Law Actually

Guest PostExperiencing sight loss can be painful, traumatic and sometimes life changing to those who suffer it. Major injuries and illnesses can lead to a complete loss of eyesight. Deep puncture wounds from accidents, serious chemical burns, and major trauma to the eye socket area can result in vision loss. There are also a range of eye conditions which can lead to the loss of eyesight including glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and detached retinas. For those who have been sighted and lose their vision, the transition can be particularly difficult to deal with. Coming to terms with your blindness and the reality of never being g able to see the things or people you love the most is not an easy task to face. Blindness also changes a sufferer’s everyday life significantly. Here are some of the ways how loss of sight changes how people interact with others and the world around them. Braille
Learning a completely new way to read is a challenge for those who lose their sight. H…

Hmm… haven’t we been here before?From the Metro 25/03/13:Flapjacks cut into triangles have been banned from a school after a pupil was hit in the eye with one during a food fight.The bizarre health and safety ruling was imposed after a boy in Year 7 suffered a ‘sore eye’ when he was accidentally hit by the tasty snack which had been thrown by another student.Dinner ladies at the Essex comprehensive school were told to cut flapjacks into squares or rectangles only – with three-sided versions deemed just too dangerous for children.But square or rectangular flapjacks have 4 potential corners to gouge a child’s eye out. Surely that makes them more dangerous than triangular versions, not less?Headteacher Gill Thomas reportedly slapped the ban on the pointy-shaped delicacies following the food fracas in the canteen last Wednesday.The flapjack victim was patched up and sent home from Castle View School on Canvey Island but did not require hospital treatment.[An ‘insider’ told the Sun newspap…

Guest PostMuch of the UK has recently been gripped by snow, ice and blizzard and while plenty of us may have enjoyed a snow day or two, what about those who have suffered an injury due to slipping on ice? And what if their fall happened outside their office? People slipping outside their own home is one thing, but if an incident occurred outside a workplace, perhaps due to a path which has not been properly gritted or an icy step, employers may find they are legally accountable for injuries suffered by one of their staff. Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that the workplace is safe for staff but they should be aware that in some cases, the definition of workplace is fluid and open to interpretation. For instance, if an employee slips on ice on an external ladder leading from their work premises, an employer could be legally responsible as they have not taken the proper precautions in ensuring a route used by employees has been made safe or temporarily closed off – even t…

Guest PostWhat we recognise as our valuable assets constantly changes over time and with more of us spending time online and managing our finances on the web, it has become a necessary importance to ensure our modern-day secrets, including our passwords and accounts, are recorded in our will.Millions of us now run a handful of online accounts. These include private information from everyday banking and savings to online shopping catalogues, betting and gambling accounts to air miles. Even social media accounts including Twitter and Facebook are recognised as valuable assets to pass on. All of these require a password, and if you were to die without a will, these online accounts will be lost with you and could result in thousands of pounds in savings accounts, shopping websites or online gambling credit, lost forever. Online Businesses
Online businesses or individuals who rely on the internet to earn a living also need to consider leaving their personal details. If a person is an acti…

I see from my inbox that Young Lawyer have been banging the drum for their 2013 essay competition.  Must be that time of year again, eh?  The question this year is:  What is the role of lawyers in protecting 
access to justice post-LASPO?The prize is well suited to those with self-loathing disorders.  I’m sure any student would prefer the cash equivalent!!Btw - I had to Google “LASPO”.  Should I be ashamed?

The Telegraph advises students (with a little help from UCAS’ Cathy Gilbert) how to make that killer decision when deciding which university offer to accept.Ah – the joys.  I remember that dreaded period during A levels when we had all UCASsed our little hearts out and were anxiously waiting for those offers to come back.  If my experience was anything to go by, A levels are an absolutely hideous time in someone’s life and the university application process just adds to the misery.For what it’s worth, I loved my law degree degrees (heck – one leads to another, right?) but I hated A levels with an intense passion.Anyhow, what this really reminded me of was a ‘student confession’ quote I saw on the Huffington Post late last year.  It was one of those things in life you just have to take a screenshot of.  I still grimace when I read it now.My ex and I were together for about 9 months. We broke up when I found out she had been sleeping with her ex-boyfriend for the entire thing. Having di…

I guess that’s an alternative way of doing it. Found here.

