With Legal Aid becoming more difficult to obtain and the cost of legal services being too high for some, more people are conducting their own Family Law cases in court. Anyone involved in a family law case is entitled to represent themselves and they can also be accompanied by someone who can give them reasonable assistance. This person is called a McKenzie friend. Hannah Rogers, Trainee Solicitor, here explains what a McKenzie friend is and, while able to lend support during an emotional time, why having a solicitor is of paramount importance.
World Tourism Day has been celebrated on 27th September for many years, and was created to raise awareness of the importance tourism has for economic value as well as broadening our social, political and cultural horizons.
Hampshire law firm, Warner Goodman LLP, is delighted to announce their three new trainees; Chris Greep, Gina McCadden and Dan Coleman who were all Paralegals with the firm up until September 2016 when they started their Recognised Period of Training.
September is World Alzheimer’s Month; a time to raise awareness of the impact this illness has on those diagnosed as well as their family and friends. None of us know what is around the corner and unfortunately cases of Alzheimer’s, dementia and other incapacitating diseases are rising.
The death of a loved one is always a traumatic time for everyone concerned, and those closest to them will be keen to ensure that their last act performed for their family member, plan their funeral, is how they would have wanted it. For some families though, this is getting harder to achieve as less of us are making Wills or making our wishes known, and the cost of planning a funeral and all that entails is rising.
When a couple goes through a separation or divorce, it will be an exceptionally trying time for all concerned, but when children are involved it can become even more emotionally difficult. Depending on the nature of the dispute, children could feel they are in a position where they must choose between their parents, they could be used as leverage and their whole routine and way of life will change. The decision may even be out of the parent’s control, if the Local Authority is involved and the children are at risk of being removed from the parents care.
We all know the hazards of using our mobile phones when we’re driving, and it’s easy to be tempted, but do we consider the implications before we do? Is it one of those situations where we think, “I won’t get caught” or “It won’t happen to me”? Figures from the Department for Transport have shown that 492 road traffic accidents were caused in Britain in 2014 because the driver was impaired or distracted by their phone. Unfortunately, 21 of these were fatal, and 84 classed as serious.
