Upcoming Changes to Tenant Fees – Letting Agents and Landlords to Take Note

From 1 June 2019 the Tenant Fees Act 2019 (“the Act”) will impose restrictions on fees that can be demanded from tenants of newly granted Tenancies (such as ASTS, student lettings and licences to occupy Read more…

Lawrence Stephens Support Tigers Global Logistics with New Thurrock Facility

Lawrence Stephens Real Estate Partner, Avi Barr and Senior Associate Craig Mullen recently supported multi-national logistics firm Tigers Global Logistics with its move to a major new logistics facility in Thurrock. The opening of this Read more…

Lawrence Stephens Helps Got Capital Secure Multi-Million Pound Facility with Shawbrook Bank

Central London law firm Lawrence Stephens has helped SME finance provider Got Capital secure a multi-million pound revolving credit facility from Shawbrook Bank. Jeff Rubenstein, Company & Commercial Partner at Lawrence Stephens, acted for Got Capital to complete Read more…

Lawrence Stephens client Lendhub secures new funding line

Lawrence Stephens client Lendhub, a specialist bridging and development lender, has secured a loan-on-loan facility from specialist bank OakNorth. The new funding line will sit alongside clients’ proprietary funds, with the deal enabling Lendhub to Read more…

March Employment Bulletin – Part-Time Workers’ Pay

Is it unfair to pay an employee 50% of full-time pay for being on duty for 53.5% of the time? Yes, the Court of Appeal said in British Airways v Pinaud, in a case which Read more…

March Employment Bulletin – Dismissal for Long-Term Sickness

Can an employer dismiss an employee for capability reasons when they are contractually entitled to long-term disability benefits? No, not fairly, the Employment Appeal Tribunal has said in Awan v ICTS. Mr Awan went on Read more…

March Employment Bulletin – Whistleblowing

Can co-workers be liable for whistleblowing dismissals along with the employer? Yes, the Court of Appeal has said in Timis v Osipov. Mr Osipov was the employer’s CEO. Two directors decided to dismiss him after Read more…

Lawrence Stephens helps Whitehall Capital loan for £1.4m scheme in just 5 days

25th March, London – Lawrence Stephens assisted Whitehall Capital with the completion of a crucial bridging loan, seeing the deal through in 5 days. Lawrence Stephens acted for the privately funded specialist loan provider on Read more…

Lawrence Stephens at MIPIM 2019: Gregory Palos

Gregory Palos, Partner, Head of Secured Lending, will be the third member of the Lawrence Stephens team in Cannes. We talked to Gregory about the prestigious event, the current property landscape and Lawrence Stephen’s partnership Read more…

Lawrence Stephens at MIPIM 2019: Steven Bernstein

Corporate and Banking Partner Steven Bernstein will also be in Cannes for MIPIM as part of the Lawrence Stephens team. We spoke to Steven about his aims for the prestigious event and what makes the Read more…

Lawrence Stephens at MIPIM 2019: Avi Barr

Real estate Partner Avi Barr will be part of the team representing Lawrence Stephens’ presence at MIPIM this year. We caught up with Avi to gain his property insight and find out what he’s looking Read more…

February Employement Bulletin – Veganism and the Equality Act

It looks like it might be a happy new year for vegans. The employment tribunal will decide in March 2019 whether ethical veganism is protected by the Equality Act 2010 as a ‘philosophical belief’, akin Read more…

February Employment Bulletin – Tribunal Fees

The Ministry of Justice has suggested that employment tribunal fees may be reintroduced. The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Justice said that a balance could be reached between increasing tribunal funding (via fees) and Read more…

February Employment Bulletin – Redundancy Trial Periods

Is it unfair not to offer a trial period for a more junior role even if the employee did not complain at the time? Yes, if it is a contractual right, said the employment appeal Read more…

Frustrated by Brexit? Not if you are a Landlord!

A significant decision was reached today in the High Court which will allow Landlords up and down the country to breathe a huge sigh of relief. The High Court considered a claim by the European Read more…

Tenant Fees Bill receives Royal Assent

On 12 February 2019, the Tenant Fees Bill 2017-19 received Royal Assent and became the Tenant Fees Act 2019. The Act will come into force on 1 June 2019 for new and renewal leases and Read more…

Pressure to use airspace builds up

A potential way of dealing with the lack of development land space in urban areas is not to build on land but its airspace. Anne Wright and Avi Barr discuss the construction and legal implications developers should Read more…

Property Law In-House Training

No area of law is static and businesses and individuals need to completely understand the latest legal developments and their implications in order to make the most of every opportunity. This week Lawrence Stephens brought Read more…

Lawrence Stephens in the Press

Lawrence Stephens team members have been featured in the press, demonstrating their decades of experience and expertise and their entrepreneurial, commercially aware approach. This month Partner Gregory Palos’ work was featured in Bridging & Commercial Read more…

January Employement Bulletin – National Minimum Wage and ‘Sleeping In’

Are care workers who ‘sleep in’ at work entitled to the national minimum wage for the whole of their shift? In Mencap v Tomlinson-Blake, care workers had to spend the night at or near their Read more…

January Employment Bulletin – Should emailing whilst commuting count as work?

