header-logo header-logo

19 September 2019
Issue: 7856 / Categories: Legal News , Divorce , Pensions , Family
printer mail-detail

Pensions & divorce catch lawyers out

The area of pensions and divorce is full of ‘elephant traps’, and family lawyers could face a rise in negligence cases unless they get to grips with it, the co-author of a good practice guide has warned. 
The ‘Guide to the Treatment of Pensions on Divorce’, published this summer by the Pensions Advisory Group (PAG) advises that lawyers who feel out of their depth should refer the issue on to someone who knows rather than carry on. The area can be a fraught one for family lawyers, particularly where overseas pensions and tax implications are involved. Writing in this week’s NLJ, freelance journalist Grania Langdon-Down highlights some of the main concerns expressed by lawyers, including those who took part in a LexisNexis/Mathieson Consulting survey. George Mathieson of Mathieson Consulting Ltd said: ‘With increased attention being drawn to the value of pensions on divorce it is surprising to see that a significant number of legal professionals are not seeking the advice of a pensions expert, in cases where experts should be instructed.’
Issue: 7856 / Categories: Legal News , Divorce , Pensions , Family
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joinscorporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Media and technology expert joins employment team as partner in Cambridge

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
back-to-top-scroll