Making a will should be a “must do” for all people if they want their assets to be received by people of their choosing. Jan Atkinson, wills expert at Osbornes Solicitors in London discusses why it is so important to make a will and the consequences of not having a valid will.

The family law department at Osbornes is now in the fourth tier of recommended family lawyers in London. Chambers specifically noted that “the team is best known for its children work, often involving complex international dynamics” the directory continues to mention the family teams “highly regarded ancillary relief practice…expertise in mediation and collaborative law”.

London divorce lawyer Mark Freedman, Partner in the family team at Osbornes also retained his ranking as a recommended family solicitor in London, as did Naomi Angell, recognised for her International AdoptionPractice and Simone McGrath for her children work, including international child abduction.

In particular Chambers noted Mark Freedman’s “passion for the job…and his total dedication to clients”.

Further success for the firm was also seen in the Personal Injury department, which saw London personal injury claims solicitor Stuart Kightley retain his ranking as a recommended London Personal Injury lawyer. In particular the directory noted his “energetic, intuitive approach to cases”. Stuart was singled out for his “amputation and workplace” accident caseload, which he handles on a no win no fee basis.

Please click on the appropriate link to view the Family law and Personal Injury services we offer. You can view the complete rankings at Chambers & Partners.

If you would like to contact any of the solicitors mentioned above please go to the teams pages. Alternatively you can contact us on 020 7485 8811 or fill in our online contact us form now.

Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly commented that mediation is “a quicker, cheaper and more amicable alternative, particularly where children are concerned”.

Under the change, anyone wanting to use the courts will have to undergo a compulsory mediation assessment session first, which could cost some couples up to £140.

The move represents an extension of the system already in place for couples granted legal aid. Djanogly said “Mediation already helps thousands of legally aided people… but I am concerned those funding their own court actions are missing out on the benefits it can bring”.

The Justice Ministry has said that the move will cut the strain on the system, especially when it comes to arguing over matters that people, according to the Ministry, are better placed to sort out themselves, such as amending or increasing existing child contact arrangements.

Following the compulsory assessment, where either party or the mediatior themselves feels continuing with mediation will not be suitable the case will progress towards the court system. Cases involvinig domestic violence and child protection will however bypass mediation and go straight to court.

In terms of figures data from legal aid cases shows that the average cost per client of mediation is £535.00, compared with the £2,823 for cases going straight to court.The average tiome for a legally aided medidation is 110 days, compared with 435 days for court cases on similar issues.

Whether parties will opt to take the mediation route post the compulsory meeting remains to be seen.

Osbornes family department has specialist accredited mediators who can take you through the mediation procees, with the aim of resolving issues without going to court in the first instance.

The family department also operates a collaborative law department which simialar to mediation, aims to help couples reach agreement and resolve issues without entering the court process.

For Divorce Mediation  speak to our Divorce Lawyers.

The Law Society’s Transaction Conveyancing Quality Scheme is a quality standard for residential conveyancing practices. The scheme is intended to enhance the reputation of conveyancing solicitors, provide reassurance about their integrity and introduce practice standards to create a trusted conveyancing community that will deter fraud and provide a more effective service for clients.

Achieving this conveyancing quality kitemark will only strengthen the existing reputation of our property team.

Osbornes’ property Law Solicitors can assist you in relation to all residential or commercial property matters. Please contact Jan Atkinson, Justine Simms, Maria Elliot or Emily Lund for more information.

Please visit our property pages for more information on the services we offer.

Jon Snow’s “Dispatches Landlords from Hell” shown on Channel 4 on 4th July 2011 featured homes in horrific disrepair and landlord’s unprepared to assist their tenants.  It showed examples of problems with unlawful evictions and  general abuse of tenants. From our own experiences sadly these cases are not uncommon.

ITV screened “Homes from Hell” on 12th July 2011, showed the catastrophic impact on homeowners when their home is occupied by illegal occupants, or squatters.

A recent BBC news feature expressed the concerns of many residents that the London Borough of Haringey and other Local Authorities will no longer carry out, in many cases, much needed improvements to their homes, due to budget cuts.

At Osbornes our Property Litigation and Social Welfare teams can assist with all of these problems.  If you are a victim of a problem with repairs at your home which your landlord, be it local authority, housing association or private individual, is not prepared to repair properly or at all then we may be able to assist you.

Osbornes offers legal aid and conditional fee agreements  (also known as “no win, no fee”) for housing disrepair.  Legal aid also covers a wide range of housing problems and if you are experiencing problems with your landlord we may be able to help.

If you would like further advice on leave to remove or any other family law issue including divorce law please contact Lisa Pepper on 020 7485 8811  or e-mail Lisa.

Read more about parent wants to emigrate with the children

In another amputee case Stuart Kightley acted for Mr M, an employee  of a wholesaler whose job involved taking deliveries at their warehouse  and unloading boxes of stock from container lorries.

No safe method of unloading was devised and Mr M found himself getting his leg trapped in a stepladder as he fell from it.

Mr M’s serious leg fracture was fixed with an external frame but  failed to heal and after 12 months the decision was taken to amputate.

His employers did not have valid insurance cover and they  failed to respond to our correspondence and so court proceedings were  brought direct against the company.

Liability was denied but the  case was settled at a solicitors’ round table meeting in 2008 for  £250,000, by which time the Claimant was well on the way to getting his  life back on track.

Source: Popdash

Speaking to Vanity Fair, the ‘On The Floor’ star said that the Divorce ‘was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to face.  I really wanted this family to work.  That was my biggest dream, and I worked hard at it.  We both did’.

‘We had the first three years of our marriage just for us. I wasn’t working, it was mainly about him. Then we got pregnant. Then it became about the kids. And then I started working again’.

She continued: ‘Sometimes it doesn’t work—and that’s sad. But I remain an eternal optimist about love. I believe in love…It’s still my biggest dream’.

According to E! Online however, the interview with Vanity Fair took place before the couple announced their separation, suggesting that their marriage was well and truly over by that point.

The singer denied rumours that the split was bitter, adding: ‘I will always respect Marc as a singer and performer.  We actually work great together, and he was always very supportive’.

……………………………………………………..

The breakdown of a marriage can be a difficult and painful experience. If you have decided that your marriage has ended, Osbornes divorce solicitors can guide you through the process of obtaining a divorce.