| Thompsons Solicitors LLP |
![]() ![]() ![]() 17 Wellington Street Leeds LS1 4DL 0843 0052 710
|
|
| Areas of Law: | Accidents / Accidents at Work / Armed Force Claims / Brain Injury / Car Accidents – more | |
Here are some articles related to your search selection.
There are thousands of motor accidents on the UK’s roads each year. If you are unlucky enough to be involved in a motoring accident, you are likely to be involved in a subsequent... more
Steps to follow As soon as the accident has taken place, obtain and exchange information with all other drivers involved including full names, registration numbers, insurance company... more
Earning a living can be hazardous. And it’s not just occupations like firefighting and construction work that are dangerous—office work can also lead to injury. Unfortunately,... more
Steps to follow Employers have a duty of care to their workers and to visitors to their premises. Their duty extends to providing a safe place to work, preventing risks to health,... more
Employers have a duty to tell their employees about health and safety issues that may affect them, to provide relevant safety equipment and training, and to provide a safe place to... more
Steps to follow If you’ve been injured at work, you should (if you are capable of doing so) record the details of the incident in your employer's accident book. (All employers,... more
What is a medical injury? If the treatment you received from a doctor, hospital, dentist, nurse, midwife or other healthcare worker/ organisation falls below what is accepted as being... more
Once you have arranged your first meeting with a solicitor, it’s a good idea to gather your paperwork together and work out what questions you want to ask. Otherwise, you could end up... more
Speeding laws exist for a purpose—breaking the speed limit contributes to more than 727 deaths and 4,555 injuries every year. It was a factor in a quarter of fatal road accidents in... more
There are several points to think about when choosing a lawyer, and the most important one is to select a lawyer with experience in the right area of law. Solicitors are usually highly... more
Have you been injured in a road traffic accident, or developed a psychological condition that you believe is the result of an earlier trauma? Did a doctor fail to diagnose an illness, or... more
Steps to follow Have you suffered some sort of loss which is covered by an insurance policy? If so, first check your policy to ensure it’s worth making a claim – most... more
If you are an employee or a job applicant and you have a disability, then you have certain rights under UK law. These include the right not to be discriminated against at work or during the... more
Once the police have arrested a suspect and gathered evidence on a crime, the case is then handed over to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS - www.cps.gov.uk) so that a prosecution can be... more
Steps to follow If you feel you have a mental health problem, your first stop should be your GP. They can provide advice or refer you for specialist services. Professionals who... more
All employers, bar the armed forces, have a legal duty not to discriminate against employees or job applicants on the grounds of disability. This has been the case since October 2004 (prior... more
If you are a carer who looks after a relative, friend or neighbour who needs support because of their sickness, age or disability, you have a number of rights at work and you may be... more
You want to ensure that your first meeting with your solicitor is as useful as possible. To ensure your solicitor thoroughly understands your problem and can provide you with proper legal... more
Steps to follow If a relative has died and you’re in charge of sorting out their affairs there are a number of people and organisations you need to inform starting with the family... more
Steps to follow If you have a contract of employment you’ll usually be classed as an employee and are therefore entitled to a number of employment rights. These include statutory... more
Many employers have, in the past, opted for youth over experience. This may be partly because they know they can pay young people less, and partly because of misconceptions and myths about... more
On 1 October 2006, age discrimination in the workplace was banned. This means employees are legally protected from discrimination on the basis of their age, just as they are from sex or... more
Steps to follow Do you genuinely believe on reasonable grounds that the employee committed the offence? This is the test that a tribunal will apply if you dismiss the employee and the... more
If the demands from credit companies are piling up on your doorstep, then you may be considering filing for bankruptcy. Bankruptcy no longer carries the stigma that it once had,... more
There are six forms of British citizenship, some of which are defined in the British Nationality Act 1981. They are: British citizenship; British overseas... more
There are a number of steps that need to be worked through when you are buying or selling a business. These include: valuing the business tax advice sales... more
Buying Businesses tend to rent premises rather than buy them as finding vacant commercial premises for sale is often hard. Buying also tends to tie up what could be crucial capital and... more
Whatever your legal problem, you take a big step towards resolving it when you hire a good lawyer. This in itself, however, can be tricky. Where do you find the best lawyer for you, how do... more
Lawyers don’t come cheap, and sometimes the people who need them most can’t afford to pay. If you are unable to pay a lawyer, then there are several options available to... more
According to lawyers in the know, an increasing number of disputes over wills are ending up in the courts. These disputes are often bitterly contested and can have a devastating effect on... more
Employment Law If your dream job is turning into a nightmare, or your ‘perfect’ employee is wreaking havoc in the workplace, then you may need the help of an employment... more
Who may claim asylum? To be recognised as a refugee and thus claim asylum in the UK, you must have left your country and be unable to go back because there is a real danger that... more
Many people and organisations make up the criminal justice process, from police officers to criminal barristers to prisons. The following is a brief guide to what happens and who is... more
Relevant legislation If you’re a trader who sells to consumers, under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (SOGA) you must ensure the goods you sell are: as described; fit for the purpose... more
