Well done to family solicitor, Joanne Davies, who received a lovely box of chocolates from a grateful client....
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The week of 21-27 May 2018 was Dementia Action Week and the emphasis this year was on taking action “to improve the everyday lives of people affected by dementia”. Our trainee solicitor, Lisa Morgan, who is also a Dementia Friends...
Sheldon Price is pictured with a lovely bunch of flowers given to her by a very happy client today. ...
News in the last few days has focused on statistics that demonstrate there is a shortage of funding for children with special educational needs, which is leading to a growing number of children being left without suitable school places and more children with...
We are delighted to have taken further steps to implement our action plan in becoming a dementia-friendly law firm and are now members of the Bristol DAA , South Gloucestershire DAA and Bath DAA (“Dementia Action Alliance”). We have already...
From 1 April 2018, a new "Land Transaction Tax" will be payable on Welsh and transactions. This is instead of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). There are however some exceptions: retrospective notification cases . This is where a transaction...
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SEND) will soon be able to make non-binding recommendations on the health and social care aspects of a child or young person’s EHC Plans, alongside the educational needs and provision currently...
From 1 April 2018, Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) will come into effect which means that Landlords will not be able to renew or begin any lease/tenancy for any residential or commercial property which has an EPC Rating below E...
For many families, the anxious wait will be over and you may well hear the collective sigh of relief. However, for families who are not allocated the school of their choice, they may be worried and upset. Remember, parents have the ‘right to express a preference’ - their child does not have the right to have the school of their choice...
Managing Partner, Beverley Watkins, was recently asked to provide comment on the Ministry of Justice's Legal Advice Gateway for an article in the Law Society Gazette. The Legal Advice Gateway is a telephone service which provides advice on...
In 2013 under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, the government decided to fund advice and assistance on special educational needs and discrimination work only through a telephone advice service. There are currently two providers of this service to cover England and Wales. However, a decision has been issued this week that the government will cancel the telephone advice service and will not be awarding any contracts for education and discrimination services after 1 September 2018 through the current process...
The most common question conveyancers are asked is "how long will the process take?" It varies depending on which conveyancer you speak to although generally, you are looking at around 6-8 weeks if it is straightforward and 8-12 weeks if it...
A challenge led by Mr Mundy and chartered surveyor Mr Wyatt of Parthenia Valuation to reduce leasehold extension costs was unsuccessful at the Court of Appeal. The case in question Mundy v the Sloane Estate , involved a small flat in Chelsea where the...
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission have conducted a joint inspection of Lancashire Local Authority to judge the effectiveness of the area in implementing special educational needs and disability reforms, as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. ...
A joint inspection of South Gloucestershire Council’s SEN and Disabilities provisions carried out by both Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has recently published its findings highlighting areas both of strength and need in the Local...
We are delighted to announce that Watkins Solicitors are in the process of becoming a dementia-friendly law firm, starting in January 2018. We are now members of the South Gloucestershire and Bristol Dementia Action Alliance, and planning to extend this in Bath where we have recently opened a new office...
For those children who are transferring into a new stage of education from September 2018, parents should receive the final EHC plan naming the placement for September 2018 by 15 February 2018...
Watkins Solicitors are delighted to announce the opening of our new office in Bath.
The firm has a contract to carry out Legal Aid work from this office, which is situated in the centre of Bath...
The BBC has recently been featuring a number of articles relating to children with special educational needs. It has focused on TV presenters David and Carrie Grant, who have four children, each with a separate set of special educational needs. ...
The 31st March 2018 represents the final date by which all Local Authorities in England need to have transferred all Statements of Special Educational Needs into Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans). This deadline is as a result of a change in...
From Spring 2018 a new approach will be adopted by CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) to tackle the issue of one parent turning a child against the other following separation. This problem is known as parental alienation and is...
Sheldon Price says it is not clear how many cases may be affected by the warning which the Government has issued in respect of cases concerning Trimega between 2010 and 2014. Any clients who may have been affected should obtain legal advice as soon as...
Beverley Watkins explains that remarrying before sorting out financial matters from a first divorce can have catastrophic consequences. If a party to a divorce proceedings remarries before they have dealt with the financial aspects of their divorce,...
Following a 2017 pilot trial involving 17 Local Authorities, the SEND Tribunal has agreed to make non-binding recommendations on the health and social care sections of a child or young person’s EHC Plan. The Tribunal will be able to make these...
A Personal Budget is an amount of money identified by the Local Authority to deliver provision set out in a child or young person’s EHC Plan where the parent or young person is involved in securing that provision. A child’s parent or the young...
