http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/Articles/Newsletter/397

Each year, Hanne & Co recruit up to 4 trainee solicitors. We are diverse in our recruitment and often recruit nationally. We don’t focus solely on academics and at your interview, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with the firm’s partners and key staff, so that you’re able to really get to grips with day to day life at Hanne & Co.

The lawyers and support staff at Hanne & Co are our most valuable asset. We pride ourselves on career development, effective team work and offering a great place to work. We are also one of few firms with a continued commitment to graduate recruitment.

Hanne & Co is a place where our employees are able to develop their skills whilst gaining real recognition and job satisfaction. Everyone here works together as a team, putting in real enthusiasm and striving for excellence in practice every step of the way.

We are looking for future hard working, enthusiastic and ambitious trainees to join a progressive law firm with traditional values. If you are interested in a training contract at Hanne & Co, you only have until 18th May 2012 to complete your application and you can do that by clicking right here!

Training Contracts,Recruitment.

However, such assets are rarely considered when making a will, with family heirlooms, paintings and jewelry being some of the only assets considered.

“Digital assets”, in today’s society, will undoubtedly form a valuable part of an individual’s estate and therefore it has become increasingly important to consider such assets when estate planning or drafting a will.

“Executors” or “administrators” are responsible for collecting and distributing assets. But problems may arise when dealing with digital assets with how to access on line accounts being the primary issue.

There are however, many ways in which an individual can start to plan for such assets including creating a list of their online accounts and associated passwords and storing such information with the bank or a solicitor.

It is important that when seeing a solicitor these accounts are discussed and that provisions are put in place so that they can easily be accessed in the future.

Any potential on line subscriptions of the deceased must also be taken into consideration so that an estate does not become liable for any further subscription fees.

However, it is not just the financial aspect of these accounts that hold importance. Many on line accounts have a sentimental value with many storing photographs and videos of loved ones on line. If access cannot be gained into these accounts then this information could be potentially lost.

Making provisions in your will for digital inheritance is something that can easily be discussed with your solicitor and many lawyers are now considering how to tackle digital assets.

Hanne & Co’s Private Client Department is made up of a team of solicitors with a wealth of knowledge and experience in Wills, Probate, the Administration of Estates and Trusts, Court of Protection and Lasting Power of Attorney applications. Partners, Nia Jones and Claire Martin, are members of STEP (The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners).

For a confidential discussion on any of the above please call 0207 228 0017.

By Probate Solicitor,Lydia Pilati.

Our solicitors regularly engage in charitable and community events and this week, we were pleased to announce a donation of £1800 to Wandsworth Bereavement Service, a charity which requires support to continue the great service that they provide. Our donation was covered by the Wandsworth Guardian and is a great example of the support network in place in and around Battersea. Please read our story here….

The donation from Hanne & Co solicitors will go towards the new children’s service at the Clapham Junction centre. You can find out more about Wandsworth Bereavement Service by visiting their website here or by contacting the Children’s information service via email.

Hanne & Co would like to thank Wandsworth Bereavement Service for the benefit and great service they continue to provide for our local community.

By Trainee Solicitor,Tom Ghannad.

The donation is to help the charity in its vital work offering counselling to both adults and children who are bereaved and living in the Borough of Wandsworth.

Hanne & Co may have a long history, but offers a truly modern service in areas of the law including Child Care, Employment, Conveyancing, Commercial, Probate and Family Law. It has been involved in charitable works for many years, but this is the first time it has had a dedicated nominated charity – Wandsworth Bereavement Service was their nominated charity for 2011/12.

Wandsworth Bereavement Service, established 21 years ago, is mainly funded by NHS Wandsworth, but in the last year it has been helped financially by Hanne & Co with money raised by sponsorship of the Lavender Hill Big Lunch, a bake off, dress down days, and two Hanne & Co solicitors running a marathon on its behalf.

Wandsworth Bereavement Service provides one-to-one counselling to anyone who has experienced a bereavement or is facing an anticipated loss, such as relatives of the terminally ill. The Service also offers counselling to those who have survived disasters and professionals who encounter death in their work and who need specialist support to help them work through their experiences.

Wandsworth Bereavement Service is especially proud of its services for bereaved children and young people aged between 2-18 years. There is an equipped counselling room with art materials and toys which children can choose to use to help them explore and manage their feelings. The donation from Hanne & Co will be used to further develop the children and young people bereavement counselling service.

In the last year 350 adults and 58 children have contacted or been referred to the Charity for help.

