MTB PROUD TO SUPPORT NSPCC FOR 2019
All of us at MTB Solicitors are delighted to have NSPCC as our chosen charity for 2019. We kicked off our fundraising yesterday with a Valentine’s Day cake sale as well as a ‘Name the Bear’ competition. Read more
Social lender UCIT paid out £12m in loans in 2018
MTB is delighted to congratulate Ulster Community Investment Trust (‘UCIT’) on the news that it lent £12m to social and community groups in 2018. UCIT is a registered charity, established in 2001 in response to decreasing grant support from government and the difficulties experienced by community organisations in accessing commercial loan facilities. Read more
Voice of the Child
In 2006 the Right Honourable Baroness Hale of Richmond DBE, Lord of Appeal in Ordinary as she then was, delivered a lecture as a guest of the Children’s Law Centre in Belfast. Lady Hale is now the president of the Supreme Court in London. Read more
Reports on Title are a Must!
All conveyancing practitioners should carefully consider the judgement of Colton J in the Matter of James Andrew Hickland as Personal Representative of the Estate of Margaret Jean Farren (Deceased) -v- Cormac McKeone, Formerly practising as McKeone and Company Solicitors [2018] NIQB 81. Read more
Mind Your Claim
It isn’t a matter of contention that the prevalence of mental health illnesses in Northern Ireland is at unacceptable level. The collapse of the Stormont Executive has meant that urgent reforms to the system and the introduction of a publicly recruited “Mental Health Champion” to oversee and drive on these reforms have been in abeyance for the last 2 years. Read more
One step closer to Equality…
Asda shop staff came one step closer to winning their case for equal pay yesterday. Asda said it was “disappointed” to be refused the right to appeal the decision of the Employment Tribunal who ruled that shopworkers could compare themselves to staff who worked in the warehouse. Read more
BREXIT & THE MOTOR INSURANCE CONUNDRUM
The prospect of a no deal Brexit is becoming very real indeed. In the Northern Ireland jurisdiction, the consequences are beginning to emerge, particularly as regards motor insurance.
Northern Ireland will be the only UK legal jurisdiction to share a land border with the EU after Brexit. Read more
Government proposes new plans to tackle Maternity Discrimination
The government has set out new proposals aimed at increasing the legal protection afforded to pregnant women and new mothers against redundancy. The main proposal put forward by the government is that the protections afforded to a mother whilst on maternity should be extended for a further period of six months after they return to work. Read more
A Healthy Separation
The first working Monday after Christmas has been wryly dubbed by some commentators “Divorce Day”. Statistics show that the stresses of Christmas and New Year results in parties agreeing to separate and, ultimately, divorce.
There are a number of pitfalls that can be avoided if one adopts a healthy approach to a separation. Read more
Government Unveils Plans re Domestic Abuse
A new draft bill was announced this week that will overhaul the system in place to deal with domestic abuse complaints. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-consultation-response-and-draft-bill
As part of the consultation process a number of areas were identified that needed to be dealt with by the new Domestic Abuse Bill. Read more
MTB Secure £5million Compensation in Clinical Negligence Claim
MTB Solicitor, Harry McAleese, acted for the family of a six-year-old boy who developed severe cerebral palsy as a result of complications surrounding his birth at Altnagelvin Hospital in 2012. The Western Health and Social Care Trust accepted liability shortly before the case was due to go to trial and a settlement was negotiated. Read more
Qudos Insurance Declared Bankrupt
The dust has only just settled on the Setanta debacle and it has now been reported that Danish owned Qudos Insurance, which operates in the Irish market, has been declared bankrupt.
In the short term what does this mean? Read more
Christmas Closure
2018 – what a year!
Thank you to all of our clients for your instructions over the past year. We value each and every one of you!
Our office will be closed from 21st December 2018 and will re-open on 2nd January 2019. Read more
Pension scams – beware!
In today’s Irish News our Partner, Andrew Morrow, advises caution to anyone who has received advice to transfer their ‘safe’ pension into a high-risk investment.
If you have been advised to access your pension before the age of 55 and/or you have been advised to transfer your pension fund into a high-risk investment, you may have been negligently advised. Read more
Mental health in the workplace – let’s talk about it
‘STEP Challenge’, ‘Bike to work’ and ‘workplace sports teams’ are all well known workplace initiatives, designed to improve and look after our physical health at work. But what about our mental health?
Earlier this week some of the UK’s biggest businesses and law firms, including Royal Mail, PWC and WHSmith, signed an open letter in the Sunday Telegraph urging for changes in the law to give mental health the same status as physical health. Read more
Financial fraud – beware!
Diligent staff in an Ulster Bank branch in Armagh recently foiled an attempt to defraud an elderly customer of £20,000. Fraudsters, posing as BT, preyed on the elderly woman after she had agreed over the phone to have her WIFI “fixed”. Read more
Assaults on Public Transport
Translink has recently released statistics to highlight that its staff and passengers were assaulted 115 times in the first eight months of 2018,
Figures made available to BBC News NI recorded 69 physical attacks, including sexual assault and there were also 46 incidents of people being verbally threatened or abused
Almost 700 incidents have been recorded in the past five years. Read more
NI Chamber of Commerce Event “Protecting Your Crown Jewels”
Last week, I attended the “Protecting Your Crown Jewels” event organised by the NI Chamber of Commerce at Hillsborough Castle. As obvious as it sounds, it means businesses need to be looked after.
How can we do this? Read more
Penalty points – do you know your limits?
Penalty points are a concern to all drivers but new drivers must be extremely careful given that their licence will be cancelled (revoked) if they get 6 or more penalty points within 2 years of passing their test. Read more
Head lad awarded damages in injury claim against racehorse trainer
A man who suffered serious injuries after being thrown off a horse while he was working at a farm in Cork has been awarded €77,345 in the High Court by Mr Justice Barton.
His employer was found to have been negligent due to his decision to park his tractor in a location which was likely to spook the horses as they passed. Read more
