St Leonard`s Hospice Make A Will Week

Making a Will and letting your family and friends know your wishes are vital, and it can be a lot more affordable and straightforward than you think... MAKE A WILL WEEK 8-14 MAY A Will is one of the most important documents you will ever have drawn up, but it's something that many people put off. If YOU don't have a Will, or your Will needs updating.  Ware & Kay Solicitors has once again teamed up with St Leonard's Hospice to give you the opportunity to have your Will written free of charge in exchange for a donation to the Hospice. Making a Will allows you to make things easier for those you leave behind, as well as ensuring your wishes are clear if you choose to leave a gift to a charity.  The legacies…

Probate Fees Set To Rise

LATEST NEWS: Death taxes are rules unlawful Click on the following link to view the article: Death taxes are ruled unlawful By Frances Gibb, Legal Editor, The Times A decision has been made by the Government to change the probate applications fee structure commencing in May 2017. The purpose of the fee increase is to raise funds of approximately £300m which will be invested directly into Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to streamline its efficiently, and ultimately, deliver a better service to the public and professionals. However this is not necessarily for the Probate Registry which is largely self funding from the fees it receives. Currently probate court fees are as follow: £155 (application through a solicitor) or £215 (personal application)   In comparison, the proposed new fees are eye-watering…

Managing Mental Health Issues At Work

One in four people will experience symptoms of mental ill health during their lives.  According to the Chief Medical Officer for England, 70 million working days are lost in the UK every year due to stress, depression and other mental health conditions.  It is estimated that this costs the UK economy between £30 billion to £100 billion per year. Gillian Reid, Head of Employment at Ware & Kay in York, Wetherby & Malton , looks at what managers can do to help employees and advises how to avoid discrimination claims from employees with mental health issues. What is mental health? Mental health is the mental and emotional state in which we feel able to cope with the normal stresses of everyday life.  Mental ill health can range from feeling 'a bit down' to severe mental…

York Against Cancer Charity Go Karting Challenge

Friday, 17 March 2017 Holly Stevens, Owen Thomas, Nick Wardle and Andrew Little did a magnificent job supporting York Against Cancer in the Go-Karting Challenge. The whole event raised approximately £5,000.  York Against Cancer are celebrating their 30th year and all funds raised are being directed to two big projects. The money raised from the evening will go towards a mobile chemotherapy unit which will go out to all the smaller towns such as Malton, Selby and as a far as Scarborough.

Employment Law Changes Taking Place From April 2017

Employment law is a fast-changing area and as an employer you need to stay up to date with developments to ensure that you are acting lawfully.  Most employment law changes take place in April and October each year.  Gillian Reid, Head of Employment at Ware & Kay Solicitors in York, Wetherby & Malton , looks at what is happening in April 2017 and what you need to do. National minimum wage and national living wage aligned The review date for the national minimum wage has moved to 1 April 2017 instead of 1 October 2017. This means that the next round of changes to the national minimum wage and national living wage will take effect on 1 April 2017: From this date: the national living wage for workers aged 25 and over will increase…

Have You Been Accused Of Misconduct

Conduct is a potentially fair reason for dismissal so, if an employer has accused you of misconduct, you should get independent legal advice to ensure your employment rights are protected.  Gillian Reid, Head of Employment at Ware & Kay in York, Wetherby & Malton , looks at what you need to do if you are facing disciplinary proceedings for misconduct. Misconduct is unacceptable or improper behaviour.  Cases of minor misconduct, such as lateness, are usually dealt with informally.  If informal resolution fails or the matter is more serious, your employer will normally take formal action.  Gross misconduct is the most serious type of conduct and includes theft, fraud, fighting, drunkenness, harassment, serious negligence and serious breach of health and safety rules.  It can result in the termination of your employment without notice or pay in…

Ware & Kay Strengthens Wills Probate Team With New Appointment

Expanding Wetherby, York and Malton law firm, Ware & Kay Solicitors Ltd are pleased to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Dunn at their Wetherby office further strengthening their Wills & Probate team. Elizabeth joins as a Chartered Legal Executive, and specialises in Wills, Powers of Attorney and the administration of individual estates when they die. Following her Law Degree at the University of Hull and Legal Practice Course in York, Elizabeth gained valuable experience and knowledge working in a Wills and Probate department at a practice in York.  During this time Elizabeth continued her studies to qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive. Elizabeth said 'I am thrilled to be starting at Ware & Kay and to join the Wills & Probate Team.  They have an excellent reputation.  I really enjoy helping people to get their…

Employment Law Newsletter February 2017

In this newsletter, we outline updates which will take effect from April, summarise the government's recent review of Employment Tribunal fees and look at 2 recent cases dealing with Rest Breaks and Redundancy Consultation, plus a brief mention of a recent case on employment status. Updates from 6th April 2017 National Living Wage For workers age 25 and over   £7.50 per hour For workers age 21 - 24          £7.05 per hour For workers age 18 - 20          £5.60 per hour For workers age under 18        £4.05 per hour The apprenticeship rate           £3.50 per hour   Parental payments (Provisional figures) Statutory maternity Pay (after the first 6 weeks), paternity pay and adoption pay will rise to £140.98 per week. Statutory Sick Pay (Provisional figures) SSP will rise to…

Age Discrimination In The Workplace

As school leavers and graduates compete with an aging population who need or want to work longer, there is an increasing risk to employers of employees bringing claims against them for age discrimination where they believe their career prospects have been adversely affected by how old they are. In this article, Gillian Reid, employment lawyer at Ware & Kay in York, Wetherby & Malton , outlines the main provisions of the law on age discrimination, contained in the Equality Act 2010, and explains the steps you, as an employer, can take to avoid falling foul of the rules. Discrimination in recruitment Job applicants are protected from age discrimination. Before publishing a job advert, you need to look carefully at the language you intend to use to check whether it might put off a potential candidate…

Hard Working Member Of Staff Celebrating After Qualifying As Solicitor

Ware & Kay Solicitors has added to its Wills and Probate Department newly-qualified Solicitor, Laura Green, who will based in the York office. Laura, 26, who is from Pocklington, has been with the firm for 4 years, and originally began working for Ware & Kay Solicitors in 2012. Laura said "I was thrilled when I heard I was being admitted as a Solicitor.  It has been hard work to get to this point but it has definitely paid off and I am looking forward moving on to the next stage of my career at Ware & Kay, with the support of lots of experienced lawyers around me. The firm is very keen to encourage staff development and has always been good at recognising the hard work and progress made by its employees. Over the years I…