First Brexit and now Donald Trump

Posted on by Andrew Sargood

Donald Trump will officially be the next president of the United States of America, but what similarities are there to Brexit?

There are a number of comparisons which can be made between the Brexit vote and the more recent USA elections; controversial, un-predictable and a close call are a few things that spring to mind. With only a 1% difference in votes Trump has won the presidency, against all the bookies odds… much like the Brexit vote.

Commentators have noted that there is a distinct mood-change around the world, with people willing to take a risk and vote for the more unpredictable or unconventional in order to facilitate a change in their country.  It also seems that voters are tired of being told what to do.

But what could Trump being in power mean for a post-Brexit Britain? The economic results are still to be determined but Trump has mentioned trade deals with us as a country are not being ruled out. Teresa May was quick to point out that our “special relationship” will continue and she hopes to make it even stronger.  And indeed some believe that any change will be in Britain’s favour. How will the global market be affected?  The dollar and the Mexican peso fell yesterday as the results were announced although our pound surged.  But this is not highly unusual and there is always some fluctuation immediately after an election.  Any more significant changes will likely only be seen once Trump begins to start giving some more specifics as to what changes and legislation he wants to introduce.

And the Brexit comparisons don’t end there.  Both Farage and Trump also have a few similarities… The media has targeted them for their outspoken and controversial statements and straight forward, un-censored views, but both have evidently come out on top.  Indeed Farage has reportedly flown straight out to the USA to put himself forward for a job working with Trump as his Ambassador in the EU.

The victory of Donald Trump has clearly caused some upset among citizens of the USA. As a result of this there have been anti-Trump protests and demonstrations across many different cities.

These recent events have proven one thing, what people want most within their countries is change. The victory of Britain leaving the EU and Donald Trump winning as the next President for the United States stems from this. Only time will tell if change is for better or for worse in both situations.  Whatever happens, no-one can deny that interesting times are ahead.

Let us know what you think of Trump’s victory. Can this be compared to our own Brexit referendum? We’ll be holding a seminar in the near future discussing Brexit for Britain and more current issues. So stay tuned.

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Halloween at Aston Bond

Posted on by Andrew Sargood

Here at Aston Bond we love the chance to decorate reception and dress up for Halloween. We want to share with you, some snaps from the day.

We also carried out a Halloween giveaway on social media. The lucky winner, Donna, won a Super Retro Sweet Hamper from Funky Hampers. Congratulations again!

Happy Halloween!

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Victory for Uber Drivers

Posted on by Ilinca Mardarescu

It’s likely that most of us would have heard about Uber having lost the case brought by a number of their drivers. The Employment Tribunal has handed down its decision in the case of Aslam and ors v Uber BV that the drivers are not self-employed contractors as Uber claimed but are instead workers (as per the Employment Rights Act 1996). Importantly, they are not employees. And there is a big difference between the two, especially when it comes to Uber employment rights.

Workers are entitled to certain protections such as paid annual leave, protection regarding working time and rest breaks, whistle-blowing protection and the right to be paid the national minimum (and living) wage. For Uber drivers this will be a great victory. However, as they are not employees they will not be able to claim unfair dismissal, redundancy payments, sick pay or holiday pay, pension contributions, rights under TUPE should UBER sell its business or even the basic principles of the implied terms of trust and confidence. This of course raises the possibility that at a later date, Uber could make all its drivers redundant and change the business model again to one in which their status may again be called into question.

The Tribunal criticised the lengths Uber went to in order to be able to argue its drivers were self-employed (such as constructing the requirement for drivers to provide invoices – but which in fact Uber created itself, and the notion in their own T&C’s that the drivers enter into individual contracts with each passenger – which the Tribunal pointed out was ludicrous bearing in mid the parties do not know each other and the fact payment is set by and goes to Uber).

Of course, the decision will be challenged by Uber – they have already confirmed they are preparing the appeal. It would not be a surprise if the matter ultimately went as far as the Supreme Court. However, for now, any Uber drivers with a claim should issue proceedings as soon as possible so as to preserve their position with regards to limitation and then should apply to have the matter “stayed” until the appeals are all heard.

As the “gig economy” grows, it is highly likely that this case will open the floodgate for others currently classed as self-employed such as Hermes, other courier drivers and the likes of Deliveroo.

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Kerry Roshier – Joining Aston Bond

Posted on by Andrew Sargood

I joined Aston Bond in Slough three weeks ago as a Real Estate paralegal having spent a year working in a regional office of a larger practice. I was keen to make the move and gain more practical experience in the legal field. From the first day I found myself involved in interesting and challenging work that far exceeded my initial expectation.

In my previous role I was a small part of a bigger team. At Aston Bond I have enjoyed the opportunity to have a greater involvement in client cases and to work using my own initiative. Within my first few days I was tasked with drafting my first lease which was quite challenging and was something I didn’t expect to have the chance to do so soon.

