listhttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/The latest news direct from EAD Solicitors.en-GB720http://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/liverpool-solicitors-strengthen-union-links-with-merger.aspx Liverpool law firms EAD Solicitors LLP and city centre practice John A. Behn Twyford have announced a merger, consolidating EAD Solicitors' offering as a specialist in legal services to trade unions. The two firms plan for the merger to take effect from 1 February 2012. Established in 1902, Behn Twyford specialises in employment law, litigation and accidents and injuries and has a history of working for trade unions. It has worked for TGWU (now Unite the Union) since its inception in 1922 and for USDAW since its inception in 1947, complementing EAD Solicitors' existing union work with Unite and other trade unions.  EAD Solicitors has a strong reputation for personal injury and employment litigation and has close links with the trade union movement across the North and beyond, with an office in Huddersfield working alongside its Liverpool team. The merger brings three partners and one solicitor into EAD's existing staff. Said Mike Sexton, Managihttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/liverpool-solicitors-strengthen-union-links-with-merger.aspxWed, 01 Feb 2012 11:02:58 GMThttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/former-castleton-woolworths-workers-win-payout--.aspx Three years after the collapse of retail chain Woolworths, around 150 former workers at Woolworths' Castleton distribution centre in Rochdale have won the right to a protective award thanks to their union Unite. The Central Employment Tribunal unanimously decided to uphold the claim that Woolworths failed in its legal duty to consult with staff adequately before dismissing over 27,000 staff across the UK in December 2008. The Tribunal agreed that token consultation on behalf of the administrators failed to make any real effort to engage with union representatives. The judgment may amount to the largest protective award of its kind in the UK, given the total number of staff involved: if eligible, they will receive up to 60 days' pay. The overall compensation figure for those dismissed from the high street store could add up to as much as £67 million. The compensation payments will be made by the government's Redundancy Payments Office, which will be http://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/former-castleton-woolworths-workers-win-payout--.aspxTue, 31 Jan 2012 12:56:05 GMThttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/injury-victims-v-celebrities.aspx There has been much coverage in the press about the compensation paid out to celebrities by News International following the 'hacking' scandal. This has clearly been a disgraceful invasion of privacy and nobody can have much sympathy for Rupert Murdoch's company for having to make these payments. But the amount the payments raises another interesting issue. That is the comparison between compensation paid to victims of hacking and that paid to victims of accidents. The latter have been subject to vilification by politicians, the press and insurance industry who say that we have a 'compensation culture' which needs to be dismantled. So let's look at some of figures that have been reported for victims of hacking. Jude Law got £130k. In an earlier settlement his ex, Sienna Miller, accepted £100k. These are to compensate the victims for injury to feelings etc and not for financial losses. According to the most recent Guidelines Personal Injury Damages such awarhttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/injury-victims-v-celebrities.aspxWed, 25 Jan 2012 14:10:57 GMThttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/employment-law-in-2012-what-you-need-to-know.aspx As the New Year celebrations subside, employees and business owners up and down the country have been told to take heed of a raft of employment law changes ready for introduction in 2012. Employers will need to prepare themselves for increased demands in 2012, but if you're a hard working employee, it's important to know what increased rights are coming your way over the next 12 months. Here are the most important changes for 2012: - From April 2012, parental leave entitlement will increase from three to four months. - Effective as of April 9th, Statutory Maternity, Paternity and Adoption pay will increase to £135.45 per week. - In addition, Statutory Sick Pay will increase to £85.85 per week, a rise of £4.25 a week. - Changes to the Employment Tribunal system will include:  Maximum deposit orders being increased from £500 to £1,000 Maximum costs orders being increased from £10,000 to £20,000http://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/employment-law-in-2012-what-you-need-to-know.aspxMon, 23 Jan 2012 09:14:32 GMThttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/rush-to-meet-stamp-duty-holiday.aspx Activity among first time buyers is expected to rocket over the next month, as prospective homeowners rush to beat the deadline for the returning stamp duty tax. According to Wales Online, house sales in the south of Wales have boomed recently in order to avoid the one per cent duty on properties between £125,000 and £250,000, which will come back into force later this year. "In the next couple of months there will be a surge - because it is a saving after all - but after March 24 I think there will be a lull, because first-time buyers will have £1,000-£2,000 extra to pay," Tony Filice, spokesman for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Wales', told Wales Today. The tax holiday was introduced for first time buyers by former Chancellor Alistair Darling before the 2010 General Election in order to prop up the flagging housing market. However, current Chancellor George Osborne won't be renewing the holiday beyond March. The government will insthttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/rush-to-meet-stamp-duty-holiday.aspxMon, 