This Friday we will be taking part in the World’s Biggest #CoffeeMorning on behalf of @macmillancancer
There will be plenty of tea, coffee and cakes so please do pop in and show your support!@macmillancoffee @MacmillanOldham
Category: News
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End of an Era as Oldham Magistrates’ Court gets demolished
The Oldham Magistrates’ Court started being demolished earlier this week.
The court has served the community since it opened in the 1970’s, and closed it doors in 2016.
Cases for Oldham Magistrates’ Court weer transferred to Tameside
The landscape of Oldham Town centre has changed forever.
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World Suicide Prevention Day
On 10th September every year World Suicide Prevention Day is observed. The aim is to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world and locally since 2003. The International Association for Suicide Prevention collaborates with the World Health Organisation and the World Federation for Mental Health.
According to the World Health Organisation, suicide accounts for nearly half of all violent deaths in the world. Brian Mishara President of the International Association for Suicide prevention noted that “more people kill themselves than die in all wars, terrorist acts and interpersonal violence combined.”
The World Health Organisation confirms the widest number of suicides occur in the age group 15 to 29. In richer countries three times as many men die of suicide than women, although females are more likely to attempt suicide than males.
The main suicide triggers are poverty, unemployment, the death of a loved one, arguments and legal or work related problems.
Stigma, particularly surrounding mental disorders and suicide means many people thinking of taking their own life or who have attempted suicide are not seeking help and are therefore not getting the help they need.
Andy’s Man Club is an organisation that was established by Luke Ambler in 2016 after his brother-in-law Andy committed suicide. It is a volunteer led organisation in which men suffering from mental health problems including suicidal tendencies can go for help. It originally started in Halifax but now has many branches, the Oldham club meets at Chadderton well-being Centre at 7 PM every Monday. The organisation now has 17 groups around the country, and it is essentially a talking group, Traditionally, when children, men are bombarded with messages to hide their feelings and therefore often struggle to communicate distressing emotions. In old mill towns such as Oldham the general pervading attitudes of men are that men should be macho and have a stiff upper lip. Men are seen as the breadwinners in the family and the patriarch.
Over time, as industry has changed, jobs have changed, and people’s identity have changed. Men have traditionally struggled with this. The group encourages men to be themselves but also to be vulnerable in a place where it is possible to break the deadlock of male emotional distress built up throughout a lifetime. It is a localised solution to this national problem.
Locations where Andy’s Man Club Meet:
Manchester:
The Federation, 2 Federation Street M4 4BF
Every Monday at 7pm (Except bank Holidays)
Oldham:
Chadderton Wellbeing Centre, Burnley Street, OL9 0JW
Every Monday at 7pm (Except bank Holidays)
Hebden Bridge:
Town Hall, HX7 7BY
Every Monday at 7pm (Except bank Holidays)Wakefield:
5A Cheapside, WF1 2SD
Every Monday at 7pm (Except bank Holidays)Huddersfield:
Huddersfield Fire Stations, Community Room, Outcote Bank, HD1
Every Monday at 7pm (Except bank Holidays)Dewsbury:
Union House, WF13 1AS
Every Monday at 7pm (Except bank Holidays)For more locations and updates, please visit: http://andysmanclub.co.uk/where-we-meet/
Helplines:
- Samaritans: 116 123 (free, for everyone, 24/7)
- CALM: 0800 585858 (free, for men, 5pm-midnight)
- PAPYRUS: 0800 968 4141 (free, for young people, 9am-10pm Mon-Fri, 2pm-10pm at the weekend)
- Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) have a helpline open 9am-9pm Monday to Friday:
- 0300 111 5065
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How long does it take to get divorced? Court Delays Increasing
Only a few years back when posed with the question ‘how long does it take to get divorced?’ by a new client I’d have advised with some confidence “about 6 to 9 months”.
Not any longer.
Figures released for the first quarter of this year showed that the average time for getting from the start of the case (the issue of a divorce petition) to the end (receipt of the Decree Absolute) it is now taking an average of 59 weeks or over 14 months!
This is an increase of 6 weeks from the same period last year.So why might this be?
More cases for the courts to deal with?
Fewer court staff to process the paperwork and Judges to make decisions?
Withdrawal of legal aid for early advice?
To a degree, all these factors appear to be contributing.In the first three months of this year just over 29,000 new divorce cases were started, up 6% from the same period in 2018.
The number of courts dealing with Divorce cases drastically reduced upon the creation of 11 “Regional Divorce Centres”.The most senior Family Judge, Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division said earlier in the year that these centres “have not worked well” and “indeed some, including {the Regional Centre for the North West} Liverpool have provided a wholly unacceptable service”.