Copyright and trademarks fall into the field of intellectual property. Copyright protects written, theatrical, musical and artistic works. It exists automatically, but in order to... more
Has your latest bill from your lawyer left you reeling in shock? If the fee was larger than you expected, you can dispute it. Lawyers, as heavily regulated professionals, are obliged to... more
There are many ways to resolve legal problems, the overwhelming majority of which do not involve going to court and some of which do not require the attention of a solicitor. Having... more
Drink driving ruins lives. There is no safe limit of alcohol, because each person’s tolerance depends on a range of factors such as metabolism, stress levels and weight. If you have... more
What is fostering? Fostering places a child into the care of a family when it cannot live with its own parents. This may be because its parents have problems, cannot cope and need a... more
Before your initial meeting with your lawyer, you may be wondering what will happen at the meeting. What will be discussed, and what questions should you ask? What will the lawyer ask... more
Cost is always going to be a concern when using legal services, and you may be wondering how lawyers charge? First of all, solicitors have a professional duty to follow rules set down... more
Steps to follow It is illegal for your employer to treat you less favourably (ie discriminate against you) because of your: gender; marital status; gender reassignment; pregnancy and... more
Steps to follow Do you have debts which you are totally unable to repay? You can declare yourself bankrupt which is a means of clearing debts you can’t pay. If you owe... more
Steps to follow If you’re being bullied, your first move – if you feel able to - should be to talk to the bully and tell them, in a calm and controlled a manner, that you find... more
Steps to follow Bullying in the workplace is where someone tries to intimidate another worker. It is defined by Acas as “Offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour,... more
Steps to follow Have you failed to report a change in your personal circumstances to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or council or deliberately provided incorrect information... more
Steps to follow If you are pregnant, you are allowed time off work for antenatal care. This can include relaxation classes and parent-craft classes. You may have to show your employer... more
Steps to follow Do you want to run a business, but feel uncomfortable about the risks involved? Franchising may be the answer. It allows you to learn the ropes but minimise the risk and... more
Steps to follow Are you in dispute with a customer over goods or services that you supplied, or are you a customer who is dissatisfied with your supplier? The best solution is to try to... more
Steps to follow If you feel your building work has been botched or isn’t finished, first work out who your contract is with. This could be the builder, architect/ structural... more
Steps to follow If you’re worried that conditions at your workplace are a potential threat to your health and/ or safety, first of all explain your concerns to your employer, or... more
Steps to follow What kind of pension do you have? Is it an occupational pension, a personal pension, a state pension or a stakeholder pension? The type of help you can receive depends on... more
Steps to follow Some building work to your home is allowed under permitted development and therefore won’t require planning permission, but before you start to make alterations to... more
Steps to follow If you have a problem with your state pension, first contact your pension centre and explain what you think is wrong. They will aim to investigate your complaint within... more
Steps to follow Are you an employee? Your employment status determines what rights you have. If you are paid a salary, do the work personally rather than sub-contract it out, if your... more
Steps to follow Have you received poor service from a plumber, builder or other provider of services? If so, is your complaint about the quality of work, the time it took to... more
Steps to follow If you have an elderly relative who increasingly needs looking after and you’re responsible for sorting out their care, you must first decide where they are going to... more
Steps to follow If you’re from Switzerland or the European Economic Area, you and your family will usually have the right to freely enter the UK and work there. However, the rules are... more
Steps to follow There are many reasons for restructuring a company—realising value from assets, downsizing the workforce, streamlining and simplifying, taking it in another... more
Steps to follow Make sure your credit rating is in good shape – some companies do free credit checks. You can improve your credit rating by: registering on the electoral roll at... more
Steps to follow The state pension is worth less than £5,000 per annum for a single person, and about £7,500 for couples. You can draw it, if you have paid enough national... more
Steps to follow Have you been fired following a certain number of warnings? Or fired on the spot? You can only be fired for a first offence if there has been gross misconduct. This... more
Steps to follow Renting The easiest way of finding a private residence to rent is through a letting agency. The agency may also manage the property on the landlord’s... more
There are various reasons why you may need to make staff redundant including closure or relocation of your company, a need to cut costs by reducing headcount or simply because some posts... more
Late payment of invoices can make or break a company – especially a small one. Many businesses are often not keen to chase debtors too hard for fear of damaging their relationship... more
Steps to follow If your child has learning difficulties or disabilities which affects their behaviour and makes it harder for them to learn or communicate than most children of the same... more
Outsourcing is an increasingly popular option for businesses wishing to cut their costs, make use of outside expertise, and focus on their core purpose. Outsourcing is where a business... more
Having children is, as they say, a lifelong commitment. Regardless of whether or not the parents stay together (or ever were in a relationship at all) they have a responsibility to support... more
Scientific inventions, commercial designs, songs, sculptures, novels and dramatic performances all share one thing in common—they are protected by Intellectual Property... more
