Firm News

Domestic abuse ruins the lives of its victims with more than 2 million people subjected to this terrible crime each year. However, NSPCC statistics show that as many as 1 in 5 children in the UK are also witness to or exposed to this horrible crime during...

Changing a child’s surname may not be as easy as you think and will depend on many variables. However, our specialist team at Johnson Astills can help you.  A child’s name  must be registered within six weeks of the child’s...

Stamp Duty Abolished for all first-time buyers of shared ownership properties worth up to £500, 000 and Help to Buy Scheme extended to 2023! Chancellor Phillip Hammond announced plans to correct an anomaly from his previous budget by cutting stamp...

MPs are calling for stronger action to tackle Domestic Abuse . A figure revealed by MPs from the Home Affairs Select Committee has shown that almost 200 victims of Domestic Abuse are turned away from emergency refuges every day due to desperate lack of bed...

You may be asked to provide a breath sample at the roadside if you are suspected of driving with excess alcohol in your body. If you provide a positive sample, you are likely to be arrested and taken to the police station. Why do I have to do it again at...

Hair strand testing is often used in care proceedings where there are concerns that parents are or have been using illegal substances. Hair strand testing is used in both public and private children proceedings. Hair strand testing can be paid for...

The Half Marathon Relay was held in Leicester alongside the Leicester Half and Full marathon. This year it took place on 14 th October and Emery Johnson Astills had the greatest pride in entering three teams to run this year! For the last five years...

Stalking and harassment has been prevalent in the news in recent times. These days there is much greater awareness of these issues and yet, here at Emery Johnson Astills, sadly we often receive calls from people informing us that their ex-partners are...

When the Local Authority have concerns about the welfare of a child , they will usually have ongoing involvement and conversations with the parents of the child. In making a plan to keep the child safe, the social worker will make enquiries with any...

When purchasing a home , you should be aware of restrictive covenants affecting the property, to avoid costly mistakes. At Johnson Astills, we will ensure that you know exactly what you can and cannot do with your property taking into consideration recent...

What is post-sentence supervision? Post-sentence supervision is a requirement which is applied to all offenders who receive a sentence of less than 2 years imprisonment. It was designed to provide a second supervision period to assist in rehabilitation of...

Up until 2004 same sex couples had little rights in order to formalise their relationships.  Civil Partnerships were therefore created in 2004 to give same sex couples similar legal and financial protection to a married couple.  Marriage at that...

Until now the only specific offence has been that of assaulting a police officer. This is a summary only offence which carries a maximum of 6 months imprisonment. A new law has been passed which will create a new category of common assault - assaulting an...

The Local Authority has many responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities are voluntary in nature and some of them are mandatory and are contained in the Children Act 1989, which is an important piece of legislation. This article will focus on the ...

County lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of “deal line”. They are likely...

Carrying an offensive weapon is a serious offence. The unlawful provision and possession of weapons encourages violence and can cause serious injury and death. In addition to this possession of weapons also assists in the facilitation of other criminal...

These enquiries refer to section 47 of the Children Act 1989. Section 47 of the Act covers a Local Authority’s, or Social Services, duty to carry out an investigation or assessment when they are informed that a child, who lives in their area,...

A  Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)  is a legal document that allows you (the donor) to appoint attorneys to make decisions on your behalf.  Most people appoint trusted friends or relatives.  Some decide to appoint professional attorneys...

Under Section 34(1) of the Children Act 1989, where a child is in the care of a Local Authority, the Local Authority must allow ‘reasonable contact’ between a child in its care and their parents, guardian and others with parental responsibility...

Gemma Curtis, a solicitor in our care team entered the Great North Run 2018 and ran for Emery Johnson Astills’ chosen charity – Bodie Hodges Foundation. The Great North Run is the biggest half marathon in the world and attracts nearly 60,000...

Buying and/or selling a house can be a stressful period in your life with constant pressure to exchange contracts as quickly as possible. What happens if you discover the seller was a fraudster after contracts were exchanged and the transaction completed?...

Where a child has suffered an injury and the cause of this injury is unknown, the Family Court may decide that a Fact Finding Hearing is necessary to hear the evidence available. The Court will hear evidence from all parties involved in the case and in...

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CAFCASS stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. CAFCASS represent children in Family Court cases in England. Their role is to put children’s wishes and feelings forward and make sure that decisions are made that are in the...

    Gemma Curtis, a Solicitor from our Care Team, is running the Great North Run on 9 th September 2018. Gemma is doing this to raise money for the Bodie Hodges Foundation, which is the chosen charity of Emery Johnson Astills. The Great...

Publicity surrounding reports of incidents involving the use of acid or other corrosive substances have increased recently, with questions being asked as to how offenders who threaten or attack people with such substances are dealt with by the Courts. Here...

