Planning Ahead With Wills And Lasting Powers Of Attorney

Planning ahead is the key to making life for you and your loved ones as easy as possible; this should include thinking about making a Will and Lasting Powers of Attorney. Making a Will There are many reasons to make a Will, including: To avoid the intestacy rules (which provide for certain relatives to benefit when someone dies without a Will) - for example, to benefit an unmarried partner; To make sure your personal belongings go to the people you choose; To appoint guardians for minor children; To leave a gift to a charity; Inheritance tax planning.   Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) LPAs let you appoint people you know and trust to make decisions on your behalf and enables you to give guidance to those people on how decisions affecting you should…

The Importance Of Having A Power Of Attorney

Powers of attorney are useful if you need someone to make decisions on your behalf.  This may just be temporary (for example, to ensure that bills are paid if you were in hospital) or more long-term (for example, if you have been diagnosed with dementia). What is a Lasting Power of Attorney? A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) gives someone you trust the legal authority to make decisions for you.  There are two types of LPA, 'Property and Financial Affairs' and 'Health and Welfare', and you can create one or both.  The Property and Financial Affairs LPA allows your chosen attorneys to operate your finances, for example to mange your bank accounts and pay bills.  The attorney can act while they have mental capacity (if you consent) but also if you lose mental capacity. A…

Developments In Employment Law And Changes Expected In April 2018

There have been some significant cases in employment law recently, with further developments expected this year as several ongoing cases work their way through the appeals system.  There are also increases to pay rates and new rules on tax and national insurance contributions due to come into effect in April. Gillian Reid, employment law specialist at Ware & Kay Solicitors in York, Wetherby & Malton summarises some of the recent cases of note concerning the gig economy and entitlement to paid holiday and provides an overview of the expected April changes. Gig economy Cases affecting the rights of individuals working in the gig economy hit the headlines in 2017, as individuals described as self-employed sought to argue the right to be recognised as workers with entitlement to certain employment rights, including paid holiday. These cases…

How To Reduce Sickness Absence At Work

The average British worker takes 4.4 days' sickness absence every year and minor illnesses such as coughs and colds are often cited as the reason.  However, more days are lost on average to more serious complaints such as back, neck and muscle pain. High levels of sickness absence can lead to reduced production, low staff morale, increased costs and poor customer service.  For small employers in particular this can be very disruptive.  Gillian Reid employment law solicitor at Ware & Kay in York, Wetherby & Malton advises what steps you can take to reduce sickness absence within your organisation. Sickness absence policy You should have a sickness absence policy in place so that employees understand what is expected of them.  It should set out your arrangements for sick pay and for reporting and managing sickness…