December….the time of year when the talk in the office is less about sales figures and more about Secret Santa, tinsel and ‘Elf on the Shelf’. Whilst...
Ah, snow! That magical, powdery substance that turns the UK into a winter wonderland — or, more accurately, a logistical nightmare. Despite it being...
Collective Enfranchisement offers leaseholders a valuable opportunity to acquire the freehold of their property, effectively ending their dependence...
From 26 October 2024, employers will be under a new positive duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers. Failing to...
Proceedings concerning children after parents have separated can be an extremely challenging time for everyone involved. A whirl of emotions can make...
Porter Dodson is pleased to announce the appointment of Louise Minifie as a Senior Associate at their recently relocated Exeter office. Louise brings...
Old news, right? We all know that male and female workers should be paid the same for doing the same work.Recently, however, workers have brought to...
For over 350 years the Alhampton Inn has been a gathering place for the residents of the Somerset village of Alhampton, near Shepton Mallet. When the...
Staff from Porter Dodson recently spent time away from the office volunteering with the Longrun Meadow Conservation Project. Located in the heart of...
The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren can be a cherished and vital part of family life, offering emotional support, stability, and...
Porter Dodson’s Corporate Commercial Team is pleased to announce the successful completion of the sale of the entire issued share capital of Premier...
As we inch closer to the General Election, we don’t want you to think we are favouring the Labour Party! Here’s a look into the Lib Dem Manifesto and...
Steve Farnham, Partner in Commercial Property and Rural Business, Land and Agriculture discusses the impact of the government's recent update to the...
Inevitably, the process of administering a person’s estate starts very soon after their death. One of the first steps in that process is finding the...
Porter Dodson’s Commercial Property Team are delighted to have assisted Vispring Limited, the luxury British bed manufacturer, in the acquisition of...
In our latest blog series our specialist Trusts Team aim to cover some of the most common issues when navigating the administration of Trusts. We are...
Disputes between Executors and the Beneficiaries of Estates have become much more common in recent years. Often, the dispute has its origins in both...
Southwest based law firm, Porter Dodson, is pleased to announce the addition of Ben Simpson and Chris Dickinson as Partners, further enhancing their...
In her latest blog, Robyn Greenway, a Senior Legal Advisor in our Private Client Team in Wellington, discusses the ins and outs of Powers of Attorney...
Porter Dodson proudly supported this year's Jail and Bail fundraising event held at Exeter Castle in support of Children’s Hospice South West. Jail &...
In a recent case the High Court determined that an investor shareholder potentially suffered unfair prejudice when the company failed to comply with...
Did you hear about the rather sticky situation that recently unfolded at Avanti West Coast, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of many? You may have...
Porter Dodson’s Corporate Commercial team recently supported local food and drink producer Framptons Limited with the sale of its entire issued share...
Robyn Greenway, a Senior Legal Advisor in our Private Client Team in Wellington often deals with a large number of intestate estates, and knows these...
Porter Dodson Solicitors, a top 200 UK law firm, proudly announces the appointment of Jenny Shepherd as a Partner in the Wellington office, effective...
In his latest monthly Q&A, Property Litigation specialist Will Bartley delves into the rising concerns surrounding new-build housing and the surge in...
Evelyn Adfield, Partner and Head of Department for Corporate Commercial at Porter Dodson has been ranked as a Band 1 Lawyer for Corporate Commercial...
Though it may sound fanciful, legal professionals practicing in Contentious Probate often hear accusations of forged signatures on Wills and similar...
On Monday 14th August Porter Dodson hosted the first Taunton Professionals Hockey Tournament at Taunton Vale Sports Club in aid of Children’s Hospice...
Welcome to the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace! As technology continues to evolve, it's important to stay ahead of the curve and...
Following a flurry of recent local business transactions, Porter Dodson are pleased to have advised Coombe Farm Retail, a provider of premium organic...
Porter Dodson is thrilled to have been recognised in the latest global Chambers and Partners High Net Worth guide. The guide differentiates the best...
Porter Dodson Partner, Julia Perrins, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for services to legal practice at the recent Devon and Somerset Law...
