The residential property market is achieving price levels seen only once before since 2007. In London this was a 0.3% increase above the national average.
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Intellectual Property – Patents, Copyright and Designs and the European Union
Since Brexit solicitors have lost their right to appear before the European Intellectual Property Office. In practice our solicitors have strengthened their European connections and can act as agents if necessary.
Share This:- No Fault Divorce starts on the 6th April 2022
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 will finally come into force on the 6th April 2022.
No Fault Divorce will:-
i) Ensure plain English is used e.g. applicant = petitioner, conditional order = decree nisi and final order = decree absolute
ii) Enable both parties to complete the application i.e. a joint application will now be available if desired
iii) A statement of irretrievable breakdown will replace one of the five conditions previously required
iv) Contesting the divorce will no longer be possible
v) Apply to the dissolution of civil partnerships.
Data Protection – Cabinet Office fined £500,000
For releasing the full postal addresses on line of the recipients of New Year’s honours in 2020 the Cabinet Office has been fined £500,000.
Share This:- Landlord and Tenant – Commercial
Commercial tenants have been given a stay of execution by the Government on unpaid rent and evictions, that have accumulated during the pandemic, until March 2022. This has been instituted so that serious negotiations between the parties can now ensue to mitigate any credit damage that would be caused by court judgments.
In March a new arbitration process will commence in an attempt to provide closure for any stubborn organisations.
Share This:- Residential Conveyancing is Getting Busy in London
People returning to offices have started an avalanche of conveyancing transactions as they tire of the commute and its cost into London from the home counties and beyond where they have sought refuge during the pandemic and are buying properties in the metropolis once again. A significant rise in prices has been noticed recently.
Share This:- Get Divorced Online Now
Solicitors now have to process divorce applications on line which has reduced the time it takes from 15 months to 5 months. They are carried out through the MyHMCTS portal and have been successful whilst in its optional use phase as only 1% of applications have had to be referred back to solicitors for amendments as opposed to 30% for paper applications.
Share This:- Grounds of Appeal
The Master of the Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos, recently handed down a judgment in the Court of Appeal which seeks to clarify how Grounds of Appeal should be drafted:-
i) The grounds of appeal are an essential analytical tool for the court, to enable it to identify the issues which it is being asked to decide: they are not a vehicle for advocacy, which is the role of the skeleton argument.
ii) The starting point in every case must be for the appellant to think through carefully what specific errors the court below is alleged to have made. Once these errors have been identified, they need to be clearly and concisely articulated. In the unlikely event that the grounds are numerous, they must be presented in a structure which makes clear how they inter-relate.
iii) Each ground of appeal must be separately numbered, and the particular passages in which the judge appealed is said to have gone wrong must be specifically identified.
iv) The purpose of the grounds of appeal is to identify the points on which permission to appeal is sought, not to argue those points. Supporting submissions belong in the skeleton argument.
v) It follows that grounds of appeal should be short; in many cases, a few sentences will suffice. In a complex case, grounds of appeal may be longer, but clarity and concision should never be compromised.
This was a case in which exceptionally a permission to reopen a permission to appeal application under CPR 52.30 was allowed.
Share This:- Properties with the Freshest Air in Central London
If you’re buying a property in central London the air quality may be important to you. The postal areas from the highest to the lowest are:- W1K,SW1X,SW1W,SW1Y,SW1A,SW7,SW3,W1J,SW10,W8 and W1S.
Share This:- Buying and Selling a Property in London Today
The suburbs of north east London have been enjoying a particularly strong rise in house sales. Snaresbrook, Upminster, Walthamstow and Stoke Newington have seen transactions rise significantly during lockdown. Government assistance with the stamp duty holiday and ‘help to buy’ has certainly helped.
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