Not a ringing endorsement for a process you must pay a court fee of £550 for!
In April 2013 legal aid for many Private law cases and early advice was removed which inevitably led to litigants representing themselves. Having two warring parties in court without the filter of legal representation inevitably causes cases to take longer.
If you need help with separation issues, please consider allowing us to help you. For an consultation, contact us on 0161 624 6811. -
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s third-richest man involved in planning battle
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s third-richest man is involved in another planning row with neighbours over plans for a caretaker’s cottage to maintain his £6million New Forest holiday home.
He had previously overcome a six-year battle against neighbours, officials and conservationists over his plans, which were rejected five times.
Work eventually started last year but his latest proposal is opposed by the Environment Agency, which said it posed an ‘unacceptable risk to life and property from flooding’.
Locals fear that it could make the flooding, which is already a problem, even worse. More than 40 neighbours objected to the initial plans on the basis that the development would ‘change the character of an unspoilt area’.
Suffering a neighbour or boundary dispute can have serious implications on your wellbeing and property. Our Civil and Commercial Litigation solicitors will quickly and efficiently put your case together and act on your behalf. Call Vijay Srivastava or Shalish Mehta in our Civil and Commercial litigation department on 0161 624 6811(Option 6) or email vjs@wrigleyclaydon.com or sm@wrigleyclaydon.com. We can advise you on the appropriate course of action and assist with any legal documents or proceedings that may occur.
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Is it time to consider a Pre-Nup?
It was recently announced that “Avengers” actress Elizabeth Olson has become engaged to musician Robbie Arnett.
Sources close to the couple have claimed that they have taken their relationship to the next level with Robbie proposing. Both stars however are yet to confirm the happy news.
Often celebrities and other members of the public, after making wedding plans, turn their minds to whether a pre-nuptial agreement is necessary to protect assets if their relationship should fail.
A pre-nuptial agreement is a contract which the parties enter into before marriage.
This document sets out each of the parties rights in respect of any joint assets, including in relation to property, income, inheritance and other such matters. The agreement will set out how these will be divided in the event that the marriage should end.
A pre-nuptial agreement can provide parties with peace of mind for the future and can often prevent acrimony in the event of marriage breakdown, with each party knowing precisely what will happen if things do go wrong.
If you would like advice or wish to consider whether a pre-nuptial agreement is right for you, please contact our experts who will be happy to guide you through the pros and cons of considering such an Agreement.
Please feel free to contact Rhona Royle or Terri Pickup on 0161 624 6811 or another member of our family department.
Click here to find out more about Family Lawyers
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Mamadou Sakho sues WADA for £13m over drug test error
Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho is suing the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for £13m after accusing them of a drug test-error that ended his career at Liverpool.
Sakho was provisionally banned for 30 days on April 28 2016 after being notified by European football’s governing body, UEFA, of an anti-doping offence relating to a test taken after March’s Europa League quarter-final against Manchester United.
UEFA launched their own investigation at the time into whether the fat-burning substance, Higenamine, Sakho took should even be on the banned list.
The ban meant Sakho missed Liverpool’s Europa League final defeat to Sevilla, while Sakho claimed at a High Court hearing that it cost him a place in the France squad for Euro 2016.
Higenamine, was found not to be on WADA’s prohibited list and Sakho was subsequently cleared by UEFA.
Sakho’s argues that a move away from Liverpool had a big impact on his salary and that it represented a loss of £13m in earnings.
However, WADA denies responsibility for his transfer from Liverpool, arguing that “disciplinary issues” and a “personality clash” with the manager Jurgen Klopp were the root causes.
At the end of the hearing, the judge ordered that the trial on liability – whether Wada was negligent – should take place before the amount of compensation is considered.’
Suffering a dispute can have serious implications on you and your livelihood and reputation. Our business solicitors will quickly and efficiently put your case together and act on your behalf. Call Vijay Srivastava or Shalish Mehta in our civil and commercial litigation department on 0161 624 6811(Option 6) or email vjs@wrigleyclaydon.com or sm@wrigleyclaydon.com. We can advise you on the appropriate course of action and assist with any legal documents or proceedings that may occur.
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F1 Driver, Daniel Ricciardo fighting £10million court case
F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo is facing a claim in the High Court of more than £10m in alleged unpaid earnings from his former manager, Glenn Beavis.
