TUC Survey Finds That ‘Half Of Women’ Have Been Sexually Harassed In The Workplace
Many people may have thought that sexual harassment in the workplace was a thing of the past, but findings from a TUC survey have prompted their Head, Frances O’Grady, to declare that it is “…alive and well.” The TUC commissioned a survey of 1,553 women and results published this week showed that just over half,…
The Women and Equalities Committee Reports on Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination
The Women and Equalities Committee released a report on pregnancy and maternity discrimination on 31 August 2016. Ison Harrison’s Yunus Lunat, Head of Employment provides his thoughts on the committee’s findings and the suggestions they have put forward to the Government. The research undertaken by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Equality…
Increase In British Citizenship Applications Following Brexit Announcement
If there was confusion and uncertainty prior to the 23 June EU referendum, then the eventual Brexit vote has done little to clear anything up. Immigration was a central discussion point throughout the weeks of heated campaigning, with contradictory statements issued by both ‘Leave’ and ‘Remain’ groups, which only added to the tension. Post-Brexit Now,…
Wakefield Magistrates’ Court Closing In September
Following a consultation period started in July 2015 it was announced in February 2016 by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service that Wakefield Magistrates’ Court would be one of 86 courts and tribunals to close. With those 86 courts accounting for nearly one fifth of the 460 courts in England and Wales, it was a…
Shotgun and Firearm Licensing
If you have had your shotgun or firearm license revoked or have had an application for a certificate refused Ison Harrison Solicitors are here to help. Ison Harrison has experience in representing people who have had has firearm or shotgun certificates revoked. If you have had a firearm/shotgun firearm certificate refused or revoked we can provide…
It’s Carnival Time in Leeds
Over the upcoming bank holiday weekend there will be an explosion of colour and the sound of steel pan drums hitting the streets of Leeds bringing various events to Leeds as part of the 2016 Leeds West Indian Carnival. The event which was founded by Arthur France is Europe’s longest running authentic Caribbean carnival parade…
Harsher Sentencing Guidelines for Dangerous Dog Offences
On 1 July 2016, the Sentencing Council’s revised definitive sentencing guidelines for dangerous dog offences came into force. With these changes, pet owners will now face much harsher punishments should they be found guilty of an offence contained within the Dangerous Dogs Act 2014 (the “Act”). Under the Act it is illegal to own, breed,…
Are Bed Sores a Sign of Neglect?
Bed sores (also known as pressure sores) affect millions of people who are admitted to hospital within the United Kingdom every year. They develop as a consequence of pressure being exerted on an area of skin, usually because of a patient’s reduced mobility, causing damage to the skin and the underlying tissue due to a…
Buying Property at Auction
There are many reasons why a property is sold and purchased through an auction; the value of the property might be difficult to establish, the property might require substantial improvement work or the property may require planning consent in order to be used, this list continues… Selling a property at auction provides certainty and efficiency;…
New Legislation: Modern Slavery (Transparency in Supply Chains) Bill 2016 and the Investigatory Powers Bill 2016
Two diverse pieces of legislation have recently been passed into the House of Lords on their way to becoming implemented into UK law. Each of these have implications for different and contrasting areas of UK Business law. Modern Slavery (Transparency in Supply Chains) Bill 2016 Many UK businesses may claim to be shocked at the…
Covenants On A Property Explained
What is a Covenant? A covenant is a provision, or promise, contained in a deed to land. Land may be subject to a covenant which affects or limits its use. This is known as the burden of a covenant. A covenant may give a landowner some say over what is permissible on neighbouring property. This…
What The New Immigration Act 2016 Could Mean For Employment Law
After being first announced in the Queen’s Speech of May 2015, the Immigration Bill received Royal Assent a year later on Thursday 12 May 2016 and will now be known as the Immigration Act 2016. The Act introduces new sanctions that will fundamentally affect employment law in the UK and follows on from the Immigration Act…
Government Defeated In Legal Aid Test Ruling
The Government’s plans to introduce a residence test for Legal Aid applications has been dealt a fatal blow via a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that described the proposal as “unlawful”. The full Judgment was handed down by the Supreme Court on 13 July 2016, following the Court allowing an appeal mid-hearing. A challenge to the…
