Why Leaving A Will Is Important When You Have Children From Different Relationships
Having an up to date will is always important to be assured that your loved ones are taken care of. It is especially important for couples and cohabitants who have children from different relationships, as this can complicate matters when you die. Creating a will allows you to ensure that you can adequately provide for…
Rise in UK Modern Day Slave Trade
The Crown Prosecution Service has published figures showing a 27% rise in the past year of modern slavery offences and charges. Referrals from police to the CPS regarding modern slavery reports have also rose by 31%. Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders stated that CPS are working in partnership with police to ensure they build…
Illegal Waste Disguised As Plastic Sent Back to UK from Poland
A shipment of illegal waste disguised as plastic and shipped to Poland, is now being sent back to the UK. Greenpeace’s new investigative journalist platform Unearthed, reported that the UK Environmental Agency are working with Polish Authorities to return the 1,000 tons of waste A criminal investigation now proceeds with three UK companies. The freight…
We’re Supporting Injury Prevention Day – 15th August
Today is Injury Prevention Day, a time to raise awareness around safety initiatives and avoid needless injuries. This year’s focus is on vehicle headrests and ensuring they are properly adjusted. The campaign is spearheaded by APIL, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. As an APIL member, we are committed to seeking reforms to improve the…
Caesarean (C-Section) Claims – What You Need To Know
It may be that you have been advised by your doctor to have a caesarean to deliver your baby, or you may have chosen an elective caesarean instead. If you feel you have been advised incorrectly or a caesarean section has resulted in injury to yourself or your baby, you may be entitled to make…
Tenants Are At Risk Of Losing Their Home If They Sublet With AirBnB
Tenants are in danger of losing their homes if they sublet. Writer and actor Leo Cassini used Airbnb to let a spare room in his central London apartment, which he had rented for 13 years. Leo explained that a work project had failed, and he subsequently used Airbnb to tide him over financially. Leo stated…
Legal Aid Cut Revoked for Criminal Defence Lawyers
On Friday, the latest round of Legal Aid cuts which had seen legal aid lawyers fees capped were revoked following a legal challenge in the High Court. The reduction in fees which was implemented in December 2017 was ruled to be ‘unfair, flawed and irrational’. The cuts reduced the fees for criminal lawyers defending suspects…
How Will You Be Affected By The Latest Interest Rate Rise?
We knew it was coming and yesterday it finally happened. The Bank of England has raised the base interest rate from 0.5% to 0.75%, in a move widely expected ever since the first rise in ten years that came in November 2017. At that time, the interest rate rise was seen as a way to…
What Does The Law Say About Leaving Kids Home Alone During Summer Holidays?
By Law, are parents allowed to leave kids home alone during the holidays? The six week summer holiday has rolled around for our children once again. For many families this is a carefree joyous period, no different than any other part of the year. Whilst for others, this time will be difficult to manage. Juggling…
World Day Against Human Trafficking – 30th July 2018
World Day Against Human Trafficking is an annual event held today, 30th July. People trafficking and modern day slavery is a worldwide issue, with few countries immune. The event held by the United Nations aims to continue to raise awareness and increase prevention. In correspondence to this, West Yorkshire Police and National Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson has spoken…
Buying A New Build Property Advice
Buying A New Build Property Advice New build homes are often seen as the perfect option when seeking to buy a property, particularly if you are a first time buyer or don’t have a lot of money or time to spend on home improvements. Benefits Of Buying A New Build Property There will be no…
Jury Inquest at Wakefield Coroners Court concludes that Spencer James Walker died as a result of an accident
The jury heard that on the 3rd October 2016 Spencer James Walker, 12 from South Elmsall was out with friends when he climbed upon the canopy of Kirkbridge Footbridge which crosses the East Coast Railway Lines. He managed to pass the protective spikes and gain access to the roof of the cage. Spencer then climbed…
Boundary Dispute Resolution Boost Still Some Time Away
Boundary disputes can be quite distressing for all involved. They often evolve as a result of long-standing resentment or disagreement left over from other disputes, or because of a general dislike between neighbours. Otherwise, a simple boundary dispute can be quite straightforward to resolve if the neighbours get on well and one or both are…
Advice For Going Back To Work After Maternity Leave
Advice For Going Back To Work After Maternity Leave Going back to work after maternity leave can be a daunting prospect. Mentally, childbirth can be a very challenging period for the mother and the idea of working again may not feel as appealing as it did when you left to have your baby. There can…
I want to leave my estate to charity instead of my children. Can this be done?
