Onwards and Upwards!

We are delighted to announce that Beata Nowakowska-Mrozek, who has been working with us since April 2011 and has been assisting in the Litigation and Employment Law department, has been rewarded with a Training Contract.

Beata will continue in the department for another 12 months before moving to assist clients instructing the firm in different areas of law. It is planned that she will complete her training in 2 years’ time and will then become a qualified Solicitor.

Robin Humphreys, Partner and Head of Litigation says: “We are committed to developing all of our staff and are pleased to offer Beata this opportunity, she has worked hard and her dedication to our clients and to pursuing her career in the law is obvious. We will continue to support her through her training and fully expect her to do extremely well”.

Well done Beata!

Landlords – protect against fraud!

It is estimated by the National Fraud Authority that fraud costs the UK economy £73 billion a year, with mortgage fraud accounting for £1 billion of that.

Mortgage fraud can take place in a number of different ways but for landlords with buy-to-let properties the threat comes from fraudsters who seek to sell or mortgage the property as their own.

Whilst there are many checks that Solicitors will undertake to ensure the identity of the people instructing them there is now further protection available for landlords from the Land Registry.

Since February 2012 it has been possible for non-occupying owners, such as landlords, to register a restriction against their property to require a Solicitor to certify that they are satisfied that the person selling or mortgaging the property is the true owner.

Andrew Duncan, Head of Residential Conveyancing says: “It is vital that property owners, especially those who don’t occupy their own properties, understand that fraud is a very real threat. As Solicitors, we are regulated and obliged to undertake a number of checks when we are approached but I welcome any provision that provides additional support and would recommend that landlords take up this opportunity to protect their property”.

Local Solicitor warns about mis-selling.

Property Protection Trusts (sometimes called Asset Protection Trusts) are designed to help people protect the value of their home and safeguard the property against any change in circumstances, such as the death of a partner or care home needs.

The Law Society and Trading Standards Watchdogs are currently concerned that these products are being mis-sold, with inaccurate promises made that the Local Authority cannot class the property as an asset when assessing care home fees, and used by unauthorised firms, who are not entitled to prepare these Trusts.

Even more concerning is the manner in which some unregulated firms appear to be approaching people, who are often elderly, with complaints being made about high pressure selling and scare tactics.

Norman Snowball, Head of Wills & Probate says: “There are proposals to regulate Will writing and estate administration and the sooner the better but, for now, there are a number of unregulated firms offering those services. Making a Will is very important, even more so where care home fees or tax planning may be an issue. Until the changes on regulation come in, people must be extremely careful about who they ask to prepare their Will.”