Landlords of commercial premises beware; minimum energy performance standards are now in place which could lead to hefty fines for those in breach. ...
Credit Control is the strategy businesses use to monitor and review unpaid customer invoices. Here are our top 5 tips for businesses to be on top of...
Family law is evolving all the time to meet the changing needs of our society and to keep pace with scientific progress. Parents need to be aware of...
Porter Dodson is pleased to welcome Paul Watkins, who joins us as a Partner in the Bridport office and brings with him a wealth of experience in the...
One of the most powerful remedies available to a landlord of commercial (non-residential use) property is the right of re-entry, described in leases...
If you have been notified about a challenge to a will relating to an estate in which you have an interest, you may wonder whether you can defend the...
If you have been notified about a challenge to a will relating to an estate in which you have an interest, you may wonder whether you can defend the...
There is no requirement that you use a solicitor, or licensed conveyancer, when buying a house. You could choose to represent yourself. However, when...
Tenants of residential long leases generally enjoy rights to extend the term of their lease. They may also enjoy rights in respect of the management...
The pandemic continues to affect everyone, albeit in different ways and to differing extents, with charities especially being hit hard over the last...
Porter Dodson has appointed a new associate to the Dispute Resolution Team. Helen Williams joins the firm with more than 15 years’ experience in the...
We are very proud of our Charity of the Year programme and the support it receives from our staff. With 8 offices across Somerset and Dorset, we are...
We are very proud of our Charity of the Year programme and the support it receives from our staff. With 8 offices across Somerset and Dorset, we are...
We would normally host Christmas drinks for all our offices in December. Like many others we have been unable to celebrate Christmas in our usual way...
In a controversial announcement made by the Government on 25 July 2020, wills witnessed via video link are to be legalised temporarily. As expected,...
On 21 July 2020, HMRC published draft legislation proposing changes to the working time requirements for Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) share...
We recommend that everyone has a power of attorney in place. It will ensure that your affairs can be managed in the event you do not have capacity to...
Certain people who have been in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983 (‘sectioned’) can get free aftercare when they leave hospital. Section 117...
What is a care home top-up fee? If you are not eligible for NHS continuing healthcare but you have social care needs and are therefore eligible for a...
The firm and several of its lawyers have recently been ranked in independent legal guides, The Legal 500 UK and Chambers UK. The guides recommend law...
Are you considering a prenuptial agreement? According to a recent survey*, if you’re under 25, the answer is yes. Of the 136 respondents aged between...
Porter Dodson is delighted to be shortlisted in the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) National Awards 2019 for the Law Firm of the Year...
Kate, Robyn, Scott, Barnaby, Rob Titcombe and I converged on the village of Yetminster south of Yeovil and Sherborne for a second ride out this last...
When it comes to employment-related disputes, most employers immediately think about unfair dismissal. Thanks to the abolition of fees in July 2017,...
Resolution is a group of family lawyers, and other professionals, that promotes a non-confrontational approach to resolving family disputes. Members...
When couples divorce, if they are unable to agree on how their assets should be split, the Court can be asked to determine how their resources should...
There are two ways to bring an end to a marriage – annulment or divorce. While a divorce legally ends a marriage, an annulment declares the marriage...
The World Mental Health Organisation has designated 10th October each year as a day to raise awareness for mental health and for people/businesses in...
Collaborative law is an alternative way of dealing with divorce, children issues and the resolution of financial matters following the breakdown of a...
Cohabiting couples are the fastest growing family type in the UK, with approximately 3.3 million in 2016. Unmarried partners often assume they enjoy...
Not a day goes by at the moment without sexual harassment claims being splashed across the media. You might think that this is a problem reserved for...
Following the implementation of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 on 6 April 2022, if you wish to start a divorce you can do so based...
Let’s be frank, talking about mental health is an awkward process. Awkward for the sufferer and awkward for the listener. Take by way of comparison a...
‘Deeds’, as most people remember, is a large parcel of old documents, such as conveyances. These show how the property has passed between each person...
The divorce process is stressful enough. Many do not realise that obtaining a divorce does not bring to an end the financial links between divorcing...