The dividing of an estate can be complex and troubling to deal with, even if wishes are documented in a valid Will. Emotions can run high; disputes over an estate can erupt within the closest of families. It is vital that property contained in your Will is processed appropriately, to avoid future problems arising. Some…
Britain Facing Dementia Crisis Over LPA Shortfall
Around 12 million Britons are ‘sleepwalking’ towards a dementia crisis because they have taken no steps in appointing a lasting power of attorney (LPA), according to a recent report. An LPA ensures your wishes are looked after in the event of you losing mental capacity in later life, by appointing a trusted person to control…
Ison Harrison Supports Former Client In Charity Bike Ride
Ison Harrison Supports Former Client In Charity Bike Ride Establishing a reputation as one of the leading solicitors in Yorkshire doesn’t just come through successfully representing our clients. At Ison Harrison we pride ourselves on implementing a customer care policy that leaves a lasting impression on our clients, and a great example of this is…
Ison Harrison Sponsors Charlie’s Charity Ball
Ison Harrison has agreed to be a headline sponsor for the upcoming Charlie’s Charity Ball & Awards 2018, a special fundraising event on September 29th being staged by the Charlie’s Angels Centre Foundation. The charity is dedicated to helping bereaved parents and families to cope with the loss of their children. In areas of our…
Stable Businesses: Licensing for Riding Schools
Sometimes a lifelong passion turns into a career, which usually tends to be the case for those deciding to teach others to ride. Offering tuition for any sport involves rules and regulations, and horse riding is no different. Here, we offer an outline of the key points to have in mind. Is there a legal…
Things to consider when buying a property at auction
Buying property at auction is an exciting method of a purchase but it comes with its own unique risks. Here are five matters to consider but remember, this list is not exhaustive! This blog looks at buying at a traditional auction. A further piece on buying through a modern auction method will follow. 1. Do…
Yunus Lunat joins Acas HR Masterclass Conference 2018
Our head of Employment Law Department Yunus Lunat, will be joining the Acas HR Masterclass Conference 2018, advising on workplace inclusivity: “Beyond Diversity- what real inclusion in the work place looks like.” Yunus is a long standing member here at Ison Harrison Solicitors, and has more than 15 years’ experience, specialising in inclusivity in the…
£13,000 Spider Bite
A long serving British Airways flight steward, Terry O’Driscoll has recently won £13,000 in damages, after being bitten by a US spider whilst working on a long haul flight. It is thought that Terry had been bitten by a brown recluse spider in May 2013. This happened whilst at work, in the staff resting area…
Legal Aid in Family Law Cases
In the past, Legal Aid was available for all types of family law matters. This changed in 2013, when new rules were introduced. We often receive enquiries which ask if Legal Aid can be obtained for a particular issue, and so here Gillian Colquhoun, a Solicitor in our Family Legal Aid department, takes a look…
New Litigation Partner Joins Huddersfield Branch
A new litigation Partner, John Burnett, has joined our Huddersfield branch. John’s appointment is the first time we have recruited a member of staff at Partner level to join one of our outer branches, which highlights John’s level of experience and seniority at the firm. John previously worked at Schofield Sweeney solicitors and has been…
Gosport Hospital Report Reveals 456 Patients Died From Opioids Prescribed Without Justification
A report has been published today which has concluded that 456 patients died at Gosport War Memorial Hospital since 1989 as a result of “administering opioids without medical justification”. A further 200 patients may also have died as a result from the sedative medication misuse but records were missing in those cases. The report has openly…
Reflecting On The Kind Hearts Give Back Ball 2018
Kind Hearts Give Back is a charity that was founded in 2014 and aims to raise funds to help recovering cancer victims. Their annual ball is always a popular event and the 2018 ball helped to generate nearly £28,000 which was donated to the Yorkshire Cancer Centre, Teenage Cancer Trust and Cancer Research UK. We…
Debilitating Pelvic Pain Following Child Birth -Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) or Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP)
