Posted on 08/11/11, filed under Personal Injury (PI) | 2 Comments
Nick Hind, associate solicitor in the personal injury department of Bennett Griffin comments:-
“Road safety has been brought into tragic focus with events on the M5 in Somerset this weekend.
But this awful accident aside, it was reported last week that, after year on year falls, deaths on British roads had risen by 7% in the first 6 months of 2011 and 940 people were killed in that period.
A number of commentators have linked the rise to cuts in road safety budgets. If that is correct, with many cuts yet to bite and the prospect of even deeper cuts to come, we could be looking at many more avoidable deaths on British roads.
Yet at the same time, the government has ploughed on regardless with its plans to change the personal injury claims system so that the victims of accidents will have to pay a portion of their own solicitor’s costs out of their damages. It is unfair and doesn’t add up.
The government would be better advised to prioritise road safety rather than punishing the innocent victims of accidents”
Posted on 07/11/11, filed under Family Law | No Comments
I saw the ITV Tonight programme last night “A Failing System”, and was shocked at the length of time it appears to take to become an adoptive parent in the UK. It was upsetting to see that this means the many children who are currently in care and waiting for suitable adoptive parents, will remain in care for far longer than is necessary. The system for adoption is being reviewed at the present time by the Government who are going to adopt a “name and shame” policy of the Local Authorities performance in placing children with suitable adoptive parent/s. David Cameron was critical of the “system”, and supports the changes being instigated. At Bennett Griffin LLP, Solicitors, we deal with adoption and special guardianship applications in the Sussex area, and so this news programme was of special interest to me.
Linda Robinson, Assistant to Stephen Hollamby, Managing Partner
Posted on 07/11/11, filed under Family Law | No Comments
Thanks to recent media coverage, most people are now aware of the importance of putting a Power of Attorney in place. But have you really given proper thought as to whether your choice of Attorney is suitable?
A recent case reported in Bristol (click here) provides a stark and rather disturbing reminder that your choice of Attorney is crucial.
At Bennett Griffin, we can help you through the process of making a Power of Attorney, including the matters you should consider when choosing your Attorneys. We recommend that your Power of Attorney is reviewed regularly, together with your Will, as circumstances do change over time.
Some issues concerning Powers of Attorney arise because the Attorneys do not properly understand their responsibilities and limitations. If you wish, we can provide your Attorneys with additional guidance to try to prevent such problems occurring.
As well as assisting with the preparation and, where appropriate, the registration of your General, Enduring or Lasting Power of Attorney, we can also store the document for you free of charge. This provides an invaluable additional security measure as we will only release the original document with specific instructions from you, or medical evidence that you are no longer capable of making your own decisions.
For more information about Powers of Attorney, please contact Ian Macara on 01903 777696 or im@bennett-griffin.co.uk.
