Buying A Property With Friends? Advantages And Disadvantages
Recent media has highlighted an increase in the trend of friends buying with friends. Last year, M&S bank launched a ‘Four Way’ mortgage, saying that demand was there for its use. This was unusual in the mortgage market but more and more millennial’s are choosing to pool resources and purchase with their friends. London & Country mortgages have…
Press Release: Ison Harrison Strengthens All-Female Chapel Allerton Team Following Promotion
Press Release An experienced property lawyer has been promoted to branch manager at the Chapel Allerton office of Ison Harrison, bolstering the team and bringing specialist commercial property expertise to the area. Geraldine Levison will head up the all-female team of four at Chapel Allerton with the Leeds-headquartered law firm. She has 16 years’ experience…
Ramadan In The Workplace: Important Considerations (Infographic)
Our head of employment law, Yunus Lunat, lists the important considerations for businesses when their Muslim employees are fasting for Ramadan.
How Does Ramadan Affect Businesses?
We are currently running a Ramadan In The Workplace: In Focus series of blog posts. Here we ask “How does Ramadan affect businesses?” What does the fasting month of Ramadan mean to businesses? Does Ramadan really result in a lower productivity and performance? All who are able-bodied enter the fasting period, resulting in shorter sleeping…
Can an Employer Require Muslim Employees Observing Ramadan to take Time Off?
***Article updated May 2019*** We are currently running a Ramadan In The Workplace: In Focus series of blog posts. Here we ask “Can an employer require Muslim staff observing Ramadan to take time off?” Yunus Lunat recalls an interesting scenario whereby an employer concerned about the performance of Muslim employees observing fast. The employer was…
Court of Appeal Overturns Manslaughter Conviction in Takeaway Case
In October 2018, Mohammed Kuddus, the sole director of Royal Spice, a takeaway in Lancashire, was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter following the death of a customer, 15 year old Megan Lee. When placing their online order, Ms Lee’s friend included the words ‘nuts, prawns’ in the ‘notes’ section. At the time, the order was…
The Social, Psychological & Physical Health Benefits Of Fasting During Ramadan
In our latest article, part of Ramadan In The Workplace: In Focus, we look at the social, psychological & physical health benefits of fasting during Ramadan. What’s Ramadan about? Ramadan is 1 of the 5 pillars of Islam and takes place during the 9th month on the Islamic Calendar. People partake in fasting for 30…
5 Tips for Accommodating Muslim Employees during Ramadan
As part of our Ramadan In The Workplace: In Focus series of blog posts, here we offer 5 tips for accommodating Muslim employees during Ramadan… Ramadan is a religious holiday observed by Muslims. One of the key features of Ramadan is the practice of fasting during the day. The practice of fasting involves not eating…
Delayed Diagnosis of Breast Cancer – Case Study
Clinical Negligence Successful Case Study: Mrs S noticed a lump in her right breast. The area around the lump was visibly indented, as though the lump was pulling the skin in towards her chest. She discussed her concerns with her husband who examined the lump and advised her to visit her GP. She held off…
Ison Harrison’s Non-Muslim Employees Are Taking Part In A 1 Day Fast for Ramadhan
Partner and Head of Employment at Ison Harrison, Yunus Lunat, is spearheading a campaign which will see non-Muslim staff take part in a 1 day fast for Ramadhan to raise money for a local charity and good cause. Ramadhan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar and is a special time for practicing Muslims. …
Milkshaking Protestors: How Does The Law Apply To Headlines?
