If you have been notified about a challenge to a will relating to an estate in which you have an interest, you may wonder whether you can defend the...
There is no requirement that you use a solicitor, or licensed conveyancer, when buying a house. You could choose to represent yourself. However, when...
Tenants of residential long leases generally enjoy rights to extend the term of their lease. They may also enjoy rights in respect of the management...
If you are a healthcare employer, what to do with your unvaccinated employees is not clear cut, despite what the generic advice out there might have...
The pandemic continues to affect everyone, albeit in different ways and to differing extents, with charities especially being hit hard over the last...
Porter Dodson has appointed a new associate to the Dispute Resolution Team. Helen Williams joins the firm with more than 15 years’ experience in the...
We are very proud of our Charity of the Year programme and the support it receives from our staff. With 8 offices across Somerset and Dorset, we are...
We are very proud of our Charity of the Year programme and the support it receives from our staff. With 8 offices across Somerset and Dorset, we are...
We would normally host Christmas drinks for all our offices in December. Like many others we have been unable to celebrate Christmas in our usual way...
In a controversial announcement made by the Government on 25 July 2020, wills witnessed via video link are to be legalised temporarily. As expected,...
On 21 July 2020, HMRC published draft legislation proposing changes to the working time requirements for Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) share...
For many prospective parents planning or working through a surrogacy arrangement, the government-imposed restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak...
We recommend that everyone has a power of attorney in place. It will ensure that your affairs can be managed in the event you do not have capacity to...
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks you can't fail to have noticed the rapidly escalating concerns surrounding the spread...
Certain people who have been in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983 (‘sectioned’) can get free aftercare when they leave hospital. Section 117...
What is a care home top-up fee? If you are not eligible for NHS continuing healthcare but you have social care needs and are therefore eligible for a...
The firm and several of its lawyers have recently been ranked in independent legal guides, The Legal 500 UK and Chambers UK. The guides recommend law...
Sometimes a challenge can seem unattainable, but Porter Dodson’s riders were determined not to let this one beat them! Led by experienced rider, Phil...
Are you considering a prenuptial agreement? According to a recent survey*, if you’re under 25, the answer is yes. Of the 136 respondents aged between...
A bike repair masterclass took place last Wednesday for the 'tryhard ten' taking on the ‘great eight’ office cycle challenge on 5th September in aid...
Porter Dodson is delighted to be shortlisted in the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) National Awards 2019 for the Law Firm of the Year...
Kate, Robyn, Scott, Barnaby, Rob Titcombe and I converged on the village of Yetminster south of Yeovil and Sherborne for a second ride out this last...
We were joined at Wincanton last week by clients and professional contacts for a day at the races. Despite placing an order for good weather, the sun...
When it comes to employment-related disputes, most employers immediately think about unfair dismissal. Thanks to the abolition of fees in July 2017,...
We've been working with Justin and his team at Langham since 2014. Each year, we buy their wine, specially branded with our logo, for gifts to staff...
Dorset Shellfish is a family run business based in Portland and owned by Caroline Dever. Whilst husband Graham and son Karl are out on their sailing...
We went to visit the wonderful Capreolus Fine Foods and were fortunate enough to be given a tour of the premises by Karen herself. Seeing all of the...
Resolution is a group of family lawyers, and other professionals, that promotes a non-confrontational approach to resolving family disputes. Members...
When couples divorce, if they are unable to agree on how their assets should be split, the Court can be asked to determine how their resources should...
There are two ways to bring an end to a marriage – annulment or divorce. While a divorce legally ends a marriage, an annulment declares the marriage...
The World Mental Health Organisation has designated 10th October each year as a day to raise awareness for mental health and for people/businesses in...
Collaborative law is an alternative way of dealing with divorce, children issues and the resolution of financial matters following the breakdown of a...
Cohabiting couples are the fastest growing family type in the UK, with approximately 3.3 million in 2016. Unmarried partners often assume they enjoy...
Not a day goes by at the moment without sexual harassment claims being splashed across the media. You might think that this is a problem reserved for...
Following the implementation of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 on 6 April 2022, if you wish to start a divorce you can do so based...
Let’s be frank, talking about mental health is an awkward process. Awkward for the sufferer and awkward for the listener. Take by way of comparison a...
‘Deeds’, as most people remember, is a large parcel of old documents, such as conveyances. These show how the property has passed between each person...
When considering surrogacy, one of the first questions you may stumble on is where to pursue an arrangement. Online search engines provide a plethora...
The divorce process is stressful enough. Many do not realise that obtaining a divorce does not bring to an end the financial links between divorcing...
The European Court decided that a self-employed window salesman, who successfully claimed worker status, was entitled to claim unpaid holiday pay for...
Elderly Theft: Robbing the Relatives, which was broadcast on ITV1 on Thursday 30th November, certainly sets out in no uncertain terms the devastating...
As an employer, you may sometimes despair at the antics of your staff. If so, perhaps spare a thought for an Australian employer who was left with a...
Under measures announced by the Government today, all parents in full-time and part-time employment would be entitled to two weeks' bereavement leave...
The odds are you’ve reserved the right to suspend employees accused of misconduct whilst you investigate the allegations against them, either within...
As surrogacy continues to grow into a mainstream pathway to parenthood, more intended parents are looking to family members or close friends to help...
In the long-running case of Fulton & anor v Bear Scotland Ltd, the Employment Appeal Tribunal has confirmed that in claims involving ongoing unlawful...
In March 2017 the Supreme Court’s ruling in Ilott v The Blue Cross and others (previously known as Ilott v Mitson) was handed down. Despite a number...
If you are hoping to enter into a donor arrangement, either with someone you know well or someone you have met solely to conceive a child, something...
