Emma’s potential for a career in law was developed during her time at the University of London where she successfully completed a Masters degree in Law. Emma’s desire to become a top solicitor was then identified during her successful placement as a secretary at the Dorchester office of Blanchard Bailey LLP.

The partners of Blanchards Bailey LLP are delighted to now be able to give Emma the opportunity to gain the knowledge and experience required to become a qualified solicitor. In addition to her formal training in the firm’s commercial, private, conveyancing and family departments, Emma will also be assisting in a number of specialist marketing and research projects.

Emma Needham had this to say, “I am really excited to be undertaking my training with such a well renowned firm in my home county of Dorset. I am already learning a great deal from the solicitors in my team.”

Sarah Heath – Training Principal, followed up by saying, “There is a tremendous amount of competition for training contracts with many firms not offering them due to the economic climate.  It is a testament to Emma’s abilities that she has proven herself worthy of a contract offer.”

Sarah’s appointment to the partnership is part of the firm’s strategic plan to develop Blanchards Bailey’s already successful commercial services offering. The team, now led by Sarah, will be able to provide a larger number of Dorset businesses with commercial law services including advice in respect of:

• Business acquisitions, disposals & mergers
• Commercial property (development & investment)
• Commercial disputes
• Commercial contracts

With Sarah’s many years of experience successfully advising SME’s and owner managed businesses, the firm is sure she will prove beneficial to the Dorset business community and help to contribute to its growth.

Sarah Heath had this to say, “I am impressed by Blanchard Bailey’s client focused approach and the innovative way they handle commercial business so it was a simple choice to decide to join the practice”. Sarah went on to say, “I’m looking forward to developing the team further and building on the strong reputation the firm already enjoys throughout Dorset.”

Chief Executive, Alan Horne, said Sarah’s experience made her an ideal choice for this key role as Head of Commercial Services.

Sarah and the team would welcome the opportunity to speak to businesses throughout Dorset about any aspects of commercial law. To arrange your free initial meeting please call Blanchards Bailey on 01258 483618 or email sarah.heath@blanchardsbailey.co.uk.

The areas with which BBFS have helped client include retirement planning, increasing income from investments and improving the overall tax efficiency of investment portfolios.
The feedback from clients has been very positive and to illustrate this point Mrs E from Blandford recently commented:

“By using Blanchards Bailey LLP and BBFS for my financial services, Will and trusts my planning at long last feels connected. I now fully appreciate the importance of all parties working together in my best interests. I really like the fact that I do not have to repeat myself or explain complicated planning to various people, as the team at Blanchards Bailey talk to each other. The costs have been very reasonable, as I suspect by working closely with each other they have been far more efficient”.

Blanchards Bailey Financial Services Limited is regulated by the Financial Services Authority rather than the Solicitors Regulation Authority and although is partly owned by Blanchards Bailey LLP it is an entirely separate entity.

Following a report by Mary Portas published last year on the state of Britain’s high street, the reduction of planning red tape to make way for pop up shops is a bid to reduce the number of vacant retail premises and bring life back into Britain’s high street.

The decision to simplify the planning process to allow the easy creation of pop ups should be welcomed by both landlords and tenants but they do both need to consider matters carefully.

Empty premises are a costly overhead for landlords and the idea of offering short term lettings to businesses who wish to use a premises on a temporary basis is appealing, especially to new businesses. There are risks involved though. Landlords need to make sure that a formal tenancy agreement is in place so that pop up tenants do not end up with more rights than the landlord originally intended to grant to them. If the appropriate documentation is not used then this could lead to costly and time consuming disputes. Legal advice should be sought to ensure the correct form of tenancy agreement is being used to allow a short term and flexible occupation of the premises. This will avoid unnecessary delay and keep costs down.

Landlords should also consider planning and other restrictions on the use of premises before granting any pop up tenancies which would permit a change of use by the occupier as this could have adverse implications on the landlord’s property holding at a later date. When considering allowing a change of use it is always prudent to seek professional legal advice on the potential implications. It can be difficult to change the use back again which may impact on a landlord’s longer term plans for the property.