It is estimated that SPD/PGP affects as many as 1 in 5 pregnant women to some extent. It is not harmful to your baby, but it can cause severe pain around your pelvic area including your lower back. Pain can also radiate to your thighs and some women feel or hear clicking or grinding in…
Welcome to Holland Poem: Raising A Child With Additional Needs
The Clinical Negligence team at Ison Harrison Solicitors work with families who are raising children with special needs and disabilities. Due to the nature of our work, their disabilities were often avoidable and caused by negligent care by medical professionals. We know that this can be extremely difficult to come to terms with and getting the…
Case Study: Extravasation Injury – Mr C v The Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust
Mr C attended Leeds General Infirmary on 5 August 2016 for a CT scan with contrast to determine the cause of haematuria (presence of blood in urine). As part of the procedure, a peripheral cannula needed to be inserted for the intravenous injection of dye and saline. Two nurses attended to him, but only one…
Court permits a Defendant to re-open a dishonesty defence despite claim being discontinued
A recent decision of the Court shows the importance of ensuring that claims are not brought dishonestly. The High Court has ordered that a fundamental dishonesty defence against a teenage Road Traffic Accent claimant and the driver of the vehicle in which he was travelling should be determined even though they had discontinued their claim….
We’re Celebrating Our 40th Birthday With A BIG Campaign! #TheBig40
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Ison Harrison and we’re going to make sure it’s a special celebration, not just for us, but for 40 local charities too! #TheBig40 campaign will see us donating 40 gifts to 40 charities within our region in a digitally-driven campaign we’re launching on 12th June. Nominations for local charities…
Elderly People Suffering as a Consequence of Medical Negligence
Medical negligence involving elderly people can be very serious, even leading to death in some cases. Problems can occur when elderly people aren’t able to voice concerns about health issues. They often feel unable or scared to speak out, or confused and upset about what is happening to them. Many have complex medical histories, and…
Bosses Put More Strain on NHS Resources with “Impossible” New Directive
Cases of clinical negligence within the NHS could be on the increase as hospital bosses have admitted that a new patient check-up edict will be “impossible” to fulfil. A letter from regulators NHS England and NHS Improvement to hospital bosses, sent in early March, has been ridiculed for its insistence that every inpatient should be…
Ison Harrison Holds Key Advice Session for the Windrush Generation
The Windrush scandal is the latest news topic that everyone has been talking about over the last few weeks, and Ison Harrison is here to offer advice and assistance on the matter. Since the Windrush debate started in April, many people have raised concerns over whether they will be affected by the errors made. Ison…
NHS Breast Cancer Screening Blunder – Have You Been Affected?
The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has said that up to 270 women in England may have died because they did not receive invitations to a final breast cancer screening due to a computer error. 450,000 women aged 68-71 failed to get invitations since 2009. Of those 450,000 women, 309,000 are still alive. All of those…
NHS Trust Recalls More Than 2,500 Neurology Patients Following Potential Misdiagnosis
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust have recalled more than 2,500 neurology patients, including children, amid concerns they may have been mis-diagnosed by Dr Michael Watt. The Ulster Independent Clinic has also confirmed Dr Watt operated a private practice there until June 2017. Neurology is the branch of medicine concerned with the study and treatment…
New HSE Statistics Highlight the Risks of Health and Safety at Work
One of our busiest departments at Ison Harrison is the Personal Injury Department. Our success in representing clients reflects our team’s extensive experience, gained in no small part due to the sheer number of personal injury cases that occur every year and the clients approaching us as a result. Negligence can occur and result in…
Training Deficiency Highlighted as Employee Requires Amputation of Fingers
The issue of enforcing proper training programmes has been raised by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) after an accident at a packaging firm in Sheffield left an employee having to have part of a hand amputated. In this case the employee has solid grounds to claim that negligence on the part of his employer…