One of the main things I have noticed whilst working at Aston Bond is how quickly the day goes. Being constantly involved in interesting work means I never find myself watching the clock. I have found everyone to be friendly and welcoming from day one and have experienced a lot more responsibility and exposure to work meaning I am constantly learning every day.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first few weeks at Aston Bond and look forward to getting more involved with the variety of law cases the firm deals with. I’m hoping this will broaden my knowledge more quickly than may have been the case working at a larger practice.

Kerry Roshier – Real Estate Paralegal

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Aston Bond’s Legal 500 Awards

Posted on by Andrew Sargood

We are proud to announce that, for the second year running, we have been awarded a number of prestigious Legal 500 awards.

You might be wondering what a ‘Legal 500’ award is. Well to sum it up: “For 28 years, The Legal 500 has been analysing the capabilities of law firms across the world, with a comprehensive research programme revised and updated every year to bring the most up-to-date vision of the global legal market. The Legal 500 assesses the strengths of law firms in over 100 jurisdictions.” *

We have been recognised as a ‘Legal 500 Top Tier’ Law firm in the South East.

Our head of Immigration, Ravinder Kaur, has been placed in the elite ‘Leading Individual’ list, personifying her expertise and knowledge within this field.

We have also had 3 lawyers ‘recommended’ in The Legal 500 United Kingdom 2016 editorial (listed below)

SOUTH EAST

Human resources – Immigration:

– Ravinder Kaur

Real estate – Commercial property – Thames Valley, Berks, Oxon, M4/M40:

– Sumeet Shangari

– Nick Powe

We’re exceedingly honoured to have received these recommendations and feel is represents Aston Bond’s dedication, hard work and passion. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients from in and out of Slough who have helped make this possible.

* http://www.legal500.com/assets/pages/about-us/about-us.html

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Inheritance Tax Planning

Posted on by Jenna Dunstall

How can I mitigate my potential Inheritance Tax bill on my death?

This is a question that many people ask and inheritance tax planning is very important. Knowing your options could make a massive difference to any potential Inheritance Tax bill on your death.

The most common way to mitigate Inheritance Tax is to gift your assets to your beneficiaries whilst you are still alive, thus reducing your estate for Inheritance Tax purposes. However, if you gift a large sum of money or high-value asset, then you must survive seven years from the date of the gift in order for the value of the gift to no longer form part of your estate for Inheritance Tax. It is important to remember that whatever gift you give away, that it is a genuine gift and that you do not retain any kind of benefit from the assets given away, otherwise no matter how long you survive after the gift it may still form part of your estate for Inheritance Tax. An example of this would be a parent transferring their property into the names of their children, but continue to live there free of charge. This is a gift with reservation of benefit and the value of the property would still form part of the estate of the parent even after seven years. One way around this in this scenario would be for the parent to pay the market rent to the children to live there and then the gift is genuine, as they are not living there for free as though it is still their asset.

There are other gifts that can be given that do not require the donor to survive seven years. You may use your annual gift allowance, which is a total of £3,000 per financial year. You may also go back and use the previous year’s allowance if you did not use it, for example, if you did not give any gifts in the last financial year (2015/2016) then in this current financial year you could gift up to £6,000 as an individual, or £12,000 as a couple. You may, however, only go back one year to use any unused gift allowance.

If you receive an income which exceeds your outgoings to maintain your standard of living, then you may also give regular gifts out of income. In this case, you must have the intention of giving away income regularly and retain enough income to meet your own needs without reducing your standard of living or having to resort to spending capital in order to maintain your standard of living. It is important that you keep good records of income and outgoings and gifts given, as your Executors will have to provide evidence of this on your death. This does not really reduce the value of your estate, but it helps at least to minimise the increase.

It is also possible to gift £250 to any one person in a tax year (as long as you haven’t used another exemption on the same person) and in addition to that, you can give gifts in consideration of marriage, for example, a parent can gift £5,000, a grandparent can gift £2,500 and gifts of up to £1,000 can be given from others.

These options are legitimate ways to reduce your estate or at least minimise the increase.

It is important to remember that when you give a gift, it then belongs to the person receiving it and if they later divorce or become bankrupt for example, then those assets that you gave them would form part of their estate during those proceedings. You cannot control the assets once given away.

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Ravinder Kaur’s School Visits

Posted on by Andrew Sargood

Here at Aston Bond we believe in giving back to the community and that the next generation’s education is of utmost importance. Getting involved in schools to help students understand new and exciting things is an incredible way to engage young learners and open up new possibilities, maybe even a career in law!