It seems that at the moment, the protest method of choice is to throw a milkshake at a political figure. First there were two occasions in which former EDL leader (and now independent MEP candidate) Tommy Robinson had the drink thrown over him, now we’ve seen one hit Brexit Party head Nigel Farage whilst on…
Another Pregnancy Discrimination Success for Ison Harrison Solicitors’ Employment Department
Following a string of successful cases in the employment tribunal, our employment specialist, Yunus Lunat, celebrates another victory in a case for Pregnancy Discrimination. Following a four day hearing at which the Claimant was represented by Yunus Lunat, she was found to have been constructively unfairly dismissed and also subjected to direct pregnancy and maternity…
Guide To Buying a Property In Ilkley
The history of Ilkley Since the findings of carvings in rock in the local area, historians believe that Ilkley has been inhabited since the early Bronze age. The remains of a Roman Fort occupy a site near the town centre believed to be from 79AD. The Domesday book shows the 1st Baron Percy as the…
What It Means for Ison Harrison Being Dementia Friendly
We have many targets for 2019 and amongst them is an aim to become a dementia-friendly firm of solicitors. Our Ilkley branch is spearheading an inclusive drive to be more accommodating and responsive to dementia-suffering customers and we are proud to be supporting the Dementia Action Week 2019. Victoria Holland and Jess Bourke are members of…
Can The Brain Heal Itself After Brain Damage?
Suffering a traumatic brain injury can be a very harrowing time and it can be difficult for clients and their loved ones to see a way forward. At Ison Harrison our first priority is the patient’s rehabilitation. The brain is a very sensitive and complicated organ, and when you consider the many variables that can influence…
The Stats And Facts When It Comes To Cycling Accidents
As the cost of petrol rises, more and more turn to bicycles instead. Unlike drivers, cyclists do not have insurance whilst cycling on the road. Statistics The Road Safety Factsheet details 120 cycling fatalities, 3100 serious injuries and over 19,000 cycling accidents in the UK each year. It is estimated that less severe causalities will…
10 Common Interview Questions To Avoid
A new study by Hyper Recruitment Solutions found that out of the 1,000 hiring managers questioned, more than half admitted to asking inappropriate and personal questions to the candidates they were interviewing. The study also asked 1,000 interviewees about their experiences at interviews and found that 1 in 5 felt they were mistreated during an…
Guide To Buying A Property In York
Property expert Ashley Mallett is based at our York office and explains what he loves about the area: In York, it seems that every building has a story to tell with history behind it. Add to that the museums and tours it’s a history lover’s heaven! I love the quirky Tudor/Medieval shops and boutiques, along The…
Legislation Changes to Personal Injury: How Does it Impact You?
“A world where Darth Vader is the good guy and Luke Skywalker is the bad guy.” The principle of insurance is that the many pay for the few. Fortunately, the vast majority of people will never be involved in an accident but if this happens how would you expect the system to support you? If the…
Ison Harrison Helps To Implement Change With Ground-Breaking Trip To China
At Ison Harrison, we have always prided ourselves on setting the standards in the legal sector, and it is fantastic when our expertise and professionalism is recognised, particularly when this can lead to impacting positive change on a wider scale. This was the case recently, when one of our partners, Mark Foley, was invited on…
Legislation planned to bring an end to the blame game in divorces
Under the existing legislation, the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, individuals seeking to obtain a divorce have to rely on one of the five available facts to prove that there has been an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. Two facts that are commonly encountered and relied upon in practice are that of unreasonable behaviour and adultery…
10 Bizarre Things That Can Affect Property Value
Is something holding you back during the purchase of a house sale? Is it mentioned in the list below? Here are 10 bizarre things that can affect a property’s value: 1. Is it a Road, Street, Avenue or something else? It sounds crazy but the name of your street can affect your home’s value and desirability!…
Upskirting: New Law Comes into Force
The Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019 makes ‘Upskirting’ illegal A new law comes into force today, which criminalises the offence of ‘upskirting.’ The Act has its direct origins in campaigning by Gina Martin, and an experience she underwent whilst at a music festival in Hyde Park. Ms Martin became aware that two men near to her…
Leeds Business Seminar: “Planning for Exiting a Business as a Business Owner”
On 22nd May 2019, we are hosting a FREE business event in Leeds city centre offering advice to business owners looking to grow and plan for the future, and tickets are available now. Ison Harrison’s Head of Corporate, Richard Coulthard, has organised a timetable featuring 4 key speakers, including a financial advisor and a business…
Things to consider when buying a Property in Crossgates
The history of Crossgates Until 1912, Crossgates wasn’t part of Leeds, having historically formed part of the district of Selby. 1800’s Crossgates was very different to the bustling area we see today, being a dirt track between Seacroft and Whitkirk, albeit a well trodden one. There are several stories as to how the village took…
Specialist Advice at this week’s free Legal Clinic in Ilkley
Our popular Legal Clinic, held at the Clarke Foley centre, offers free legal advice every Thursday between 12.30pm-2.30pm. This week, there’s a special focus on all things Regulatory. Our Regulatory department regularly deals with cases involving so-called ‘white collar’ crime, as well as licensing (such as shotgun and taxi licensing) and environmental offences. Amber is…
Press Release: Richard Coulthard Joins Ison Harrison As Head of Corporate
PRESS RELEASE Yorkshire law firm Ison Harrison has recruited a prominent commercial partner to head up its corporate division. Richard Coulthard joins Ison Harrison’s expanding regional team having previously been a Director at Oakwood Solicitors and Oakwood Property Solicitors. As the firm’s new Partner and Head of Corporate, Richard’s role will see him growing the…
Whatever Happened to GDPR?