23 Jan 2012 09:04:36 GMThttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/what-happens-if-you-die-without-making-a-will.aspx We are constantly told of the importance of making a Will. But many are unaware of how their estates will be divided should they die without one. The intestacy laws provide for a different distribution depending on the identity of the people you leave behind. Let's consider the following situations: I am married or in a civil partnership with children Your spouse will receive all your personal belongings. The first £250,000 of your estate will also pass to your spouse. The remainder of the estate will be split into two. One half shall pass absolutely to your children. The other half will be subject to a life interest in favour of your spouse but will pass to your children on his or her death. I am married or in a civil partnership with no children but my parents also survive me In this scenario your spouse will receive your personal belongings and the first £450,000 of your estate. The remainder of the estate is divhttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/what-happens-if-you-die-without-making-a-will.aspxMon, 16 Jan 2012 10:59:08 GMThttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/why-get-professional-advice-when-making-a-will.aspx There are certain legal formalities which must be observed when making a Will in order for the document to be valid. So long as these are observed then technically the Will is what is known as 'formally' valid. However, the requirements laid down by law are strict. Furthermore, although a Will can be deemed to have formal validity, there are situations where, had proper advice been taken; a Will, which might otherwise have been upheld, has been overturned. The requirements for formal validity of a Will can be found in section 9 of the Wills Act 1837. This includes the fact that it must be made in writing and that the testator must sign the document. The Act goes on to set out the requirements for the witnessing of a Will and often this is where the formal validity of homemade Wills is tested. The identity of the witnesses is also of importance, as those who are beneficiaries under the Will, or the spouse of a beneficiary, will invalidate their (or their spouse's) inheritanhttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/why-get-professional-advice-when-making-a-will.aspxMon, 16 Jan 2012 10:57:54 GMThttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/banks-pay-over-£160m-in-compensation.aspx 2011 was a costly year for the UK's financial institutions, both in terms of their bottom lines and their reputations. Figures obtained by the Financial Times and a leading law firm have found that Banks paid more than £160 million in compensation to customers last year after a crackdown by financial regulators. Barclays was labelled the worst offender following the companies damaging PPI compensation and payouts for the year were nearly treble the £62 million in 2010. The bank was ordered to shell out £59 million to retail customers and was fined £7.7 million for failings in the way it sold funds labelled "cautious" and "balanced". HSBC was also trageted by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and landed with the largest ever retail fine of £10.5 million for mis-selling investment bonds to elderly customers. And in at least five separate cases, banks were ordered to pay at least £1 million in compensation. "We have had some significant retail finhttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/banks-pay-over-£160m-in-compensation.aspxFri, 06 Jan 2012 14:19:16 GMThttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/doctors-sued-for-over-prescribing-valium.aspx Doctors are being accused of creating 'Valium addicts' after failing to follow safety guidelines on the prescription of the drug published more than 20 years ago. It has been reported by lawyers and medical experts that there has been a significant increase in the number of clinical negligence cases being brought against doctors in relation to prescribing Valium.  Patients claim to have suffered physical and psychological damage by the long-term use of addictive tranquillisers such as Valium. There have also been many cases where patients have sued doctors due to the effect of being taken off the drug too quickly and have argued that they should have been properly informed of the dangers of rapid detoxification.  In the worst cases patients who are suddenly taken off the drug can suffer seizures and even death. Tranquillisers such as Valium are currently used by millions of people worldwide and are often prescribed to deal with stressful psychologhttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/doctors-sued-for-over-prescribing-valium.aspxFri, 06 Jan 2012 14:17:52 GMThttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/danger-day-for-motorists-passes.aspx Were you involved in a road traffic accident on December 17, if so you were one of thousands of motorists involved in the worst day of the year for car crashes in the UK, Co-operative Insurance has revealed. Amazingly, for three consecutive years, the insurance company has seen claims relating to car collisions and bumps increase by 129% on 17 December compared to a typical day of the year, leading Co-operative to label the date 'Danger Day'. More accidents occur in the week before Christmas than any other week of the year, with claims relating to car crashes up by 94% between 17 and 23 December, as shoppers and motorists flood the roads to hunt for presents and visit their families. According to Grant Mitchell, Head of Motor Insurance at The Co-operative, the increase "is probably down to a combination of the 'pre-Christmas rush' when everyone is dashing to the supermarket or to buy last minute gifts, along with the fact that people also feel tired and sluhttp://www.eadsolicitors.co.uk/news/danger-day-for-motorists-passes.aspxThu, 22 Dec 2011 12:14:10 GMT