter Openshaw, a Government scientific adviser, said on Friday that it would be wholly wrong  to view the pandemic as in any way over . He told the BBC: We don t know what s around the corner, there could be another variant, perhaps based on Delta or something else with higher pathogenicity, which could come back to bite us any time, and I m pretty sure that next winter we re going to see it back.  Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) The Prime Minister s announcement earlier this week that all Covid restrictions will be dropped by the end of the month sparked outrage among the clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) community. Lara Wong, spokesperson for Clinically Vulnerable Families, told i the move was devastating  to the 3.7 million people in England classed as CEV, warning that it could cost millions of people to lose their jobs. Our job opportunities are considerably reduced, and consequently more and more families are starting to lose their homes,  she said. The CEV community has long complained of being forgotten in Government announcements trumpeting the relaxation of restrictions. While Plan B measures were dropped for the majority of people in England last month, CEV people have been told to continue following strict Covid guidance set out in December, i revealed last month. Those include working from home where possible, asking visitors to wear facemasks and take lateral flow tests, ventilating their homes, washing their hands regularly, practicing social distancing and avoiding crowded enclosed spaces. i understands this guidance will remain in place for CEV people beyond the end of the month, when all remaining restrictions will be scrapped for the rest of the country. Baroness Brinton, a Liberal Democrat peer who herself is classed as CEV, said that she does not expect the Prime Minister to make a formal statement announcing that this is the case, nor does she anticipate that the Government s Living with Covid  strategy will make any mention of the 3.7m CEV people in England. But I hope they will reconsider because with the number of daily Covid cases at the moment it is clear that CEV people need to be helped to manage the risk. At the moment they are not getting any proper guidance,  she said. CEV people make up one in 20 in the population  that s a lot of people who have to go to offices and cannot work from home. Those people are losing their jobs.