Welcome to Clarkson Wright & Jakes, Solicitors and Notaries in Orpington, Kent

Some sports are inherently risky and unfortunate accidents inevitably occur for which no one is to blame. The High Court resoundingly made that point in the case of a woman who was grievously injured when she fell on an indoor ski slope. The middle-aged...

Where one parent moves abroad with his or her children, leaving the other behind, the result can be an international tug of war. As a High Court ruling showed , when called upon to play the part of referee in such contests, the paramount focus of family...

Not every life is profitable, at least in financial terms, and it is important to remember that your debts do not die with you. A High Court ruling showed the serious problems that dying insolvent, without putting your affairs in order, can create for your...

Experiencing unfair treatment in the workplace can be distressing and can have an impact on your life both in and out of work. You may be worried about your financial situation if you leave, your performance at work, or suffer from low self-esteem. However,...

Cyclists are amongst the most vulnerable of road users and, if an accident happens, personal injury lawyers play a vital role in ensuring that just compensation is paid. In one case, a cyclist who was catastrophically injured when a parked motorist opened...

High street opticians do more than issue prescriptions for glasses – they play a crucial role in spotting signs of serious eye conditions and referring sufferers for specialist treatment. The High Court made that point in the case of a teenager who had...

Those who claim compensation following an accident must be prepared to have their evidence robustly challenged in court. A case on point concerned a man who was struck on the back by a heavy scaffolding pole at work. The welder and fabricator was bent over...

If you are made redundant and have at least two full years’ continuous service with your employer, you will be entitled to a statutory redundancy payment. You may also be entitled to an enhanced redundancy payment, so it is worth checking your...

Construction workers often do not have formal employment contracts and, in a world where contractors and subcontractors proliferate, it can be hard to tell where legal responsibility lies in the event of an accident. That was certainly so in a High Court...

A 'couple' is defined in law as two people living as partners in an enduring family relationship – but what exactly does that mean in a world that has witnessed a metamorphosis in human relationships during the last few decades? The High Court...

Here is our most recent equality and diversity data. Diversity Statistics 2021 AGE   16-24 5% 25-34 15% 35-44 37% 45-54 24% 55-64 14% 65+ 5%     GENDER   Female 68% Male 32%     ...

When a person receives a dementia diagnosis, this doesn’t automatically mean they cannot make important decisions. However, as their symptoms worsen, they may no longer be able to make decisions about their finances, health or care. We refer to this as...

Following the relaxation of the rules on foreign travel after 17 May 2021 and the introduction of the traffic light regime, we look at some of the issues that may arise at work. Current Government advice, (even after 17 May) is that people should not be...

IMPORTANT UPDATE: As many workplaces remained closed and in person checks would pose difficulties for many from 17 th May 2021, the Home Office has agreed to put the date back to the 21 st June 2021.   In March 2020, the Government announced that...

Recent Office for National Statistics research found that one in five UK adults had experienced some form of depression in early 2021.  Many will find it hard to adjust back into the workplace, and the toll of the pandemic on mental health is likely to...

  Flexible working According to the BBC, 43 out of 50 of the UK’s biggest employers do not plan to bring staff back to the office full time after restrictions ease, with hybrid working – part of the week in the office and part of the...

Rodgers v Leeds Laser Cutting is one of the first pandemic related claims to be heard in the Employment Tribunal.  Mr Rodgers a laser cutter, had less than two years’ service, so lacked the service to bring a claim for ‘ordinary’...

IR35 came into effect in April 2000 with the aim of stamping out a deemed form of tax avoidance where contractors would seek to avoid paying tax and National Insurance Contributions by supplying their services via an intermediary (usually a personal services...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal in the case of Allay (UK) UK Ltd v Gehlen sends a reminder to all employers to keep their equal opportunities training up to date if they intend to rely on the statutory reasonable steps defence in claims made against them for...

The Supreme Court has handed down its Judgment in the long running dispute between Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake on whether workers on sleep-in shifts should be paid the national minimum wage for hours spent asleep concluding that they should not be...

Take a listen to our podcast where the CWJ team discuss an issue faced by UK organisations.   Latest episode (5) - Menopause in the workplace This month, CWJ’s HR Director, Chris Moore and senior employment lawyer, Laura Claridge discuss...

Employment Law Facts and Figures Guide 2021 - click here to download IR35: the changes to off-payroll rules in the private sector postponed in April 2020, are now in force.  This shifts responsibility for assessing employment status and...

Just over a year ago, employers and employees were thrust into homeworking with the Government direction to stay home and work from home where possible. For those employers who had already embraced remote working the transition was no doubt less bumpy but...

As part of our series of articles and podcasts on the transition of employees back to the workplace, we look at an increasing number of issues facing employers and HR teams as the vaccination programme roll out continues and lockdown restrictions begin to...

In the first of CWJ's bite-sized podcasts, Chris Moore, HR Director at CWJ speaks to Judith Curran, Partner and Head of Employment at CWJ on the various issues that employers are considering over the coming months on bringing their employees back to the workplace.