Category: Legal
Legal

How to Make a Successful Forklift Truck Compensation Claim

William Curtis
2022-01-12

Every year hundreds of workers receive life-changing injuries that arise from serious forklift truck accidents. Statistically, one person is involved in a fatal accident involving a forklift truck every six weeks. Warehouse and factory workers are the most common victims of forklift truck accidents, however, forklift truck drivers are also amongst those who have suffered an injury. Many of the forklift truck accidents that have been reported have been caused due to: · Unsuitable or defective equipment · Inadequate training · A co-workers negligence that has led to an accident · Falling or unstable objects · The employer failed to provide a safe system of work or competent staff If you are in the process of pursuing a forklift truck accident claim, or considering fi...

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Legal

How to Ensure Your Winding Up Petition Is Not Dismissed or Withdrawn

William Curtis
2021-11-16

Some time ago, we presented a winding up petition to a company that owed one of our clients £50k. Upon receipt, the respondent company threatened to apply for a court injunction to restrain us from proceeding and dismiss the petition on the grounds the debt was disputed. The respondent company falsely alleged that £49k of the debt was disputed, but in accordance with section 123 of the Insolvency Act 1986, the petition remained in force as the undisputed sum (£1k) was more than £750. Additionally, they claimed that if successful with the injunction, they would seek another court order forcing our client to pay their legal costs. In this case, the respondent company was unable to provide any evidence of a dispute and eventually paid the debt, and our costs. However, all too often, ...

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Legal

What to Do If You’ve Been Left a Gift Under the Will But the Solicitors Won’t Speak to You

William Curtis
2021-10-30

If you believe that you may have been left a gift under a Will it is only natural to be curious as to what that gift is, or when you can expect to receive it. Your first port of call should be the executor, usually a family member or friend of the deceased. If you are on good terms they may tell you what was contained in the Will, although they might not be able to tell you when you can expect to receive this.WHY THE LAYMAN EXECUTOR MIGHT NOT KNOW HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE FOR YOU TO GET YOUR GIFT.They might not know this information just yet because distributing gifts to the beneficiaries is usually the last job of the executor. Before they distribute the gifts, they must calculate the value of the estate, see if there is any tax due, paid that tax if necessary, pay the debtors (the people ow

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Legal

Top 5 Solutions for Dealing With HMRC Winding-Up Petitions

William Curtis
2021-10-29

I've previously written an article explaining how to get winding up petitions dismissed and withdrawn and another, five months later, revealing how HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) was responsible for issuing the vast majority of winding up petitions in Britain.Sadly, very little has changed over the past three years and today, HMRC issues approximately 80 per cent of the winding up petitions received by the High Court in London - around 800 every month.HMRC issues approximately 80 per cent of the winding up petitions received by the High Court in London - around 800 every month.If you are behind on your VAT or PAYE tax returns; HMRC has imposed penalty charges on you; or moved your records from a local office to their collections department, chances are you have probably already been issued

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Legal

4 Easy Steps to Value an Estate

William Curtis
2021-10-28

When someone passes away, if they left a Will they will have nominated an executor (if they didn't leave a Will the next of kin will be able to deal with the estate). It is the executor's job to sort out the assets and liabilities of the deceased. In a nutshell, this means getting in the assets and paying/discharging the liabilities.But before you can do this you will need to value the estate. This means valuing any money, property, and possessions belonging to the person who has passed away. This valuation will be used to determine if inheritance tax needs to be paid or not. In this article, we will be outlining the four steps you need to take to value an estate.Step OneGet the details.To work out the value of the estate, you will need details of all assets e.g. bank accounts, savings acc

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Legal

Legal Assistant’s Corner: Be Nice to Your Attorney’s Legal Assistant

William Curtis
2021-10-27

I can't count the number of times I've been the brunt of a client's anger or irritation just to hear that same client interact completely respectfully towards the attorney just one minute later. We understand that you are likely going through one of the most stressful and traumatic periods of your life; however, it doesn't give you license to treat us poorly during the process.When we are mistreated, we always inform our attorney about it. More often than not, the attorney will note the poor treatment and insist on solely interacting with you in the future. If you don't think that's a "punishment", then I suggest you study the differences between your attorney's hourly rate and their legal assistant's hourly rate. I've also witnessed attorneys firing clients over an interaction that was de

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Legal

Steps of Inheritance Probate

William Curtis
2021-10-22

We all have to go, sooner or later. And many of us choose to leave more than memories to the loved ones. This is why making a will and specifying the inheritors has become of utmost importance. If you care about your spouse and children, make sure that their future is secured long after you are gone. Before receiving any money and access to estate, the beneficiaries will have to wait for the probate process to finish and the inheritance distributed. There are several steps for any typical probate.The first thing to do is to make an inventory of the decedent's assets and documents. Locate and carefully place Last Will and Testament, funeral instructions, and/or a Revocable Living Trust. Furthermore, you must find documents relevant to the decedent's financial situation (bank and brokerage s

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Legal

5 Easy Steps To Obtain a Grant of Probate

William Curtis
2021-10-20

When disposing of an estate, you will sometimes need to obtain a document called a Grant of Probate, or, depending on the situation Letters of Administration. If needed, this document is an official statement to asset and debt holders, informing them that you are the executor in charge of distributing the assets and paying off the debts. It allows them to communicate with you, safe in the knowledge that they are resolving the estate with the designated representative.You will need to apply for, and obtain a Grant if the value of the deceased's estate exceeds £5,000.00 or if there is property, such as a house, to dispose of. Banks, building societies and other asset holders can, at their discretion, ask to see a Grant regardless of the value of the asset they hold.That being said, you are u

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Legal

How to Settle a Court Case

William Curtis
2021-10-19

"Money makes the world spin". It's a phrase that we all know very well. Credit cards, alimony, child-support, mortgages, student loans, business loans,... with a current 19 Trillion debt, the United States and its citizens are buried in financial problems. But, there is one thing that most of these aforementioned debts have in common, they can usually be mitigated with "settlements" and/or negotiations. However, in this article I will focus on basic lawsuits and criminal cases.When we hear the word, "Settlement", images of money are immediately conjured into our minds. Most of the settlements we hear about in the media are for large sums, anywhere from $50K to millions of dollars, often involving celebrities or powerful business moguls. Many people might ask, "If a party knows they are inn...

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