Hillyer McKeown Blog

Hillyer McKeown Solicitors are delighted to be hosting a Business Networking Event in Ellesmere Port, designed to bring local businesses together to enjoy good food and a great networking opportunity.

This new event takes place on Friday 27^th April, and will be held at The Saffron Restaurant on Whitby Road, Ellesmere Port.

The event starts at 1.30pm, with the meal being served from 2pm.

Tickets are £10 per head (payable on the day) but spaces are limited so be sure to book in early!

If you would like to come along, please confirm your place by contacting Richard Burnett (Email richard.burnett@law.uk.com or Tel. 07893 637149).

For more details download the PDF Ellesmere Port Business Networking Invitation

Hillyer McKeown have announced they have appointed Richard Burnett as the firms Client Development Manager.

Richard, who lives on the Wirral, previously owned the Liverpool franchise of the national print company, Kall Kwik, which he bought in 2002 and following a period of sustained growth sold in 2011. Prior to that Richard worked in senior client facing roles within the FMCG sector.

“I was ready for something new” commented Richard. “Joining Hillyer McKeown has presented me with a fresh challenge. Throughout my career I’ve always built and nurtured lasting business relationships, so the role of Client Development Manager will allow me to continue working within a field I’m passionate about.”

Richard continued: “I’m delighted to have joined such a forward thinking and progressive firm and I’m looking forward to continuing to develop a positive and proactive experience for all of our clients.”

Steve Harvey, Partner and Head of Commercial at Hillyer McKeown added: “The Legal sector is changing. As a firm we feel it’s important to have a dedicated Client development manager who is involved with the local business community on a daily basis. Richard comes from a strong commercial background, and understands our approach to help bring businesses together through strategic introductions and key collaborations. Richards extensive account management experience combined with his commercial acumen will further strengthen our client offering.”

Leading local law firm, Hillyer McKeown are supporting advice issued to Chancellor George Osborne by The Family and Parenting Institute ahead of the new budget announcement in a bid to highlight the impact it could have on divorce figures.

The Family and Parenting Institute (FPI) are wishing for the 2012-2013 budget to be ‘family-friendly’ and are said to have warned the government that a budget which damages families could lead to break-ups and divorce. This is because financial pressure and difficulties with money are amongst the biggest reasons for the breakdown of relationships.

These concerns follow recent tax and benefit changes which have hit families with children particularly hard. The charity are claiming that many families are already ‘deeply anxious’ about what future budgets and the government’s ‘austerity’ agenda will mean for their financial well-being. To add to the worries, the charity published projections earlier this year predicting a 4.2% drop to the average family’s income over the next 4 years.

Martin Clayton, Head of Family Law at Hillyer McKeown, said: “In the current economic climate, any further tax and benefit changes for families will put them under increased financial pressure. Times are tough and any further financial strain could put couples under immense pressure, and in many cases could result in the end of their relationship. We’re calling for the government to consider the impact that this week’s budget will have on families and communities as a whole.”

The number of homes coming on to the rental market because their owners cannot sell them is increasing, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA).

A survey of ARLA members showed that 47% had seen a rise in “unplanned lettings” by homeowners who either couldn’t sell or wanted to wait until the market improved so they would be able to sell for a higher price.

It means that there are now many “reluctant landlords” who are turning to the private rental sector for the first time. ARLA president Tim Hyatt said: “Letting a property is an excellent way of generating consistent income from your property, if the correct approach is adopted by prospective landlords. However, lettings is an unregulated industry and there can be pitfalls for both landlord and tenant, including loss of monies. While we are, of course, happy to see an increase in the number of landlords, it is vital that every landlord – reluctant or keen – seeks expert advice before embarking on a rental arrangement.”

The private rental sector can be profitable but it can also contain several pitfalls for those new to the market. New landlords need to ensure they are up to date with all the legal requirements and draw up professional tenancy agreements in order to protect their property and avoid any costly problems.

Please contact us if you would like more information about landlord and tenant issues.

An insurance company has been awarded damages and granted an injunction against a group of employees who left to set up a rival business.

The court found that the group had committed numerous breaches of their employment contracts and fiduciary duty. They enticed others to resign and also used confidential company information while still employees.

The insurers claimed that the launch of the rival business was only possible because the employees had breached and abused their employment contracts on several occasions. Those breaches had given the new business an unlawful head start.

The court found that the original group of three employees had unlawfully solicited other employees to become part of the new venture. This had happened while they were still working for the insurers or while they were on garden leave. During that time they had also solicited the insurers’ clients and brokers. The company were also in breach of confidentiality clauses in their contracts by secretly using the insurers’ materials to copy and extract information to create documents they needed to launch the new business.

The judge said that where a person obtained a head start through unlawful acts, the court had the power to grant an injunction which restrained the wrongdoer from taking advantage of such a springboard.

There could not be a clearer case for springboard relief than this one. The insurers were awarded the damages they had sought. The court also granted an injunction ordering the former employees to delay the launch of their new business by two months. This was designed to restore both sides to the positions they would have occupied had the abuses not taken place.

Please contact us if you would like more information about the issues raised in this article.