The European Court decided that a self-employed window salesman, who successfully claimed worker status, was entitled to claim unpaid holiday pay for...
Elderly Theft: Robbing the Relatives, which was broadcast on ITV1 on Thursday 30th November, certainly sets out in no uncertain terms the devastating...
The odds are you’ve reserved the right to suspend employees accused of misconduct whilst you investigate the allegations against them, either within...
In the long-running case of Fulton & anor v Bear Scotland Ltd, the Employment Appeal Tribunal has confirmed that in claims involving ongoing unlawful...
In March 2017 the Supreme Court’s ruling in Ilott v The Blue Cross and others (previously known as Ilott v Mitson) was handed down. Despite a number...
As a result of this case, on 6 April 2022, the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 was implemented, heralding no-fault divorce. Read more in...
The recent case of Bandara v British Broadcasting Corporation (2016) highlights the need to think carefully when issuing disciplinary sanctions, not...
A recent hearing before High Court Judge Peter Jackson flagged up the often very difficult decisions the Family Court is forced to make when parents...
Following the case of the wind farm millionaire, Wyatt-v-Vince, where the wife successfully obtained a lump sum payment many years after the parties...
In August 2016, a family won their legal battle to overturn their brother’s will after it was found that the deceased, David Poole, did not know and...
If you are considering getting divorced, you are likely to have many questions about the process. One of the key questions asked is ‘when is best to...
The provision of affordable housing has been a hot topic both in the media and Government for many years. Local Planning Authorities seek to control...
From 1 April 2016, workers aged 25 and over are entitled to the National Living Wage, currently set at £7.20 per hour. It is, in effect, a new level...
Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) are becoming more popular as people plan ahead for a time when they may like or need assistance with their financial...
Judges from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) have ruled that employers can read workers’ private messages sent via chat software and webmail...
It is becoming increasingly common for employees not to have a fixed place of work. Many sales agents and home-based workers spend their time on the...
The average manager spends 20 working days each year dealing with absence issues; that’s one month out of twelve or just over 8% of working time. It...
Most of us can say that at some point we’ve had a complaint about goods or services, relating to things such as retail companies, home improvement or...
A Judge in the West Country has taken the unusual step of asking for help from the Press to trace a Somerset mother, who has gone on the run with her...
Today, a judge in Northern Ireland has handed down an eagerly awaited judgment in relation to a row over a message supporting gay marriage to be iced...
Family courts will presume that each parent will play a role in the life of their child as a result of the parental involvement provision which came...
With property prices in the south west remaining high in relation to salaries and more attractive mortgage deals only being available to those with a...
If an Employment Tribunal member is apparently asleep for 15 – 20 seconds during a hearing and is observed drooling (though presumably drooling isn’t...
The recent High Court case of Stagecoach South Western Trains Ltd v Hind (2014) has reconsidered the landowner’s duty to inspect trees on their land....
The BBC has today reported on pressure to outlaw discrimination against employees on the grounds of tattoos. “Body art” is enjoying record levels of...
Making a Will has never been more important. The “traditional” family unit of Mum, Dad and 2.4 children is now merely one of the myriad of family set...
Until 6 April 2014 it had long been a cornerstone of a commercial landlord’s powers that, in the event of default in payment of rent, a landlord was...
Questions and answers arising from the second in our series of Renewables seminars held across Somerset and Dorset. Additional questions and answers...
In the landmark ruling of Clyde & Co v Bates van Winkelhof the Supreme Court has confirmed that a member of a limited liability partnership (LLP) is...
When you are discussing the costs of buying a house or flat with your solicitor, he or she should mention searches. If you are getting a mortgage to...
New applications for Child Maintenance are now being dealt with by the Child Maintenance Service. Existing cases using the Child Support Agency will...
As of 6 April 2014, it is no longer possible for an employer to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from its national insurance contribution. This is as...
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, or TUPE, protects employees when they transfer from one employer to another...
The European Commission has recently presented a new proposed framework agreement with the intention of driving the EU towards a low carbon economy....
With the rush of the 31 January deadline for tax self-assessment behind us for another year, business owners may well turn their thoughts to whether...
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