On Saturday 25 th August 2018 Emma Stanbanks, Senior Associate and Joint Head of the Care Team took part in the Great Scottish Swim in aid of our charity of the year, the Bodie Hodges Foundation. Emma braved the bracing 15.6-degree water to swim a mile in...

The number of unmarried cohabiting couples has almost doubled from 1.5 million in 1996 to 3.3 million in 2017. A recent survey showed as many as two in three cohabiting couples are unaware that there is no such thing as a ‘Common law Marriage’...

It is important to make a Will to ensure that your estate passes as you wish when you die. Your estate includes your house, money in bank accounts and even your jewellery. If you do not make a Will, the rules of intestacy will apply which means that your...

A Written Agreement is a tool that is often used by Children’s Social Care (Local Authorities) when working with children and families.  They can be used when children are subject to Child in Need Plans, Child Protection Plans or when they are...

The UK has seen a rise on the use of Drones for both fun and commercial use. However as a result of new laws being brought in, people found flying drones above 400ft and within a kilometre of airport boundaries, could find themselves being charged with a...

New Zealand has taken a big step forward by being the second country in the world to grant victims of domestic abuse an additional ten days paid leave from work each year. The first country was the Philippines. Women’s Aid have, through their work,...

A new psychoactive substance has sparked a crisis in a UK city - where the drug is bought for as little as £2 a hit. The synthetic drug, dubbed 'monkey dust', is sending increasing numbers of people into violent and psychotic episodes in the...

A Family Assistance Order (FAO) is a short-term order which the Court can grant under Section 16 of the Children Act 1989 requiring a CAFCASS officer or an officer from the Local Authority to advise, assist and (where appropriate) befriend any person in the...

The High Court has made a ruling recognising Sharia Law for the first time in a British Court. This could change the way Islamic marriage and divorce works in the UK. Mr Khan and Mrs Akhtar’s marriage ceremony was conducted in a ceremony called a...

Pre-Contract searches reveal additional information about the property you plan to purchase. You can withdraw from the transaction without penalty prior to the exchange, if you discover something about the property you are not happy with. Your...

“The reformed prisons of the 1800’s with their new emphasis on rehabilitation were invented to destroy the criminal personality and to generate new life and a new law abiding identity. Predicated upon violence the prisons proved successful in...

Here at Emery Johnson Astills we understand that going through a divorce or separation can be an emotional and difficult time. It is generally better for everybody involved if arrangements between you can be agreed, this is in relation to both finances and...

Johnson Astills have seen an increase in the number of cases before the Courts involving newer synthetic drugs. The offences were created by the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 which came into force on 26 th May 2016. The Sentencing Council has published...

Many people are confused about the elements of supplying controlled substances such as cannabis and cocaine, particularly where sharing illegal drugs amongst friends is concerned.  It is an offence for a person to have a controlled drug in their...

A further “penalty” of the World Cup, which has recently been reported on is the increase of domestic violence and abuse during the tournament. Research undertaken at Lancaster University has shown there is an increase in domestic abuse during...

At  Johnson Astills we know how frightening it can be to find yourself under investigation for or charged with a sexual offence. The chances are you will have no previous experience of being interviewed by the police or appearing at court. It can be a...

Following a Government review into bike safety, plans are to be announced by the Transport Minister in relation to motorists driving too close to cyclists. The rules are being brought in to encourage more people to use bikes and reduce accidents. From...

When a driver accumulates twelve or more penalty points within a three year period, the court will need to consider whether they should be disqualified under the totting up provisions. The Court guidelines state that where a driver has 12 points or more...

Leicester Legal Walk Many of our staff at Emery Johnson Astills took part in The Leicester Legal Walk yesterday, 4 th June 2018. The Walk was 10km around the City of Leicester. Our route took us past many of the legal sights of Leicester, including the...

What is stamp duty? Stamp duty is a lump sum that you are liable to pay when you  buy a residential property  or a piece of land costing more than £250,000.00 (or more than £40,000.00 for second homes). This tax applies to freehold...

22 nd May 2018 saw the first successful conviction in England for forced marriage.  The mother of the victim, who was 17 at the time, fooled her daughter into going to Pakistan in September 2016 to marry a man 16 years her senior.  On a trip to...

In efforts to prevent drug misuse legal restrictions are placed on the creation, use and distribution of highly dangerous and harmful drugs. Under legislation controlled drugs are those classified as being of either class A, B or C depending upon their...

Are you a parent and have you received a letter from the Local Authority asking you to attend a Pre-proceedings meeting? If you have, our specialist team at Johnson Astills can help you. A Pre-proceedings meeting means that the Local Authority are concerned...

At a time when you are already spending a lot of money, a survey can seem like a big expense. However due to the rule of ' caveat emptor' which stands for ‘buyer beware’ and puts the onus on the buyer to discover any faults in the...