As a result of this case, on 6 April 2022, the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 was implemented, heralding no-fault divorce. Read more in...
The recent case of Bandara v British Broadcasting Corporation (2016) highlights the need to think carefully when issuing disciplinary sanctions, not...
A recent hearing before High Court Judge Peter Jackson flagged up the often very difficult decisions the Family Court is forced to make when parents...
Following the case of the wind farm millionaire, Wyatt-v-Vince, where the wife successfully obtained a lump sum payment many years after the parties...
31 October – 6 November marks the UK’s annual fertility awareness week, which seeks to promote awareness of the 1 in 6 couples who struggle to become...
Having signed up for the Moonraker Challenge, committed ourselves to seven miles and taken our compass reading lessons, we set out one sunny Saturday...
So there we all were, sat quite happily at our desks one September afternoon, minding our business, when a very innocent looking email arrived from a...
If you are considering pursuing an international surrogacy arrangement, one of the first questions on your mind is likely to be how long it will take...
In August 2016, a family won their legal battle to overturn their brother’s will after it was found that the deceased, David Poole, did not know and...
If you are considering getting divorced, you are likely to have many questions about the process. One of the key questions asked is ‘when is best to...
Following the landmark result of the referendum, interested parties may be inclined to capitalise or speculate on what comes next, but the immediate...
It has been around two weeks since the cycle ride took place. The “never again” that followed immediately after the event and for the few days after...
The provision of affordable housing has been a hot topic both in the media and Government for many years. Local Planning Authorities seek to control...
Well I had good intentions, I did the training on the turbo (see last blog post on 17th March) and I even managed to go out and about on some longer...
A parental order is the bespoke legal remedy for families who have pursued surrogacy in order to have a child. Due to our outdated laws in the UK, no...
From 1 April 2016, workers aged 25 and over are entitled to the National Living Wage, currently set at £7.20 per hour. It is, in effect, a new level...
It took at least a week before the enormity of the event and the challenges it would bring really sunk in. In my naivety I assumed I would be able to...
Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) are becoming more popular as people plan ahead for a time when they may like or need assistance with their financial...
Judges from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) have ruled that employers can read workers’ private messages sent via chat software and webmail...
It was announced in the Autumn budget last year that an additional Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) charge of 3% on the entire purchase price would be made...
It is becoming increasingly common for employees not to have a fixed place of work. Many sales agents and home-based workers spend their time on the...
If you are expecting a child with the help of a surrogate overseas, your first concern, once your baby has been discharged from hospital, will be to...
The average manager spends 20 working days each year dealing with absence issues; that’s one month out of twelve or just over 8% of working time. It...
Most of us can say that at some point we’ve had a complaint about goods or services, relating to things such as retail companies, home improvement or...
The NHS has widely publicised statistics that show 1 in 7 couples suffer from some degree of infertility in their lives. As such a widespread issue,...
On Wednesday, the Chancellor George Osborne announced in the summer budget that a special Inheritance Tax relief for family homes will be introduced...
A Judge in the West Country has taken the unusual step of asking for help from the Press to trace a Somerset mother, who has gone on the run with her...
Today, a judge in Northern Ireland has handed down an eagerly awaited judgment in relation to a row over a message supporting gay marriage to be iced...
This time of year is particularly tough for businesses. A number of factors, including the inertia caused by the festive shutdown, can lead to a cash...
Family courts will presume that each parent will play a role in the life of their child as a result of the parental involvement provision which came...
With property prices in the south west remaining high in relation to salaries and more attractive mortgage deals only being available to those with a...
If an Employment Tribunal member is apparently asleep for 15 – 20 seconds during a hearing and is observed drooling (though presumably drooling isn’t...
The recent High Court case of Stagecoach South Western Trains Ltd v Hind (2014) has reconsidered the landowner’s duty to inspect trees on their land....
The BBC has today reported on pressure to outlaw discrimination against employees on the grounds of tattoos. “Body art” is enjoying record levels of...
Making a Will has never been more important. The “traditional” family unit of Mum, Dad and 2.4 children is now merely one of the myriad of family set...
This week sees the second reading of a private member’s bill, the Divorce (Financial Provision) Bill, which was introduced by Baroness Deech earlier...
Until 6 April 2014 it had long been a cornerstone of a commercial landlord’s powers that, in the event of default in payment of rent, a landlord was...
Questions and answers arising from the second in our series of Renewables seminars held across Somerset and Dorset. Additional questions and answers...
In the landmark ruling of Clyde & Co v Bates van Winkelhof the Supreme Court has confirmed that a member of a limited liability partnership (LLP) is...
As in previous years, Porter Dodson has sponsored the Great Somerset Walk in aid of St Margaret’s Hospice. As well as being a fund raising event, it...
When you are discussing the costs of buying a house or flat with your solicitor, he or she should mention searches. If you are getting a mortgage to...
Porter Dodson’s Taunton office has raised £1200 for its 2013/14 nominated charity, the Beacon Centre. The money has been raised by employees holding...
New applications for Child Maintenance are now being dealt with by the Child Maintenance Service. Existing cases using the Child Support Agency will...
As of 6 April 2014, it is no longer possible for an employer to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from its national insurance contribution. This is as...
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, or TUPE, protects employees when they transfer from one employer to another...
The European Commission has recently presented a new proposed framework agreement with the intention of driving the EU towards a low carbon economy. ...
With the rush of the 31 January deadline for tax self-assessment behind us for another year, business owners may well turn their thoughts to whether...
Porter Dodson Solicitors & Advisors’ Taunton team recently welcomed more than a hundred guests to its offices at Blackbrook Business Park. The early...