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has recently published its focus report on its first 100 investigations into identified issues with the Education, Health and Care Plan system. The Local Government Ombudsman is a free service for parents of children with special education needs and disabilities to utilise if parents believe there has been...
The Education Department of Watkins Solicitors held another successful SEN Conference, this time in Redruth, Cornwall, for parents of children who have special education needs and disabilities. Lydia Dunford spoke about EHC Needs Assessments and...
The legal parents of a child in cases of surrogacy are the surrogate mother and either the man or woman the surrogate mother was married to or was in a civil partnership with at the time of treatment if they consented to the treatment. The time of treatment is when the embryo or sperm and eggs were placed into the surrogate mother via artificial insemination.
Staff had a wonderful evening at the Annual Bristol Law Society Awards and, to round it off, Beverley Watkins won the award for Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year! When presenting the award, the following was said: "To Beverley...
New figures from the Ministry of Justice have shown that there has been a big jump in the number of appeals registered at the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal. Between April and June 2017, the number of Local Authority decisions...
Beverley Watkins has been looking at the new Divorce Petition which came into use on 7 th August 2017. The form has been improved and is definitely easier to use. You can now pay the Court fee by debit/credit card. If you indicate that you do...
Sheldon Price recently represented a Mother in proceedings in the Court of Appeal – S-F (A Child) [2017] EWCA Civ964 . Sheldon specialises in Care and Adoption proceedings representing parents, relatives, Guardians and Children in proceedings...
SEN Information Day for Parents (All you need to know about Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments and Plans in just one day!) Presented by Watkins Solicitors Following the huge success of their EHC needs assessments &...
As tens of thousands descended on Bedminster in Bristol for Europe's largest street art festival, Upfest, Watkins Solicitors played their part by hosting a Bric-a-Brac Sale on the front lawn of their office at 192 North Street....
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Victoria Shufflebottom provides a brief overview of pension sharing on divorce. Pensions can be an important aspect to consider when dealing with the financial arrangements on divorce yet they can be overlooked. A couple may understandably focus on more...
It is common knowledge that Local Authorities are struggling to keep up with the timescales and requirements in producing and issuing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans). What may not be as well known is that a few Local Authorities are outsourcing...
Parents should have now received the final EHC Plans for their child who is due to transfer into a new stage of education from September 2017; the 15th February was the deadline for EHC Plans to be issued for pupils transferring into either primary or...
Following the recent announcement that an approximate £32million worth of funding cuts could hit Bristol schools, parents have been taking a stand; by sitting down at picnics across the centre on 26 May 2017. The picnics, that were held in four...
The Local Government Ombudsman has published a focus report concerning home to school transport issues. This follows a marked increase in complaints that the Local Government Ombudsman have seen about these issues over the past two years. The...
A recent decision in the Upper Tribunal has provided much needed clarification as to the scope of decisions young people with special educational needs and disabilities can make when an appeal has been lodged against the contents of their EHC Plan. The...
We are delighted to announce some good news about the Government’s recent u-turn to put a halt on the increase in probate fees that were due to take effect in May 2017. Following the announcement of the snap general election, the Government has decided...
Bristol will soon have four new schools built around the centre to help ease the demand on secondary school places. The new schools will consist of two under Oasis Community Learning, as well as an all-through special school and a school primarily for...
We are delighted with the government’s recent decision to reduce the registration fees for Lasting Powers of Attorney (“LPAs”) and Enduring Powers of Attorney (“EPAs”). The Office of the Public Guardian (“OPG”), the...
Our very own Tamsin James is the subject of a case study published by Kristal McNamara of Flexology, who specialise in flexible recruitment for professionals in the South West. Read about Tamsin’s experience of flexible working by clicking here: ...
Staff from Watkins Solicitors raised over £50 from our Red Nose Day Bric a Brac and Cake Sale on Friday 24 March at our Kingswood Office. Thank you to everyone who bought items and donated so generously. All the money will go to helping those less...
On or after April 6th 2017, the new Inheritance Tax rules will be of effect. The key point to consider is how this will affect your estate in terms of any Inheritance tax liability upon your death. Before we delve into this further, let’s start at the...
Beverley Watkins welcomed the announcement that the Legal Aid Agency plan to scrap the rule that victims must provide evidence of abuse within the last 5 years and that they plan to widen the evidence. It is not yet clear when the new rules will be...
Everyone seems to be talking about the news that Angelina and Brad have separated. The divorce has been filed in the USA and therefore the law is somewhat different to that in England and Wales. Angelina has apparently filed for divorce on the grounds of...
David Cameron says every school in England should become an Academy because Academies have improved standards and power should be in the hands of head teachers and teachers. Academies are independent, state-funded schools that operate outside of Local...
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