The 25th May 2018 was dubbed as ‘D-Day’ or more accurately ‘DPA Day’ as the most profound changes to Data Protection laws in the last 20 years were enacted. In advance of the deadline, and even after the deadline, many businesses were panicking about compliance, attempting to put into place Privacy Notices, procedures and trying…
A Useful Guide for How To Prepare a Business for Sale
At Ison Harrison Solicitors we regularly advise business owners on selling their businesses. Selling a business is however a complex process which requires planning, potentially many years before you intend to exit a business. With proper planning, business owners can maximise the value that they achieve from the sale of a business. What are you…
Ami Law feature :: College and University presentations
Ami Law is a solicitor in our Clinical Negligence department. She recently gave an insightful presentation to the midwifery students at the University of Central Lancashire. Ami was invited to give the presentation to complement their Law Module, which had prompted students to have concerns and anxiety about the prospects of being negligent. The purpose…
Why Do I Need a Shareholders Agreement?
Solicitors are often asked by business owners ‘Why do I need a shareholders agreement?’ or ‘Do I really need a partnership agreement?’ The problem we see time and again is the fall out, and expense, which occurs when parties do not properly document the relationship between the owners. If proper agreements are not in place then…
Stringing a Sentence Together: How a Defendant is Punished in Practice
In the space of a week, Paul Mitchell went from being an ordinary football spectator to Birmingham City’s most notorious fan. He invaded the pitch on Sunday, landing a blow to the back of the head of Aston Villa player Jack Grealish. His actions have brought him a prison sentence of 14 weeks- but where…
Contempt of Court and Social Media: What are the Issues in the Tommy Robinson case?
Now that the Attorney General has decided Tommy Robinson ought to have a fresh hearing in relation to contempt of court allegations, the spotlight has been thrown on what the doctrine means- and of course what might be next for Mr Robinson. What is Contempt of Court? Put simply, it occurs when there is an…
10 Property Laws You May Be Breaking Without Realising
England and Wales are jam-packed with ‘off-the-wall’ Laws which probably all of us have fallen foul of at some time. Although some of the below are unlikely to be enforced, take a look at some of these strange items from our statute books which you may fall foul of in or around your own home….
Ison Harrison Sponsors Kind Hearts Give Back Ball 2019
Ison Harrison is proud to announce it is sponsoring the Kind Hearts Ball for a second consecutive year, following the success of the 2018 event. The ball is set to take place on Sunday March 24th at the New Dock Hall at Royal Armouries in Leeds. Kind Hearts Give Back is a charity set up…
Ison Harrison Shortlisted For Two Ilkley Business Awards
Our regional office in the busy market town of Ilkley has gone from strength to strength since its opening in 2010, and now our efforts in establishing a trusted local resource in the area have been recognised with the branch being nominated for two awards at the Ilkley Business Awards 2019. The awards are taking…
Global Study Finds Sexual Abuse is Overlooked by State Laws
According to a global study conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit, the sexual abuse of boys is not addressed by the laws in many countries. The findings show the response to child sexual abuse and exploitation across 40 countries. The study examines how countries respond to such threats of sexual violence against children, as well…
Spire Leeds Internal Investigation into Shoulder Surgeries
We have recently taken enquiries from a number of patients who have received shoulder surgery at the Spire Leeds Hospital. We understand that, following an internal review, Spire Leeds has identified some areas of concern with the treatment provided at the hospital. They have contacted affected patients to discuss the findings of their internal investigation….