A study by the University of the West of England argues that the working day is extended during commutes by advancements in technology. The study looked at 5,000 passengers commuting into London. Many employees were Read more…

January Employment Bulletin – Holiday Pay

The holiday season might have ended, but holiday pay remains a hot topic. In Flowers v East of England Ambulance Trust, the Employment Appeal Tribunal looked at whether voluntary overtime should be included in holiday Read more…

Lawrence Stephens helps start-up break crowdfunding record

A Lawrence Stephens Partner has helped break a crowdfunding record in acting for UK savings app Chip. Partner Bradley Lee helped the UK start-up complete a record-breaking funding round on Crowdcube in December 2018, raising Read more…

Lawrence Stephens at MIPIM 2019

We are happy to announce that a team from Lawrence Stephens will be at MIPIM from Tuesday 12 March to Thursday 14 March.

Another problem with the government’s ‘death tax’?

The Ministry of Justice’s controversial proposal to radically increase fees for administering probate has hit another snag, as it has emerged that the government has not assessed the costs attached and the practical application of Read more…

Lawrence Stephens helps Whitehall Capital complete bridging loan worth £750,000

21st January, London – Lawrence Stephens has helped Whitehall Capital complete a bridging loan worth three quarters of a million pounds for a portfolio of Birmingham flats, announced today. Lawrence Stephens helped the privately funded Read more…

Non-resident Investors – The Three-Month Property Supermarket Trolley Dash

The chimes at midnight this week meant more for UK non-resident investors than simply a new year – it marked the countdown to new rules coming into force on the payment of Capital Gains Tax Read more…

December Employment Bulletin – Ambiguous notice

When is notice not notice? When it is ambiguous, said the Employment Appeal Tribunal in East Kent Hospitals v Levy. The employee worked in the records department and she had a poor sickness absence record. Read more…

December Employment Bulletin – Post TUPE variation of contract

Mr Tabberer and his colleagues were electricians. They were originally employed by Birmingham City Council. Their employment transferred several times by way of TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) over the years. Read more…

December Employment Bulletin – Agency Workers

Mr Matei was employed as a security guard by Brooknight Guarding. He usually worked at Mitie but had been sent elsewhere too. His zero hours contract included a flexibility clause which said that he could Read more…

Long-awaited probate simplification rules come into force

The government has removed several of the requirements around the probate process that would previously have led to contact with a solicitor or probate specialist. As part of an ongoing project to simplify the probate Read more…

Simplifying Inheritance Tax

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has published its first report in response to its major Inheritance Tax (IHT) review and has identified a number of administrative formalities that could be reduced in order to Read more…

November Employment Bulletin – Disability discrimination

Is it disability discrimination if an employer deals with an ill health retirement procedure badly? Not necessarily, the Court of Appeal has said. Mr Dunn was employed by the Ministry of Justice and he had Read more…

November Employment Bulletin – Limiting discrimination claims

Can a tribunal make an employee choose their ‘best ten’ allegations in a discrimination claim? Not usually, said the Employment Appeal Tribunal in Tarn v Hughes. Dr Tarn was a GP who brought claims for Read more…

November Employment Bulletin – Establishing disability

Is every medical condition a disability? And if an employee mentions a medical condition, does that mean the employer knew that the employee was disabled? Not necessarily, said the Employment Appeal Tribunal in Mutombo-Mpania v Read more…

What is happening in relation to the Inheritance Tax treatment of trusts?

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have announced the opening of a consultation on the taxation of trusts first touted by the Chancellor last year. The consultation includes scrutiny of the way in which trusts can Read more…

Increase in probate fees back on the agenda

This week, it was announced that an increase in probate fees was back on the agenda following the shelving of initial proposals before the 2017 general election. New legislation would see a flat rate system Read more…

Autumn Budget 2018

In what might be the final Budget before Brexit, Chancellor Hammond announced an end to austerity.  Certainly the Budget appears to give more than it takes. However, given that it presumes a favourable Brexit deal, Read more…

October Employment Bulletin – ACAS guidance on overtime

Most employers use overtime at some point, to satisfy increased demands such as a large order or an unexpected increase in work. The new ACAS guidance explains the difference between voluntary and compulsory overtime. It Read more…

October Employment Bulletin – Constructive dismissal: the last straw

The law on constructive dismissal has been under the spotlight recently. Sometimes, employees claim constructive dismissal because of a ‘last straw’ which pushes them over the edge. The courts have recently considered whether a fair Read more…