Aston Bond’s Ravinder Kaur: Head of Immigration, jumped at the opportunity to head to James Ellemen School and Godolphin School based around Slough to visit classrooms and speak to children about the Rule of Law and why it is so important in the UK. She also spoke about what it is like to be a solicitor and barrister. Ravinder spoke to them about how the Rule of Law is implemented, the court system, miscarriages of justice, system of punishment and the education and qualifications required to be a lawyer. She was asked questions like “What is it like to be a lawyer? “How many cases have you lost”? “Is there still hanging in the UK? “What is the age of legal responsibility?” “Why did you chose to become a lawyer” and most importantly… “What car do you drive?”img_0756As well as chatting to the students, Ravinder also got involved in helping them out with a project they will be doing based on her visit. She was asked to be photographed on the children’s iPads and the children would then make a collage with words and sentences relating to the Rule of Law and the matters discussed in the talks. We’re looking forward to seeing the results!img_7036Ravinder absolutely loved her time at James Ellemen School and Godolphin School and had this to say about her time there:

“I am used to speaking in front of many different audiences however I found this to be the most challenging and rewarding. I wanted to break down the law and how it works into language that a child would understand and engage with. The children were interested and showed knowledge of the law far beyond their years. They were also very interested in the alleged financial rewards of the job and also quite blood thirsty and obsessed with the old practice of hanging as punishment. Many appeared quite upset that this was a practice no longer in use in the UK. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to and with the children and I believe I may have met some budding lawyers”img_0724

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My Work Experience by Anjali Mehra

Posted on by Andrew Sargood

Although my work experience at Aston Bond consisted of only a short period, within such a small time scale, I was provided with an excellent insight into the working life of a solicitor, and gained a solid understanding in regards the jobs they are involved in on a day to day basis, and challenges they face.

Throughout my work experience at Aston Bond, I had the privilege of attending meetings with clients,  witnessed the signing of clients wills and deeds,  and read several large cases based on employment law and litigation that involved a great deal of in – depth documentation, evidence and critical  analysis of each case from the start until finish. I rather enjoy collating evidence and conducting analysis to conduct a case and examining these cases further fuelled my interest. I was also able to directly witness the influence of current affairs and recent advances in politics and government changes such as Brexit, and was able to see the strong impact it has on the Home Office and an immigration lawyer’s job which was particularly intriguing, and one of the highlights of my experience, as I was able to distinctly apply a real life application of law.

The staff at Aston Bond were friendly and approachable and provided me with support and useful advice in regards to achieving a successful future career in law; I was particularly impressed with how the solicitors conducted themselves with such high levels of professionalism and integrity whilst maintaining a down to earth approach when communicating with clients, and learnt how to adapt and communicate with a variety of different clients.

Overall, I would like to thank everyone at Aston Bond for an exceedingly insightful and hugely beneficial experience that has motivated and driven me to work hard in my law degree when I start in September this year. I would thoroughly recommend work experience at Aston Bond to any student who is eager to pursue a career in law, and is interested to gain a broad insight into the profession.

Our Macmillan Coffee Morning

Posted on by Susan Clements

Macmillan is a charity which strives to help anyone affected by cancer – from helping patients get through their treatment to talking to family members about what to expect.  They provide support and a friendly face when one is needed and much, much more.  Every year in September, Macmillan promotes a Coffee Morning to help raise money. Aston Bond participated in this years’ Macmillan Coffee Morning here in Slough and successfully raised £219.35! Last year Aston Bond raised £170 which means we have beaten our target.

We had staff members compete in a bake-off with one of Aston Bond’s trainee solicitors winning top prize for her colourful and tasty rainbow cake. Not only did we raise money by holding the Coffee Morning, we also went to our close by neighbours offering cake for a small donation. We also had games to play such as; ‘Guess the Celebrity Baby Face’, ‘Cup-Pong’ and a ‘Raffle’. All-in-all, the Coffee Morning was a success. No one should have to face cancer alone, so please help donate what you can to help people get through cancer.

A big thank you to Creams in Slough for donating a Chocolate Fudge Cake to help raise money.

 

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BLegal and Aston Bond

Posted on by Jenna Dunstall

Unfortunately, BLegal ceased trading earlier this year. They had various offices and when these closed, most of the documents that they held for clients, such as wills, powers of attorney and deeds, in storage came over to us to look after on an ongoing basis. BLegal were also holding documents held by Fendom Dawson, Coopers and Baily Gibson and these documents will now also be with us. We will continue to store these documents safely here at Aston Bond in Slough.

If you were a client of any of these firms and wish to discuss any legal matter, then please do not hesitate to contact us and we shall be pleased to assist.

If your Will was stored by any of these firms, and you have appointed them as your Executors, then it is very important that you review the terms of your Will, as this appointment will fail and could have unintended consequences.

If you wish to appoint this firm in place of these firms that no longer exist, then we will be happy to prepare a free Codicil for you to appoint this firm in their place.  Should you wish to take advantage of this: then please do not hesitate to contact ;

01753 486777

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