Father holding his baby girl
5th July 2017

This case considers sex discrimination and pay during shared parental leave.  Shared parental leave was introduced in 5 April 2015.  It allows a woman who is on maternity leave to give up her maternity leave and instead allow ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
1st July 2017

We are delighted to announce that we have some internal promotions to celebrate! Linda Wilson, Head of Employment Department, has been promoted to Partner as from 1 July 2017. Linda joined the firm in September 2012 as an Associate and ...

Key to success
26th June 2017

We are delighted to announce that Clare Ridout in our Wills, Probate and Trusts department has passed her tax paper, which is part of the STEP qualification. The STEP Diploma is a highly regarded academic qualification in the practice ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
15th June 2017

We have previously highlighted that Workplace Mediation can be one way of resolving disagreements in the workplace. However, in some cases, a Settlement Agreement may be one sensible option for both parties to consider and they are ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
25th May 2017

We take a look at some of the rights pregnant employees have in the workplace. The starting point is that a pregnant employee has the same rights as any other employee with the same length of service, such as unfair dismissal and a ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
24th May 2017

The Mac Oates sponsored cycle team has had a great few days in Mallorca. They have just returned from a four day trip where they rode over 230 miles and climbed over 14,000 feet, taking on some of the epic climbs on the island.   ...

disability concept - inscription on the desk
11th May 2017

We take a look at a recent disability discrimination case of The Government Legal Service v Brookes where a multiple choice test for applicants placed a woman with Asperger’s at particular disadvantage and was not justified. ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
27th April 2017

We take a look at some recent cases on this area around service provision changes. The definition of Service Provision Change (SPC) is found at Regulation 3(1)(b) of TUPE and is as follows: (i) activities cease to be carried out by a ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
5th April 2017

What is probate and when would I need it? When somebody dies, sometimes it is necessary for you to apply for a grant of representation to be able to deal with the deceased’s assets – this is known as applying for probate. Whether ...

New UK Pound Coins
27th March 2017

It is that time of year again when its all change ! Out with the old, in with the new. Our quick reference guide here helps you keep up to date with the changes to: Statutory maternity pay and Statutory sick pay National Minimum ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
22nd March 2017

What is religious discrimination? Religion or belief is one of the ‘protected characteristics’ covered by the Equality Act 2010.  The Equality Act prohibits discrimination on any of the ‘protected characteristics’. It prohibits ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
9th March 2017

Patrick Jenkins, Partner and Head of Litigation looks at some of the legal issues which can arise where no will, or a deficient will, has been prepared and why it is important to ensure that you have an up-to-date and properly executed ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
1st March 2017

Today (1st March 2017) the main provisions of the Trade Union Act 2016 have come into force. Some of the main changes are highlighted below. Increase in ballot thresholds For strike or industrial action to be lawful from 1st March ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
9th February 2017

We take a look at a recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) case which examines the use of expired warnings when dealing with misconduct dismissals. This case involved Mr Stratford who had a poor disciplinary record with his employer, ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
6th February 2017

Disputes between neighbours and particularly where one neighbour has a right of way over their neighbour’s property, are not uncommon. Arguments between neighbours and rights of access can be highly emotive and relations between the ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
19th January 2017

As a business, have you resolved this year to be more efficient? less stressed by HR issues? Or do you need some support with employment law matters? If so, we have created a service that has helped our small to medium sized clients ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
16th January 2017

There are many statistics that are published about the gender pay gap but even having taken into account that women often work fewer hours for child care reasons, there are concerns that on average women are being paid less than men. ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
15th December 2016

This update highlights a recent case which considers whether a company was liable for an employee’s attack on a fellow employee at a Christmas party. It is the case of Bellman v. Northampton Recruitment Ltd and it involves looking at ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
25th November 2016

In the recent case of Grange v Abellio London Limited  the Employment Appeal Tribunal considered the rules around rest breaks under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (the Regulations). Regulation 12 deals with rest breaks and states ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
24th November 2016

What is a lasting power of attorney (LPA)? An LPA is a document which allows you to nominate somebody to make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to.  There are two types of LPA: Property and financial affairs Health and welfare ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
14th November 2016

‘Whistleblowing protection’ refers to the protection afforded to employees and workers when they make a disclosure about their employer’s wrongdoing. They are protected from being victimised, dismissed or being treated detrimentally ...

MacDonald Oates LLP Solicitors
2nd November 2016

The question of what someone’s status is, i.e. whether they are an employee, worker or genuinely self employed, has long been a complex area of law and frustrating for employers and lawyers alike. It is important because each has its ...