Susan Harlow, partner at Hanne & Co said: ““This is such a very worthy and essential service. We are proud to back it and all at Hanne & Co wish the Charity every success in going forward. We hope our contribution is of help”.

For further information please visit www.hanne.co.uk or www.wandsworthbereavement.org.uk

By Trainee Solicitor,Tom Ghannad.

During free Wills week, Hanne & Co will draft your Will for free as long as you are leaving a legacy to Trinity Hospice. To take part you should contact Nia Jones in Hanne & Co’s Wills & Trusts department and complete a Trinity pledge form which can be downloaded here.

Legacy gifts are very important and ensure that staff at Trinity Hospice are able to continue providing expert end of life care to over 2,000 people each year. For more information on free Wills week or legacy gifts to Trinity Hospice, please click here.

You can also contact our probate team or alternatively email one of our dedicated probate solicitors Lydia Pilati or Nia Jones.

We’re also on Skype – Hannelegal!

By Trainee Solicitor,Tom Ghannad.

But, is booting out your current tenants or letting out your home going to get you gold or leave you trailing the pack? Hanne & Co’s Housing Law solicitors can advise you every step of the way.

The following is an overview (a non exhaustive list) of some of the things you need to think about before jumping on the Olympic lettings bandwagon.

Re-selling Gas and Electricity

If your property is individually metered and you plan to charge customers for the energy they have used, the Maximum Resale Price (MRP) regulations means that you cannot charge more per kilowatt hour than you have paid. You can add a proportion of the standing charge. Further information can be found in “The resale of gas and electricity, guidance for resellers” from the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) website.

Health and Safety

You must make sure that you comply with health and safety legislation. This means that your property must be ‘reasonably safe’ i.e. that the chances of guests having an accident are minimised so far as possible.

Fire Safety

You may need to comply with fire safety regulations. To comply with the law you will need to carry out a fire risk assessment and put in place fire precaution measures. These could include fire alarm systems and extinguishers as well as clearly signed escape routes.

Gas and Electrical Appliances

The Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1994, as amended, require that if you have either gas or LPG installed in your property for cooking, heating or lighting you must ensure that any work done on the installation or on appliances is carried out by registered personnel recognised by the Health & Safety Executive.

The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 require that all electrical equipment you supply in your property must be safe and any risk associated with electrical equipment reduced to a minimum. Electrical equipment and appliances (such as fuses, circuit breakers, cookers, kettles and washing machines) must be maintained in a safe to use condition, as should electrical cables, sockets and plugs.

The supply of goods occurs at the time of the tenancy contract. It is, therefore, essential that property is checked prior to the letting to ensure that all goods supplied are in a safe condition. A record should be made of the goods supplied as part of the tenancy agreement and of checks made on those goods. The record should indicate who carried out the checks and when they did so.

It is strongly advisable to have the equipment checked before the start of each let. It would be good practice to have the equipment checked at regular intervals thereafter. You should obtain and retain test reports detailing the equipment, the tests carried out and the results

Furniture and Furnishings

You must make sure that upholstered furniture and soft furnishings meet minimum fire resistance standards and display a permanent label confirming compliance

Other Pitfalls for Owner Occupiers

If you are thinking of renting out your home during the games then you also need to consider how that might affect your mortgage, contents and buildings insurance and whether you would be in breach of contract (for those who are leaseholders). Most household buildings and contents insurance policies do not cover commercial lettings so make sure you check with your current provider or consider obtaining additional cover for the period of the letting.

And of course, we must not forget the taxman as he will want his share of the income you generate.

Will you be stuck with your Olympic guest after the games are long gone…

What do you do if the holiday occupant does not leave. The occupier of a genuine holiday letting does not have the right to remain once their contractual term has ended. If the letting is for a fixed term then once the term has ended the landlord can peaceably evict. No court order is needed. If the letting was periodic ( ie week to week or month to month) then the occupation would first need to be brought to an end with a notice to quit. Once the notice ends the landlord can evict peaceably without the need for a Court order.

Whilst an overstaying let should not be a major obstacle for a commercial landlord, if you have let out your principal home then if the tenant does not leave when they should this could cause a great deal of inconvenience and disruption. It would be sensible to have a written agreement in place tailored to the particular letting to ensure that all parties are clear on all aspects such as rent, term, demise etc.

So, in answer to the question to let or not to let, well that depends on whether you are content to risk a potential “sea of troubles” for an “outrageous fortune”. The decision is yours.