Sponsored PostIf you have been involved in an accident with a drunk driver, a claim maybe brought against the driver. If the driver has a valid motor insurance policy, the insurer will pay compensation if can be proven that the drunk driver acted negligently and your injuries resulted from their actions.If, however, the driver is uninsured or left the scene of the accident and cannot be traced, a claim may be brought against the Motor Insurance Bureau.The Motor Insurance Bureau provides a fund, as a point of last resort, for personal injury claims which occur on a road or public place in accordance with the provisions of Road Traffic Act 1988. Under these provisions, it is an offence for an individual to be in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. As a result, claims for personal injury caused as a result of an accident with a drunk driver will fail under such provisions.How do I make a claim?
A claim for compensation for personal injury must be brought withi…

From the Solicitors Journal 04/03/13:BT aims to turn legal services unit from internal cost centre to profit centre as it starts pitching for external business.Nice idea. Assuming you’ve got some clients who want to pay. ;-)BT will start offering legal services to corporate customers through its new BT Law Ltd business, which the SRA authorised today as an alternative business structure.BT Law will incorporate BT Claims, a motor claims management service provided to other companies within the BT group such as BT Fleet, which looks after the group’s 35,000 vehicles.The intention, [...] is for the service – currently run as a cost centre – to become a profit centre. "BT Law is already working on its first tender for new business[.]"BT Law will be offered to BT’s existing BT Fleet clients, including The AA, G4S, and Network Rail.The service will include “an in-house end-to-end motor claims solution for businesses, from incident notification, through investigation and resolution…

Sponsored PostMaples and Calder provides an overview of investment funds, offering specialist advice on the legislation, regulations, restrictions and requirements. Ireland has become a popular location for investment funds. With a skilled workforce, political stability and a variety of legal structures, the country is a major and growing centre for internationally distributed funds.Maples and Calder are highly experienced in launching and establishing investment funds in Ireland. With a full understanding of the legislation and regulations surrounding Irish funds, we can offer specialist legal advice on setting up investment funds in the country.UCITS or non-UCITS
Irish funds are split into two main categories, UCITS and non-UCITS funds. UCITS is an EU investment fund vehicle designed primarily for retail investors and is therefore quite constrained in terms of investment flexibility. Meanwhile, non-UCITS funds include retail schemes, professional investment funds and qualifying inve…

From the Solicitors’ Journal 22/02/13:Jonathan Smithers asks what the horse meat scandal can teach lawyers about the free market and consumer expectations.The recent Tesco burger scandal, finding that the ingredients might feature more Dobbin than Daisy has spawned some great internet humour. My favourite was about the joker who took an unused record store gift token to Tesco, trying to swap it for some burgers, contending that HMV stood for horse meat voucher. All very amusing […].Hmmm. It’s hardly a Benny Hill moment, is it? They do say it’s the way you tell ‘em. Granted, solicitors aren’t known for their sense of humour and I’ve told some awful howlers in my time, but this ranks lowly on the snicker-scale.If you’re wondering, I haven’t bothered quoting any longer extracts for two reasons. Firstly, you can draw a parallel between virtually any news story and the legal profession needing to strive for excellent customer service if you really want to.  It’s a question of how hard you …

From BBC News 03/03/13: A woman has been arrested after four champagne diners failed to pay for their £520 meal at a restaurant in Essex. Three men and a woman drank two £150 bottles of champagne and ate steak and lamb at Milsoms, in Dedham, before leaving on 16 February. A 46-year-old woman from Colchester was arrested on Friday on suspicion of making off without payment. She has been released on bail until April pending further inquiries.This gem reminded me of the time when, in one of my holiday jobs as a student, I was asked to give ‘legal advice’ to a colleague who was a co-owner in a local restaurant. The restaurant had experienced a spate of customers leaving without paying that summer, using a variety of techniques.  Some would just ‘do a runner’, but it typically involved diners who’d kick up a fuss and feign horror at the food, but only after they’d eaten 80%+ of it.  (If I’m honest, though, I’m not entirely sure all of the disgruntled customers were bogus!). As I recall, m…

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Have you been harmed at work and the incident wasn’t your fault? When a business is liable for a personal injury accident, they’ll do all they can to mitigate costs – that means attempting to con you out of the compensation you deserve. Don’t be a victim twice. Avoid silly mistakes by getting law advice as soon as possible and wise up to their tricks.Get a LawyerHandling your claim by yourself will lead to you getting less compensation – it’s as simple as that. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise (especially your employers), as it’s statistically proven to be true. You may be asked to make statements for insurance purposes, but don’t approach these without the help of a lawyer. The business is hoping that you’ll say something damaging, so they can hold it against you in court. Don’t sign a thing until your lawyer has given it a once-over and the appropriate personal injury advice. Collect EvidenceRemember who saw your accident and take down their details, so you can us…