Legal Blog
The Myth of the “Common Law Marriage”
Cohabiting couples are the largest growing family type in the UK, yet they currently have little or no legal protection upon separation. Our family team speak to many clients who believe that, if they live together as a couple for long enough, or if they have children...
The Importance of Legal Advice in Divorce
At Browns we understand that ending a marriage is an extremely stressful and worrying time. Our family team are here to help guide you through the process and support you in making the important decisions throughout. It is essential that, if you are considering...
COVID-19 Risk Assessment
A Guide to Probate
The death of a loved one is one of the most stressful things a person can go through. Whilst grieving, it can be difficult to get to grips with all that is required to settle a person’s estate. We are here to take the stress of probate away. What is...
Why choose a Solicitor, rather than a Will writer?
These very sad times have increased the realisation by many people that making a Will is a necessary task to help your family, should you unexpectedly pass away. Many have seen adverts for Will writing with charges under £50, sometimes as low as £19.99. As solicitors...
Covid-19 Update: Annual Leave
The Government has announced it is allowing workers to carry over up to four weeks' (not 5.6 weeks) annual leave into the next two leave years. The (as yet unpublished) forthcoming The Working Time (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 amends regulation 13 of the...
Supporting our NHS Workers
Dear NHS Workers, We are here for you. If you need us out of hours, we will be available. We can SKYPE or WHATSAPP video call ; night, early morning or weekends to fit around your shifts. We want to support you in any way we can. Email: jlodeto@brownssolicitors.com or...
Covid-19 Update: Government Package for Self-Employed
Following on from our blog published on 24 March, the Government has just announced new details of their rescue package for self-employed individuals. The key points that have emerged are: a new self-employed income support scheme will pay self-employed people a...
Covid-19 Update: Proposed Protection for Self-Employed and Freelancers
The House of Commons Public Bill Committee has proposed an amendment to the Coronavirus Bill. If approved this amendment would compel the Government to introduce Regulations providing that "freelancers" and "self-employed people" should receive guaranteed earnings of:...
Covid-19 Update: Furlough Leave
The information provided by the Government with regard to furlough leave is very sparse. Furlough leave is not currently recognised in law – it’s just a word the Government have used. Here are a few things we know about the Government's 'Coronavirus Job Retention...
BREAKING NEWS : Statutory Sick Pay
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has announced that the government will reimburse small employers (with fewer than 250 employees) any Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) they pay to employees, for the first 14 days of sickness. We understand that this a...
EQUITY RELEASE is steadily rising in popularity – Is it the right step for you?
Equity release allows homeowners in later life to access the value of their property without the need to sell. The most popular product is the ‘Lifetime Mortgage’. This allows a homeowner to borrow a lump sum against their home’s value at a fixed interest rate. A...
Parental Alienation Day
#parentalalienationday #familylaw #childlaw #cafcass Cafcass defines parental alienation as: “when a child’s resistance or hostility towards one parent is not justified and is the result of psychological manipulation by the other parent.” Today is Parental Alienation...
Divorce Law Reforms
The huge news in the last week causing our Family Law Department phones to buzz is that it has been agreed that No Fault Divorce will be made Law. This has been a long time coming, first being introduced in the Family Law Act 1996 the year before I began my Law...
Holiday Pay Calculator
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published guidance and an online calculator on how to calculate holiday pay for workers whose hours or pay are not fixed. The guidance, which is not binding, complements pre-existing government...