They have heard that if either of them becomes mentally incapable of managing their affairs, the other will not be able to deal with any of their assets, whether in their sole name or held jointly. Furthermore, the other spouse would have no automatic right to manage the finances. At worst, this could mean that assets are frozen.
Such a turn of events would be particularly difficult where the spouse who has lost capacity needs to have fees paid for their care.

Mr and Mrs Forward-Planning make Property and Financial Affairs Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) while they are still in good health. The LPAs appoint each other and the children as attorneys.

Sadly, Mr Forward-Planning subsequently develops dementia and has to go into care. Mrs Forward-Planning and their children decide that it would be best for the parents to downsize and for cash assets, to include spare proceeds of sale from the property, to be invested in the best way possible to fund the care fees and to meet Mrs Forward-Planning’s own needs.

The LPAs are to hand and, once Mr Forward-Planning’s LPA has been registered at the Office of the Public Guardian, it can be used to do all that is required by the family.

OR DO NOTHING …

Mr and Mrs Do-Nothing have the same family circumstances and assets as Mr and Mrs Forward-Planning.

They do not make any LPAs while they are both capable.

Mr Do-Nothing develops dementia and Mrs Do-Nothing and her family come to Blanchards Bailey LLP for help. It’s too late now for Mr Do-Nothing to make an LPA. The assets are frozen and the care home is demanding payment of fees. The only way to unlock the assets is with an application to the Court of Protection for a Deputyship Order. Eventually, after extensive form filling, several months of grinding process and payment of fees all round totalling a couple of thousand pounds or more, an Order is made which is tailored to what the Court decides is best. Once the Order is in place, the Court will continue to supervise arrangements and there will be ongoing fees.

If only Mr and Mrs Do-Nothing had the foresight of Mr and Mrs Forward-Planning, they would have saved so much time, hassle and costs by having had LPAs in place.

For further information, or if you or a relative wish to make LPAs, please contact one of our solicitors specialising in powers of attorney and related matters on: 01258 459361

£2 billion was underpaid via the Pay As You Earn scheme. This occurred because HMRC had not issued the correct tax code and taxpayers did not check they were coded correctly.

A further £1.8 billion was overpaid by tax payers and needed to be repaid.

HMRC have started tackling the arrears and repaying overpaid tax.

However, the moral of the story is always to check your tax position; particularly that you are receiving all the allowances to which you are entitled. For more help with income tax matters please contact our Private Client team on 01258 483613.

For example:

Mrs Smith is divorced and has a total estate worth £525,000

She wishes to leave 10% of her estate above the tax free allowance of £325,000 (£20,000) to charity

Under the old law, the IHT bill would have been £72,000 with Mrs Smith’s family inheriting £433,000 (and the charities £20,000)

Under the new law, the IHT payable is £64,800 with Mrs Smith’s family inheriting £440,200 (and the charities £20,000).

There is also a strange anomaly in the legislation meaning that if you intend to give 4% of your taxable estate to charity, the gift can be increased to 10% without your family suffering any reduction in the value they receive, i.e. the whole of the increase is paid for by HMRC!

IHT Reminder

As you will probably know the Inheritance Tax allowance for an individual is £325,000. For a married couple and civil partners, there is a transferable allowance between husband and wife potentially giving a combined allowance of £650,000. Where one or both of a couple have been widowed before or own business assets, with appropriate planning within Wills, allowances can be increased above and beyond the sum of £650,000. If you haven’t reviewed your Will since the introduction of transferable allowances in 2007, we would recommend that you do so

Free Will Review

Blanchards Bailey Solicitors provide free Will review service to book please call 01258 459361

Please send your C.V. and covering letter to Anita Enefer, Office Manager, Blanchards Bailey LLP, Bunbury House, StourPark, Blandford Forum, DT11 9LQor by e-mail anita.enefer@blanchardsbailey.co.uk

Closing Date: 23^rd November 2012

Please send your C.V. and covering letter to Anita Enefer, Office Manager, Blanchards Bailey LLP, Bunbury House, StourPark, Blandford Forum, DT11 9LQor by e-mail anita.enefer@blanchardsbailey.co.uk

Closing Date: 23^rd November 2012

To assist our clients we can offer individuals protection against abortive costs for £50.00+vat per transaction.

Learn More by reading our Abortive Costs Scheme Information Sheet.

To request a printed version, please call us on 01258 459361