Hanne & Co’s Housing Solicitors possess extensive experience in advising residential and commercial Landlord’s seeking to let their property. Our Housing law team are able to advise you on the wide range of legal matters relating to your letting or tenancy.

Please email info@hanne.co.uk or call 020 7228 0017 to speak to one of our housing law solicitors. Alternatively, we’re on Skype – Hannelegal and our solicitors are here to help.

By Housing Solicitor, Claire Wiles, published in Clapham Omnibus April 2012.

Almost 50,000 households were accepted as homeless over that period, three quarters of which contained children.

Clearly, this is largely due to the economic downturn, rising unemployment and the increasing demand for the limited amount of affordable housing. Changes in housing benefit regulations have also had an effect.

A relatively small proportion of households applying as homeless (around 1500) did so following repossession. However, this figure is a 44% increase on the previous year. A further 8,500 households applied as homeless following expiry of their short term private lease, itself up 30% compared to 2010.

Changes to the housing benefit regulations, introduced in April 2011, have yet to have a full effect on many HB applicants but will begin to do so more and more over the forthcoming year. Caps on HB entitlement in the private sector can only lead to increased evictions and further homeless applications.

There has been a slight decrease of around 6% in the number of properties made available to homeless applicants. Despite local authorities being discouraged from using B&B accommodation and there being a six week time limit for doing so, the use of this has inevitably increased and is up 37% on the figure in 2010 following several years of decreases.

Hanne & Co’s housing law department are able to advise and assist with dealing with rent arrears, defending possession proceedings and assisting with homeless applications and challenges to local authorities decisions. Our housing solicitors are always on hand to assist, advise and support in what can be a very stressful time for any tenant.

If you have a housing issue, please contact, one of our housing law team. Our housing solicitors, Ian Butler and Claire Wiles, can be contacted by emailing info@hanne.co.uk or by calling 020 7228 0017.

By Housing Solicitor, Claire Wiles

Each year in November, Hanne & Co, takes part in Will Aid, one of the UK’s most established charity Will – writing programmes. Will Aid offers the opportunity to make or update a will in return for a donation to UK and global charities.

After a very busy and successful campaign, Hanne & Co raised £1680.00 for charity by writing Wills for local people under the scheme.

The money goes directly to Will Aid and is shared amongst nine charities: ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, Sightsavers, SCIAF and Trocaire.

Hanne & Co is proud to support Will Aid; the money raised will make a difference to those in need of help.

Hanne & Co would like to thank all of those who attended our office during the Will Aid Campaign and contributed to this fantastic total.

Hanne & Co are one of London’s leading law firms for Wills, trusts and probate law. Hanne & Co’s private client department offers a range of services including Will drafting, inheritance tax planning, probate law, deeds of variation and lasting power of attorney. For more information please visit our department’s page on our website by clicking here or call 0207 228 0017.

Will Aid

By Wills & Probate Solicitor, Lydia Pilati

The Trust helps fund legal advice agencies in and around London. These agencies include Law Centres and specialist legal advice centres, which provide their services through a mixture of legal aid funding, local authority funding and charitable donations. These agencies make a huge difference to people’s lives, reducing debt, poverty and homelessness, and combating discrimination and injustice. Hanne & Co are strong supporters of such work and specifically chose to share the money raised from the sponsored walk, between Lambeth Law Centre and Battersea Law Centre given their proximity to the firm and the close community they support.

Legal Aid cuts have been a hotly debated recently with proposals being discussed in Parliament at the end of last year. The Government has already reduced the amount paid for legal aid by 10% this month. Local Authorities are also reducing funding as part of their cost cutting. In the second half of 2011 legal advice agencies in London have been closing at the rate of one a month. Had it not been for the funds raised by the walks and provided by law firms that closure rate could easily have doubled.

After a great deal of walking, followed by more walking the team reached Hampton Court Palace in a respectable time of just over 6 and a half hours. The money raised by the team and the benefit to our local law centres was well worth the blisters and aching legs suffered by all over the following days.

We would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thanks to everyone who helped us raise money. See you on the walk again next year – maybe next year we’ll complete the 40 miles challenge!

Hanne & Co Legal Walk Team 2012: Amy Walker (Employment Solicitor) Mark Cardew (Criminal Solicitor) Alice Mathams (Family Law Paralegal) Harry Dronfield (Employment Solicitor) Jenny Ricketts (Family Trainee) Lorna West (Criminal Solicitor) Mike Herford (Criminal Trainee)

Contact Hanne & Co or call 020 7228 0017 for further information on our legal services. You can also read more about our charitable involvement here.