Criminal Law Failing To Keep Up With Digital World: The Scoping Report
According to the Office for National Statistics, in today’s technological world, 96% of people between ages 16 to 24 use social media, with the figure being 66% for those over 25. The Law Commission have released a report which says that the law regarding online communications is incoherent and fails to protect victims of online…
Local Authorities Overspent On Children’s Services By An Approximate £807m
With the rising number of children taken into care by local authorities, pressure is rising on budgets, and is being overspent. Analysis conducted by the Local Government Association LGA found that 133 out of 152 councils responsible for children services overspent in 2017-2018. The budget was overspent by an estimated £807m. Government data published in…
Cervical Cancer Clinical Negligence Case Study
Below details the case of a Clinical Negligence claim on the behalf of Mr EK: Widower and Executor of the Estate of the deceased Mrs AB, at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust & Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Mrs AB was a kind, caring person. She was well-mannered and polite, and she would do…
Pre-nuptial and Post-nuptial agreements
A marriage, as much as we all want it to last forever, sometimes it just doesn’t. More couples now are taking the practical approach of preparing for such an unfortunate event by drawing up pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements. The nuptial agreements provide clarity, certainty and protection to both parties in relation to their assets and…
UN Report Details Trafficking Convictions Fall 25%
UN report details trafficking convictions fall 25% over the past five years, despite the rising number of victims A report by the UN has found convictions for human trafficking in Europe has fallen by a quarter, despite an increase in the number of victims. The report found 742 people in Europe were convicted in 2016…
Press Release: Six Partner Promotions Get 2019 Off To Flying Start At Yorkshire Law Firm
Law firm Ison Harrison has promoted six lawyers to partner across its network of Yorkshire offices. The six promoted are Debbie Wilkinson, Adrian Barker, Kara Frith, Daniel Holah, Sarah Laughey and Chris Brierley. The six new partners have over 90 years’ combined experience and their promotions come as the firm looks to further expand in…
Case Study: Proceeds of Crime Act
A superb result in a complex Proceeds of Crime Act case has been secured by Ison Harrison and Complex Crime team. The case saw the Prosecution initially try to recover an amount in excess of £400,000 but concede that no monies should be paid- all as a result of the arguments Ison Harrison put forward….
Don’t Get Caught Out By New Road Laws In 2019
UK road users have been warned to take heed of a number of changes to the Highway Code and the MOT test, as they set off into 2019. And here, our road traffic offences expert, Ghaz Iqbal, talks us through what is new and what the Government is also considering introducing in 2019. Using the…
New Laws Introduced In 2019
There are big changes coming in 2019, and we’re not just talking about Brexit. As always, there’s a raft of new laws being introduced that will affect how we live and what we can do. These laws span the full extent of our daily lives, and wherever you live or whatever you do for a…
Leading Barrister Nigel Edwards appointed as Queens Counsel
Ison Harrison are delighted to announce that Nigel Edwards has been appointed as Queens Counsel. The announcement was made yesterday the firm wish to congratulate Mr Edwards (QC) and wish him all the very best for the future. A leading light of the Leeds legal scene Nigel is a member of St Pauls Chambers and has…
Yorkshire Child Sexual Abuse Ring
Yorkshire police arrest 55 men in child sex abuse investigation, after seven women made historical allegations Police arrested 55 men as part of an investigation into historical allegations of child sexual abuse in Dewsbury, Batley and Bradford areas between 2002 and 2009. The men were recently interviewed and released pending further inquiries. DI Ian Thornes…
The Randox Scandal
Have you received a letter from the Crown Prosecution Service, stating your conviction may be unsafe? We have been approached by clients who have been affected by the Randox scandal in which one of their operators had allegedly manipulated some of the data which led to potentially unsafe convictions. It is understood that more than 10,000…