Covid 19 – Business Tenancies in Northern Ireland
In well-drawn commercial leases there is invariably provision that the landlord may bring proceedings for re-entry of the premises and termination of the lease if the rent is in arrears or the tenant is in breach of its obligations. Read more
PSNI Announce Reduction in Detected Motor Offences
The PSNI’s annual Motoring Offences Statistics have recorded a 13% decrease in detected offences during 2019. In 2019 there were 47,065 detections, down from 53,911 in 2018.
16% of the detections were for speeding offences, with the highest speed recorded at 135mph on the A1 dual carriageway, where the speed limit is 70mph. Read more
Leave to appeal AND Cross-Appeal Northern Ireland Court of Appeal to Supreme Court in ‘Unpaid Holiday Leave’ case
In June 2019 our Employment Department secured a landmark result at the Court of Appeal, having successfully challenged an appeal against an important Employment Tribunal decision which held that unlawful deductions from holiday pay entitlements are in breach of fundamental rights protected under EU Law. Read more
Furloughed workers – Q & A
On 20 March 2020, the Chancellor announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. At that time the workings of the Scheme were unclear, but the government has since provided further guidance. In this article our employment partner, John McShane, provides clarity on some of the key points. Read more
Business Interruption Insurance – are you covered?
On Monday 23rd March 2020 the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced that all non-essential businesses should close their doors in a bid to fight the spread of Covid-19. This has led to business owners reviewing their insurance policies to assess whether or not they will be able to make a claim on their policies as a result of this interruption to their business. Read more
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – Podcast
MTB Solicitors are very proud to be the appointed solicitors of Hospitality Ulster.
At this time, the hospitality industry is in crisis. It is hoped that the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will assist members of Hospitality Ulster, as well as other industries. Read more
COVID-19 and the impact on children with separated parents.
For the majority of separated parents with children there is an arrangement in place which deals with how they have contact with their children. On occasion there is co-parenting where the time is split evenly but, for the most part, there will be a primary carer with whom the children live for most of the time and a non-resident carer who they see less frequently. Read more
Furloughed Workers
On 20th of March 2020 the Chancellor set out a package of temporary, timely and targeted measures to support public services, people and businesses through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19. In it, he announced that affected employees could now be designated as “furloughed workers”, meaning that if an employer cannot cover staff costs due to Covid-19 the employer can access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Read more
Working from Home / Self Isolation – 5 top tips!
- This is not a holiday ..…. No lie ins. Keep a good routine. Get out of bed, shower, dress and start work at your normal time.
- Have a dedicated work space as far as is practical.
MOT Exemption certificates likely to be extended
The BBC reported last week that temporary MOT exemption certificates are “very likely” to be extended to six months. Current exemption certificates cover drivers for four months.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-51735562
Whilst this will be of some comfort to those vehicle owners caught in this exceptional situation. Read more
Collapse of Flybe
The media has widely reported on the collapse of the airline Flybe into administration and that it has cancelled all flights. This has been devastating to Northern Ireland given that 80% of the flights in and out of George Best, Belfast City Airport were Flybe flights. Read more
A Celebration of 100 Years of Women in the Law
On Friday 6th March last some of our female solicitors attended the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast to take part in the #FaceTheFuture photography project which celebrates 100 years of women in the law. Read more
The Fireside Divorce Lawyer
One will have no doubt heard various phrases such as “taken to the cleaners” or “if he does not pay maintenance do not let him see the child” when talking about divorce proceedings or contentious ancillary relief proceedings. Read more
#Harassment #Discrimination
Scrolling through social media, reading a newspaper or watching the news on TV in this day and age means you will have been hit with headlines regarding harassment and discrimination, particularly in the workplace. Social media, in particular, has become awash with campaigns highlighting these unfortunate and all too common occurrences, resulting in the hashtags of recent times such as #genderpaygap #metoo #timesup #thebarriersweface. Read more
Service Strips
Achieving your dream of purchasing a newly built, turn-key home is what most young couples strive for. For one couple in Essex, however, their dream purchase has turned into a nightmare after they discovered that their front garden was 90cm shorter than it should have been. Read more
Industrial Action – is it legal?
Our solicitors, John McShane and Judy Hamilton, were pleased to support NIPSA and its members yesterday in their ongoing industrial action.
Recently there has been a spate of public sector workers calling for strike action due to unsatisfactory working conditions, including pay. Read more
MoT tests suspended – how does this affect you?
MoT tests for cars and light vehicles have been suspended across Northern Ireland after inspections of vehicle lifts detected signs of cracking in 48 of 55 lifts . The Driver and Vehicle Agency has said that it could take months to replace the defective lifts, leaving many motorists wondering how the cancellations will affect them. Read more
Harry and Meghan – Right to privacy and family life -v- freedom of expression
Harry and Meghan have hardly been out of the headlines in recent weeks. Their decision to no longer use their HRH titles and not to receive public funds for royal duties, together with their outspoken criticism of the media, has made headlines across the media. Read more
MTB 2019 – Our Year in Review
MTB Solicitors experienced another successful year in 2019. We’ve enjoyed reflecting on some of our highlights in compiling our “Year in Review”:
January 2019
The year began with a positive outcome for a difficult and emotive case. Read more
A Healthy Separation
The first working Monday after Christmas has been wryly dubbed by some commentators as “Divorce Day”. Statistics show that the stresses of Christmas and New Year often results in parties agreeing to go their separate ways and, ultimately, divorce. Read more