LALY Awards Honours Hillsborough Lawyers
Nearly 30 years on from that fateful football match, justice has finally been rewarded to the families of the 96 that died in the Hillsborough disaster and the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards has honoured the legal teams that have played a vital role since the inquest began. The legal teams involved, which…
Disability Discrimination An Increasing Problem In Professional Football
A lack of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic professionals holding leading positions in professional football in England has been discussed at length and remains an issue, but increasing concerns are also being felt regarding discrimination against professionals with disabilities. The Equality Act (2010) is in place to protect individuals against discrimination on several grounds, including…
The EU Referendum – Leave vs Remain In Summary
Today is a historic day in the UK. We are given an opportunity to decide our future and it is estimated that 45m people have now registered to vote in this referendum. Of course, it’s fair to say that many are still undecided with how they should vote. After what seems like months of political…
Maternity Leave Discrimination Cases On The Rise
When you are in the last weeks of pregnancy and about to leave work, have recently had your baby and are beginning to think about returning to work or you are already back at work, the last thing you need is a difficult time from your employer when you have the huge challenge of parenthood…
The EU Referendum and the Shroud of Uncertainty Hanging Over the UK Housing Market
On 23 June 2016, the UK will be holding a referendum addressing the question of whether the UK should remain a member of the EU, or leave the economic and political union consisting of 28 member states. Every individual who votes on 23 June 2016 will have their own reasoning for voting to leave or…
The Psychoactive Substances Act and its Legal Effect
From the rush to close the loophole which allowed stalls selling magic mushrooms to flourish in Camden Town in the early 2000s through the M-Cat (mephedrone) media circus of 2009 and the recent stories surrounding the dangers of long-term consumption of Spice (synthetic cannabis), it seems that the government have been embroiled a battle to…
Employment Law Team Secures Win For Pregnancy Discrimination Cases
Ison Harrison achieved notable outcomes in two recent pregnancy discrimination cases against a national employer. The cases in question concerned a redundancy situation which the employer claimed had arisen in the workplace. The individuals selected for redundancy were one lady that had just returned from maternity leave and another lady who was due to go…
Clamp Down on Cold Call Companies – New Legislation Enforced
On 16th of May a new law was enforced requiring direct marketing companies to display their telephone numbers when carrying out unsolicited phone calls. This follows changes made back in 2015, which made it easier for nuisance callers to be reported and fined by removing the need for consumers to prove that persistent rogue operators…
Leeds Law Firm Takes on The Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge!
Some of us at Ison Harrison are sportier than others, but we’re really pleased to see such a good uptake on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge we’ve recently signed up to do. In just a couple of weeks, 45 of our wonderful volunteers will be donning their hiking boots and heading to the peaks of…
Hillsborough Inquest – The Verdict
On 26th April 2016 the longest running inquest in British legal history returned its verdicts. The jury were asked to answer 14 questions in deciding how 96 people died at the Hillsborough football stadium disaster in Sheffield on 15 April 1989. The Inquest considered the events that took place during the FA Cup semi-final and…
Ison Harrison Sponsors The Crystal Event 2016 In Aid of Variety
As a Leeds law firm, we are always keen to work with local charities and events and having worked with Variety, the children’s charity, on regular occasions, we thought their upcoming charity event would be great to get involved with. Today, we are pleased to announce we will be official co-sponsors of the Crystal Event…
Ison Harrison Appointed to Handle Raleys Solicitors Client Work
With the recent news of Raleys Solicitors going into administration on 11th March 2016, the handling of current client work has been passed to Ison Harrison Solicitors in Leeds. Raleys, a Barnsley-based firm, were one of the oldest law firms in the country and had built up a loyal client base over the years. Our…
What Is The Lifetime ISA? George Osborne Announces New Saving Scheme
The Budget was interesting on 16th March 2016; not least because we saw the Government announce a new “Lifetime ISA” which is set to be introduced from April 2017. This ISA is designed for those that are trying to save for either a new home or retirement and is specifically targeted to those under 40….
