Posted on 05/11/10, filed under Fresh News | No Comments
Bennett Griffin are proud to announce that our Private Client Department has been selected by West Sussex County Council Social Services to be one of their panel of Solicitors who are endorsed to provide quality legal advice and assistance to any vulnerable members of the public that Social Services have contact with.
Our Private Client Team have gained considerable expertise over the years where we have acted both for and as Attorneys and also for and as Deputy for vulnerable clients who need and deserve to have someone act in their best interests when they have sadly experienced diminished capacity.
We recognize the importance of treating our vulnerable clients with dignity and respect, in a manner that is sensitive to their situation. We adhere to the Code of Practice of Solicitors for the Elderly that includes a clear and practical commitment to communicating in plain English, avoiding unnecessary legal terminology, an awareness of potential hearing and visual difficulties, ensuring ease of access and parking and taking all practical steps to maximize the client’s decision making potential.
If you are not certain where to turn for legal advice and practical support for a loved one who is experiencing difficulties in managing their own affairs then please call and we’d be pleased to offer as much or as little advice and assistance as your require.
Posted on 28/10/10, filed under Family Law | No Comments
As Family lawyers who are committed to the principles of Resolution, we adopt a robust, yet non-confrontational approach to divorce, and encourage our clients to seek shared solutions and reach mutually beneficial agreements, wherever possible.
Mediation can help couples arrive at that fair end result and explore and smooth over tensions along the way. It involves a trained Mediator working with a couple together, without any lawyers in the room.
However, the traditional litigation based way of dealing with a breakdown of a relationship remains one in which parties are polarised into “us and them”. It is often the case that one spouse/partner rushes off to their lawyer, and a letter is then fired out to the lawyer on the “other side”, and the paperwork, and the respective bills, escalate, and the issues remain raw and entrenched. There is the risk that both or either client may feel excluded from the decision-making process despite the fact that it is about matters which are very personal to them.
There is a different way.
The Collaborative approach enables you to sit down with your lawyer, along with your former spouse/partner and their lawyer, and discuss matters which are important to both clients, in an open and supportive way. You tell us, your lawyers, what your hopes and expectations are for you and your family, and we work with you, and one another, to create an agreement which matches your needs. This process can be cathartic and liberating as it addresses any fears, anger, and bitterness immediately, and acknowledges how these feelings have affected each of you. It is a process in which you, as the client, are in control of the final arrangement, as opposed to a Judge imposing a result.
Please call our Family team on 01903 229938 if you would like to discuss any of the above areas with a view to resolving matters in a way which works best for you.
Posted on 30/09/10, filed under Employment | No Comments
New rates of National Minimum Wage, due to come into force on 1st October 2010, originally announced in March 2010, have been confirmed as follows:
- £5.93 per hour for low paid workers aged 21 and over (a 2.2% increase on the current £5.80 rate);
- £4.92 per hour for 18-20 year olds (a 1.9% increase on the current £4.83 rate); and
- £3.64 per hour for 16-17 year olds (a 2% increase on the current £3.57 rate).
