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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...
Bedminster had a Winter Wonderland Festival on 27, 28 and 29 February 2016. Sophie Warner decorated the upstairs windows of the North Street office with paper cranes. The effect was amazing! ...
On February 3rd 2016 Watkins Solicitors raised an impressive £74.49 for the Great Legal Bake which raised money for legal advice agencies in the South West of England! There were some fantastic cakes baked and several members of staff made...
Watkins Solicitors speak at Bristol Autism Support – dispelling more myths about exclusion and school transport for children and young people with SEN and/or a disability. Liz Smith and Beverley Watkins gave a talk at a Bristol Autism...
These arrived in our Bedminster office today… ...
It’s the New Year and for many of us this offers the chance for a fresh start and a fresh outlook. Some of us will finally commit to that long overdue gym membership, whilst others may simply see the New Year as an incentive to get things...
Education Law Lydia has a Law Degree and was awarded her Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice in June 2015. She has always had a keen interest in Education Law, having a brother with Autism and other learning difficulties. She also wrote her...
The fee for issuing divorce proceedings is set to increase to £550 from £410. The same fee applies to applications for a Decree of Nullity or for a dissolution of a civil partnership. At Watkins Solicitors we offer fixed fee divorce...
We are delighted to announce that Zina Ruffino, Solicitor, has been shortlisted in the category of “Junior Lawyer of the Year” at the forthcoming Bristol Law Society Annual Awards. Zina Ruffino qualified in 2012. Prior to that she was a...
‘The ABC of ABA’ – designed to inform parents of children who have a diagnosis of Autism about ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis). Beverley Watkins opened the conference and welcomed everybody. She gave the following examples of comments...
When purchasing your new home, the solicitor carrying out the conveyancing will carry out a number of searches on your behalf. A Local Authority search is just one of the searches which is carried out and can be very helpful. For example if you were buying...
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The issue of Female Genitalia Mutilation (FGM) has been frequently discussed in the press and championed by a number of different celebrities. The police and local authorities are concerned about the number of young girls in the UK who are at risk of FGM...
Natalie joined Watkins Solicitors in September 2014 whilst she was completing her final year of a law degree at UWE. She is the third student to undertake a work placement with the ‘Law in Action’ module. Here is what she had to say about her...
In order to qualify for a student loan, a student must (a) be resident in England when the academic year begins (b) has been lawfully ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom for the three years before then and (c) be settled in the United Kingdom on that...
When dealing with financial matters following a divorce, it is always advisable to have a final Order which sets out the agreement reached. Once a final Order is made in respect of financial matters, it is only in “exceptional circumstances” that...
As many as 40% of children lose contact with their grandparents following parental separation. Grandparents often wrongly assume that they have ‘grandparents rights’ and have the legal right to see their grandchildren. This is not the case....
Local Government Ombudsman Reports: St Edmond Arrowsmith Roman Catholic High School, Wigan (14005154, 14006249 and 14010168) and Kingston-upon Hull City Council (14008195) Every year there are a number of complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO)...
A new report by the TUC and Women’s Aid – Women’s experience of financial abuse and potential implications for Universal Credit, published on 12th March 2015 https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/FinancialAbuse.pdf – highlights...
Research carried out by the Centre on the developing child at Harvard University shows that early experiences influence your child’s brain development, even before your child is born. The period from conception to the first three years of a...
In February 2015 the Judiciary of England and Wales produced a report of Vulnerable Witnesses and Children working Group. The Outcome of that report (although a further report is due in July 15) is summarised below; 1. That the term vulnerable witnesses...
Beverley Watkins of Watkins Solicitors is well regarded by market commentators, with one commenting that “I completely trust and respect her.” She is highly regarded for her SEN work and has great skill in handling disability cases. ...
See Law Society Gazette article here ...
In the long term this may not be good for solicitors, says Beverley Watkins as firms are bound to cut their training budgets. Firms which currently provide training for solicitors are also likely to close. For more details see article in Gazette ....
Beverley Watkins is mentioned in the Times article concerning school admissions. Beverley has advised parents in respect of school admissions for over 15 years. ...
Bristol have had Jenny Jones break records at Sochi but on Sunday Victoria Shufflebotham will be attempting to break another record – she will be trying to get into the Guinness book of records for the fastest women to run the London marathon in a...
Bric a Brac Sale – what a splendid day! After all the rain the sun finally shone on 7th March 2014 so that we could put up our yarn bombing outside our Kingswood office in time for our bric-a-brac sale on the following day. The office really did...
Special Educational Needs – time limits for appealing. When a Local Authority issues a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Amended Statement, accompanying the Statement or Amended Statement will be a letter informing the parent that they...
Beverley Watkins, comments, “It is already a criminal offence to assault another person, we already have offences of assault, GBH etc. The real issue is the way domestic violence is treated by the police and the Courts. The police frequently, despite a...
We are running the London marathon to raise money for Survive and the Bourne Family Centre (part of the Aid International charity). These are both really worthwhile charities working in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire area. Like many small charities...