IH-Red Cross Partnership
We are very pleased to announce that we have entered into a partnership with the British Red Cross, to help them provide advice and assistance to recognised refugees who are trying to be reunited with their families. As part of the cuts to Legal Aid made in April 2013, assistance was stopped for those granted…
Clinical Negligence Case Study: Baby E’s Story
As 2007 drew to a close, Mr and Mrs S were celebrating the birth of their beautiful baby daughter who was perfect in every way. Tragically, this dream was shattered when, having developed mild jaundice which the Doctors failed to treat promptly, the levels of bilirubin in Baby E’s blood stream built up to such…
£7.5m Settlement Secured for Personal Injury Client
After five years of skillful negotiation, Ison Harrison Solicitor Geraldine Kane won £7.5m in damages for her client with a personal injury case. Geraldine’s client had suffered severe brain injuries which resulted in life threatening complications and was unconscious for days, all at the age of 19, following a car accident. This case settled at a…
Ison Harrison Secures Settlement of Over £6.7m In Leeds Clinical Negligence Case
In 2014, Personal Injury Partner, Iain Oliver from Ison Harrison, secured a financial settlement of £3,450,000 for his client, plus additional future payments for nursing care which amount to approximately £3,250,000. Iain has 22 years experience with high value injury claims enabling him to successfully represent hundreds of accident victims, his diligence proving to be of…
New Personal Injury Legal Clinics Launched in Yorkshire
Ison Harrison is pleased to announce the arrival of 2 new drop-in Personal Injury legal clinics at our Castleford and Pontefract branches. Launching on 8th March and 10th March respectively, the Castleford and Pontefract PI clinics are the first legal clinics to be held at our new West Yorkshire branches. Both the Pontefract and Castleford…
Slater and Gordon Share Price Plummets
Slater and Gordon was the first law firm to be listed on a stock exchange when it became listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2007. The firm currently employees over 3,800 employees in the United Kingdom alone, however, on 1 March 2016, Slater and Gordon’s share value stood at an all-time low of AUS$0.33…
Employment Tribunal finds in favour of Starbucks employee on grounds of disability discrimination
Meseret Kumulchew brought a disability discrimination claim against her employer, Starbucks, after she had been accused of falsifying documents. Ms Kumulchew, who is dyslexic, worked as a supervisor in a Starbucks store located in Clapham, South London. Ms Kumulchew was responsible for logging and recording the temperatures of the refrigerators and water throughout her working…
Tax Changes for Buy to Let Landlords
Chancellor George Osborne has recently announced two very important changes to the buy-to-let property market. Firstly, from April this year buy-to-let properties and second home owners will face a 3% stamp duty surcharge. Secondly, as from April 2017 tax relief for buy-to-let mortgage interest payments will be moved to a fixed rate. The announcement has…
New sentencing proposals announced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales
On 11 February 2016, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales released a consultation paper on the reduction in sentence for a guilty plea together with new draft guidelines. These will apply to criminal cases covering both adult and youth offenders. The Courts accounting for a guilty plea upon the sentencing of an offender is…
Why Leeds Is One of The Best Places to Live (As Voted By Us!)