Beavis is claiming that Ricciardo has not paid him commissions owed on his new contract with Renault; Ricciardo left Red Bull at the end of last season to join the Renault
The first defendant is Whitedunes International Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands company wholly owned by Ricciardo, who is the second defendant.
Beavis’ claim is that he had an agreement with Ricciardo that saw him earn “20% commission on the value of all new deals that Beavis introduced and which were subsequently concluded”.
Ricciardo’s lawyer says he has until the end of July to do so.
Suffering a contractual dispute can have serious implications on you and your business. Our business solicitors will quickly and efficiently put your case together and act on your behalf. Call Vijay Srivastava or Shalish Mehta in our civil and commercial litigation department on 0161 624 6811(Option 6) or email vjs@wrigleyclaydon.com or sm@wrigleyclaydon.com. We can advise you on the appropriate course of action and assist with any legal documents or proceedings that may occur.
Click here to find out more about Litigation Solicitors
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Click here to find out more about Contract Disputes -
How long will it take to get divorced?
Rhona Royle, Head of Family Law at Wrigley Claydon Solicitors, comments:
Only a few years back when posed with this question by a new client I’d have advised with some confidence “about 6 to 9 months”.
Not any longer.
Figures released for the first quarter of this year showed that the average time for getting from the start of the case (the issue of a divorce petition) to the end (receipt of the Decree Absolute) it is now taking an average of 59 weeks or over 14 months!
This is an increase of 6 weeks from the same period last year.
So why might this be?
More cases for the courts to deal with? Fewer court staff to process the paperwork and Judges to make decisions? Withdrawal of legal aid for early advice?
To a degree, all these factors appear to be contributing.
In the first three months of this year just over 29,000 new divorce cases were started up 6% from the same period in 2018.
But it is the impact of an increase in all types of family cases not just divorces. Domestic violence case starts were up by 15% and “private law” cases (namely those between parents to settle the arrangements for where children should live and how much time they should spend with the other parent) were up 12%.
The number of courts dealing with Divorce cases drastically reduced upon the creation of 11 “Regional Divorce Centres”.
The most senior Family Judge, Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division said earlier in the year that these centres “have not worked well” and “indeed some, including {the Regional Centre for the North West} Liverpool have provided a wholly unacceptable service”.
His predecessor, Sir James Munby, said the centres had become “bywords for delay and inefficiency, essentially because HM Courts and Tribunal Service had been unable or unwilling to furnish them with adequate numbers of staff and judges”. Not a ringing endorsement for a process you must pay a court fee of £550 for!
In April 2013 legal aid for many Private law cases and early advice was removed which inevitably led to litigants representing themselves. Having two warring parties in court without the filter of legal representation inevitably causes cases to take longer.
In the quarter to March 2013 (before the removal of legal aid) both parties had legal representation in 41% of cases by the first quarter of this year that figure had dropped to 19%.
What does the future look like? In one-word DIGITAL.
Click here to find out more about Family Lawyers
Click here to find out more about Divorce Solicitors -
Geoffrey Rush awarded $2 million in Sydney defamation case
Oscar winning actor Geoffrey Rush has been awarded the largest ever defamation pay out to a single person in Australia.
Rush was awarded A$2.9m (£1.57m) after winning the case against Nationwide News, which publishes Australia’s Daily Telegraph after it published stories accusing him of behaving inappropriately towards his former co-star Eryn Jean Norvill in a production of King Lear in 2015.
The judge found that Ms Norvill was “prone to exaggeration” and called the reporting a “recklessly irresponsible piece of sensationalist journalism of … the very worst kind”.
Rush has sought an injunction to prevent the Telegraph re-publishing accusations at the heart of the case.
Rush was awarded $850,000 in general and aggravated damages plus more than $1m for past economic loss, $919,678 in future economic loss and $42,000 in interest; he was originally seeking more than $25m in damages.
Actress Rebel Wilson was awarded A$4.7m pay out last year, but that sum was reduced to $600,000 on appeal.
She sued magazine publisher Bauer Media over articles that she said had wrongly portrayed her as a serial liar, but an appeals court later found that “there was no basis in the evidence for making any award of damages for economic loss.”
If you have been defamed or have been accused of making defamatory statements our Commercial Litigation solicitors will quickly and efficiently put your case together and act on your behalf. Call Vijay Srivastava or Shalish Mehta in our civil and commercial litigation department on 0161 624 6811(Option 6) or email vjs@wrigleyclaydon.com or sm@wrigleyclaydon.com. We can advise you on the appropriate course of action and assist with any legal documents or proceedings that may occur.
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