2019 Personal Injury Reforms – What Will They Mean For You?
***Updated June 2018*** Our Head of Personal Injury, Gareth Naylor, updated this blog post on 27th June 2018 to provide the most up to date information regarding the Personal Injury Reforms. Controversial personal injury reforms which significantly restrict a person’s access to justice look set to go ahead next year despite the concerns raised by…
Formula One Mechanic Suffers Broken Leg During Race
There are thousands of accidents in the workplace every year, but rarely do millions of people across the globe witness a workplace accident happen live on television. The victim of the accident in question was Francesco Cigarini and the reason millions of people saw him break his leg live was because it happened during a…
Case Study: Acoustic Shock – Noise Induced Hearing Loss
Last week Chris Goldscheider won a landmark case for damage to his hearing caused by loud noise. Mr Goldscheider suffered “acoustic shock” as a result of being exposed to noise levels of in excess of 130 decibels, equivalent to that of a jet engine whilst playing a viola in the Royal Opera House. This case…
Prominent Football Coach Jailed for 30 Years
Barry Bennell has been jailed for 30 years for sexually abusing young boys he preyed on whilst working as a football coach. In passing his sentence Judge Clement Goldstone QC described him as “the devil incarnate”. It was said that this serial abuser of children stole the childhood and innocence of his victims to satisfy…
Birth Injuries to the Mother – What Happens Next?
Birth injuries are a common feature of medical negligence cases, but these usually focus on injuries to the newborn. Injuries to the mother during childbirth are also common, but are often dismissed as being a natural consequence of the birth process. This is not always the case. Birth injuries can have long-term and life-changing effects…
Treated with Contempt: A Warning from the Family Court
A recent case which has seen an 83 year old man sent to prison for contempt of court offers a stark warning to litigants who may be tempted to treat proceedings less seriously than they ought. John Hart had been ordered to transfer his shares in a property development company to his ex-wife. Though he…
Sentencing in Criminal Cases: What Happens When There’s a Slip-Up?
A man sent to prison for his part in conceiving a terrorist attack has now had his sentence increased after the trial judge reviewed it under what is called the ‘slip rule.’ This mechanism for amending a sentence generally receives less coverage than the Unduly Lenient review scheme, but is still significant. Here, we look…
Low Deposit Mortgage Deals Hit a Ten Year High
Increasing confidence in the property market has led to a further boost for first time buyers, with 95% mortgages making something of a comeback. It’s not all good news though, especially for buyers who can only afford a small deposit, reports the BBC. Since the 2008 financial crash, the number of 95% loan-to-value mortgages offered…
New Otley Branch Opening on 26th March
This month sees the start of another new chapter in the Ison Harrison regional branch success story, as we open a new branch in the traditional market town of Otley. This builds on the hugely successful launches of the Pudsey and Huddersfield branches in 2017, and takes the total number of offices to 12. Given…
Ison Harrison Set to Support the Pregnant Then Screwed Live Event
Maternity discrimination is on the rise and at Ison Harrison we know this all too well. As one of the most respected maternity discrimination solicitors in Leeds and Yorkshire, we have seen a 75% increase in queries relating to maternity discrimination in recent years. Sadly, this is accompanied by a shortfall in cases being taken to…
Ison Harrison Strengthens Its Leeds Headquarters with Two New Recruits
Growth is a very important factor that underpins our philosophy here at Ison Harrison, and this has been demonstrated by the announcement of two key personnel appointments to our commercial property department in the last few weeks. Richard Scott and Dhiran Mistry are the latest two additions to our ever-expanding team. While our growth in…
We’re Supporting Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month #StartMakingNoise
March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. 11 women die in the UK every day from ovarian cancer. Awareness of ovarian cancer is low, both among women and GPs, with two-thirds of women diagnosed once the cancer has already spread. The Clinical Negligence Team at Ison Harrison are supporting the charity Target Ovarian Cancer by spreading…