There are many things that make Leeds great, but for us it’s about the people, the diverse vibrant culture and the social life. Safe to say, we’re proud to say we live here. Here’s a few things we love about Leeds, as voted for by various members of the Ison team: The Shops Emma Garfitt,…
Death Certificate Granted 42 Years After Lord Lucan’s Mysterious Disappearance
Following an application made by Lord Lucan’s son, George Bingham, the High Court ruled on Wednesday 3 February 2016 that a death certificate be issued for Lord Lucan following his disappearance under controversial circumstances in 1974. The High Court’s power to issue the death certificate derives under the Presumption of Death Act 2013, a relatively…
Tenancy Fraud Awareness Week 1 – 5 February 2016
This week the Leeds City Council has urged residents to report any suspicious housing matters as part of Tenancy Fraud Awareness week, which runs until 5 February. In line with the initiative, social landlords from across the Yorkshire and Humberside region have joined forces to blow the whistle on tenancy fraud and encourage locals to…
Nestlé fails to obtain trademark protection for the shape of KitKat in a dispute with Cadbury
On Wednesday 20 January 2016, the High Court ruled that Nestlé, who were seeking trademark protection of their well-known chocolate bar KitKat, were not able to trademark the shape of the same. The Court held that Nestlé had not promoted the shape of the chocolate bar as a selling point and that the wrapper that…
Proposed Changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax in 2016
In the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, the government announced proposals to make changes to the rules relating to the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax affecting the purchase of additional residential properties. The proposals are currently subject to consultation which is due to end on 1st February 2016 If approved the changes will…
Help to Buy ISA Scheme – What’s It All About?
Since 1st December 2015, first-time buyers have been able to save up to £200 a month in a Help to Buy: ISA, which many banks and building societies are now routinely offering. An individual can only open one Help to buy ISA. They are not available to couples although, more than one government bonus can…
The Ison Harrison Staff Christmas Party 2015 in Leeds
For our Christmas Party this year, the team headed to the Leeds Marriott Hotel for a night of festive food and dancing. We booked a high energy party band called Scream to fill the night with some great dance tunes and they didn’t disappoint. A special mention goes out to Gareth Naylor who had some rather questionable…
Ison Harrison Solicitors Advise on Mirfield Free Grammar School Case
A local school in Mirfield, which has been publicised in the Daily Mail and the Mirror following claims that Muslim pupils were forced to pray outside, has required the assistance and expertise of a top solicitor at our Leeds law firm to help the parents and children of those affected. Yunus Lunat, an employment law specialist…
Ison Harrison Team Up With Radio Aire for #MissionChristmas
The Mission Christmas Cash for Kids is a charity appeal which works with local radio stations to help support children in communities throughout the UK. The appeal, which successfully raised £15.7m in 2014, operates in 21 areas and each region works with local businesses that act as ‘drop off points’. These drop off points are…
Corporate Fines to Increase Dramatically Under New Sentencing Guidelines
Health and Safety – Sentencing – Corporations Companies will face fines of up to £20,000,000 and jail terms of two years under strict new sentencing guidelines which were published on 3 November 2015 and come into force next year. Courts have had the power to impose unlimited fines for breaching health and safety regulations for some…
New legislation and regulations – protecting tenants or penalising landlords?
Landlords will be no doubt aware of the regulations currently in force surrounding Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) and due to new legislation this area of law is to be even more tightly regulated from 1st October 2015. The Deregulation Act 2015 (DA 2015) came into force on 1 October 2015 and the main provisions are summarised…
Shotgun and Firearm Licensing Appeals
Sadly in the UK there has for several years been a growing and vocal opposition to the legitimate use and enjoyment of shooting as a sport, pastime and livelihood. Pressure has been brought to bear on the police to revoke shotgun and firearm certificates for the slightest misdemeanour or indiscretion. Ison Harrison specialise in firearm…
The Great Ison Bake Off 2015
We’re all a bit partial to some sweet treats, and what better excuse for us to indulge than to create our very own “Great British Bake Off” at the Ison Harrison Leeds office. Officially named “The Great Ison Bake Off” we raised money for the Leeds Community Foundation and encouraged our legal team to show off their…
Ison Harrison Sponsors Ilkley Charity Quiz
We’re pleased to announce that Ison Harrison will be the headline sponsor at this year’s Ilkley charity quiz, part of the Ilkley Breakfast Rotary Networking & Charity Group. The quiz, which is for businesses, organisations and individuals, takes place on Thursday 22 nd October 2015 at the Ilkley Rugby Club Clubhouse. Ison Harrison have strong…
Private Landlords face stiff penalties for failing to police immigrants
Last year we wrote about the introduction of new Immigration laws, which meant private landlords would be fined for renting properties to people living in the UK without permission. The fines can affect any landlord who fails to make sure that the person who they are renting to has immigration status, a task which the…