As an employer in a UK company you have a number of duties and obligations to the people working for you under employment legislation. The duties you have depend largely on what category... more
Employees and workers in the UK enjoy a number of employment rights by law. You are classed as an employee if you are a working under a contract of employment. Employment... more
Employers must ensure they comply with a wide variety of requirements on health and safety and the environment. Many of these are specifically set out in law, while others are part of a... more
Definition of fraud In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the fraud laws were overhauled by the Fraud Act 2006 which came into force in 2007. It introduced a statutory... more
Various different rules and criteria apply depending on whether you want to visit, work/ study in or permanently settle in the UK. Visiting the UK Most foreign visitors to the... more
There are numerous types of insurance cover available for businesses. Some must be taken out by law, others aren’t mandatory but are highly advisable for all businesses, while still... more
Who can get married? Any two people can get married in the UK provided they are: Aged 16 or over Of different sex Not too closely related Unmarried and not in... more
The occupier of premises has a legal duty to do everything reasonable in all the circumstances to ensure that lawful visitors are reasonably safe when using the premises for the... more
Introduction There are times in the life of a business when staff are going to be required to work extra hours – if you have a rush of demand for your goods or services or during... more
Your employer should tell you when you start work how much you will be paid, how it will be paid to you and when. This must be put in writing within two months of you starting... more
The government collects taxes from individuals through HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) under a variety of different headings including: Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Inheritance Tax... more
If you supply products to consumers you need to make sure they are safe. The main responsibility for ensuring this safety lies with the product’s manufacturers but if your... more
The Race Relations Act 1976 outlaws race discrimination in the workplace (as well as in education, transport and the provision of goods and services). This means all employees and job... more
The decision to replace your lawyer is not one you should make lightly. There are times, the night before a tribunal hearing, for example, when it may cause more problems than it would... more
Retirement Age You can retire at any age you want – as long as you can afford it – but the default retirement age in the UK is 65. When you reach this age your employer can... more
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (SDA) outlaws discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of sex, marital status, civil partnership status and gender reassignment. It covers job... more
Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (SDA 1975), it is illegal for your employer, or a prospective employer, to discriminate against you because of your gender, your marital status or... more
Duty to provide stakeholder pensions Under the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999, most businesses which have five or more employees, are required to provide access to a stakeholder... more
Pre-employment checks You’ve made it through the interview and you’ve been offered a new job – all good news, but it’s a wise idea to get the job offer in... more
Limited companies and other organisations such as clubs, societies, associations and other unincorporated bodies have to pay corporation tax on the taxable profits they make. The... more
National Minimum Wage rates Since April 1999 most workers in the UK have been legally entitled to a minimum wage. The National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates are set based on recommendations... more
Renting out property is not as easy as it might look to the outsider. The landlord has many responsibilities towards the tenant, and must take care of a multitude of repairs, insurance and... more
Goods All consumers have rights when they buy faulty goods from someone acting in the course of trade, although the type of rights you have may depend on what you bought and how... more
The days of slum landlords have—in theory at least—ended. As a tenant, you have a right to live in a safe home free from an intrusive or unscrupulous landlord. What you are... more
Sometimes you will have no choice but to seek advice from a lawyer about a legal problem. If you meet a lawyer and decide that you want to engage their services, you will want to get the... more
It’s infuriating, sometimes embarrassing, and can be costly. There are, however, various avenues open to you when a debtor refuses to pay up. First steps When attempting to... more
If you’re an employee and expectant mum, you’re entitled to 26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave (OML) and 26 weeks additional maternity leave (AML) which – as long as you... more
Every company has its ups and downs but you need to ensure your business can run as a viable concern in the good times and bad. If your company is having problems, there are several things... more
Steps to follow If your child has learning difficulties or disabilities which affects their behaviour and makes it harder for them to learn or communicate than most children of the same... more
If you or your employer wants to terminate your employment, your employment contract will usually set out how much notice one must give the other before you leave. This may be more generous... more
Driving carelessly, while over the limit, or too fast, means you may have points added to your licence. Once you have a certain number of points, you may be banned from driving for a... more
There are laws specifically designed to protect prospective or new parents and there are a range of benefits and allowances that you are entitled to as well. Pregnant employees If... more
If your employers are considering making you redundant – which will result in the termination of your employment – they have a duty to treat you fairly and there are number of... more
Law firms are busy places. They come in various shapes and sizes, from sprawling multinational operations to just one solicitor working as a sole practitioner from a high street... more
Acas defines workplace bullying as: “Offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate... more