Court Fees On The Rise

Court fees are set to increase with effect from 9 March 2015, the necessary legislation having passed through the House of Lords this week. For claims under £10,000, fees to issue the claim will not increase. For claims above £10,000, the fee to issue the claim will increase to 5% of the value of the claim, for example £750 to issue a claim for £15,000 (as opposed to £455 now) or £2,500 to issue a claim for £50,000 (as against £610 now). The maximum issue fee for a money claim will be capped at £10,000 (for claims of £200,000 or above). The current maximum issue fee is £1,910, so, not surprisingly, the increases are controversial, and seen as having potential implications for access to justice. Money claims include both debts and claims for damages (for…

Family Solicitor Jonathan Leach Retires After Over 33 Years

A York, Wetherby & Malton firm of Solicitors says 'farewell' to one of its long-serving Solicitors after over 33 years with the firm. Ware & Kay held a celebratory evening at Merchant Taylors Hall, Aldwalk, York in honor of retiring Family Solicitor, Jonathan Leach with family, friends, colleagues, clients and former clients on Wednesday 28th January. Jonathan has built up a long and distinguished reputation as one of the leading Family Lawyers in Yorkshire and was instrumental in setting up the Mediation Department for which he has a particular expertise. Jonathan was educated at Prince Henry's Grammar School, Otley and Liverpool University. Following several years of study and training in Leeds he moved to York in January 1982 which led to him becoming Managing Partner, before taking up the role of Consultant and Head of…

Outstanding Solicitor Retires After 33 Years

A York law firm is bidding farewell to a family solicitor who has served more than 33 years with the business. A celebratory event is being held next week at Merchant Taylors Hall, in Aldwark, to mark the retirement of Jonathan Leach from Ware & Kay Solicitors. Having served at the firm's York, Wetherby & Malton offices, Mr Leach played a key role in setting up Ware & Kay's mediation department. Mr Leach also serves as a part-time deputy district judge of York, and is acting senior coroner, with both roles set to continue following his retirement. He is also a member of and an assessor for the Law Society Family Law Panel and assistant coroner for West Yorkshire Eastern District. Mr Leach said "It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work at…

Ware & Kay Goes From Strength To Strength

At Ware & Kay Solicitors, we have never been known to stand still. We are already planning our next steps to grow as a firm to continue to deliver the best legal services across Yorkshire and beyond. Ware & Kay consolidated a 12 month period of rapid growth following the merger with Sykes Lee & Brydson in 2013. We recorded revenue equating to more than 25 per cent growth in 2013/14 compared to the previous 12 months and are expecting it to grow 12 per cent on those figures for 2014/2015. We also had a busy year with the firm increasing our headcount by more than 25 per cent, bringing the total number of staff to 76 across our offices in York, Wetherby & Malton .  Our modern, stable-block offices in Wetherby town centre have…

Up To Speed With The New Rules For Combating Long Term Sickness Absence

Employers will be glad to hear of the government's new scheme to reduce long-term sickness absence in the workplace. In October 2014, a new Health and Work Service was introduced to help employees who are off sick for four weeks or more return to work. Managing sickness absence can be time-consuming and costly for many employers. The government has reported that almost a million (960,000) employees were on sick leave for a month or more each year on average between September 2010 and October 2013. The new Health and Work Service could cut sick pay costs to businesses by up to £165 million a year, as well as increase economic output by up to £900 million a year, through reducing absence levels between 20 to 40 per cent. The service will carry out a state-funded…

Ware & Kay Makes New Family Solicitor Appointment

Ware & Kay Solicitors is delighted to announce the appointment of well-known family solicitor Robert Bellhouse. Robert has over 23 years of experience specialising in divorce, financial matters and children law. He is an accredited specialist member of Resolution,  an experienced collaborative family lawyer and a trained mediator. Robert said "Family matters are often complex and I always aim to work with my clients to achieve the best outcome during what can be a difficult time. In addition, when relationships break down it is often difficult for separating couples to talk to each other and my strength is in helping them through this most difficult period. I help clients emerge from the turmoil of relationship breakdown with dignity and fairness. As a trained mediator I can also offer an alternative way of resolving issues when…

Take Care Of Your Future With A Lasting Power Of Attorney

Research from the Alzheimer's Society forecasts over a million people will have dementia by 2021, highlighting that getting your affairs in order has never been more important. As experts in this field, we see many people in a distressing situation where they are unable to make important decisions on behalf of their loved ones and have no alternative but to make an emergency application to the Court of Protection. This can be costly and take a long time, leaving loved ones vulnerable in the meanwhile. The government is so concerned about the number of people who have not planned for their later years, that it has announced it will be holding a 'life planning day' in 2015. This is intended to promote awareness about making a will and creating a lasting power of attorney to…

Do Not Let A Dispute Distract You From Your Business

A major dispute with a supplier or customer can jeopardise your entire business, especially when a contract is of strategic importance. Resolving disagreements at the earliest opportunity is key to ensuring that a supply chain relationship does not break down irretrievably. It also can be a major distraction from the day-to-day running of the business. We can help to relieve both the distraction and ease the stress and pressure. The litigation team at Ware & Kay understands the commercial issues at stake, and getting us involved early can ensure that you keep your business on track. Prevention is of course always better than cure. An important step in avoiding any business dispute is to ensure that you have correctly drawn up terms and conditions that are bespoke to your business. Buying a standard set of…

Buying A House We Will Do The Homework

Buying a home is one of the largest investments most of us will ever make. To protect your investment, at Ware & Kay we carry out the following conveyancing searches to ensure your new home holds no nasty surprises: Land Registry - as your solicitor we will obtain official copies of the register of your new property from the Land Registry.  This confirms the seller's ability to transfer ownership of the property to you, shows the boundaries of the property and any rights or restrictions that may affect your use or enjoyment of it. Land charges - for unregistered properties there is no central record of title.  Instead, we will examine the deeds and carry out searches against the previous owners of the property at the Land Charges Department. Local authority - this…

Ware & Kay Kicks Off New Year With New Family Solicitor Appointment

Ware & Kay Solicitors is delighted to announce the appointment of well-known Family Solicitor Robert Bellhouse. Robert has over 23 years of experience specialising in Divorce, Financial Matters and Children Law.  He is an accredited specialist member of Resolution, an experienced collaborative Family Lawyer and a trained Mediator. Robert said "Family matters are often complex and I always aim to work with my clients to achieve the best outcome during what can be a difficult time.  In addition, when relationships break down it is often difficult for separating couples to talk to each other and my strength is in helping them through this most difficult period. I help clients emerge from the turmoil of relationship breakdown with dignity and fairness. As a trained Mediator I can also offer an alternative way of resolving issues when a…