Lanyon Bowdler is delighted to announce the appointment of a new partner; employment solicitor Christopher Piggott.  



Joining the firm from national firm Irwin Mitchell, Christopher has specialised in employment law since qualifying as a solicitor in 1995.  He advises corporate plcs, national commercial clients and local SMEs on employment related issues and is the business…

Following publication of the final inquiry of Robert Francis QC on the failings in the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2009, it is fair to say public response is one of shock and betrayal.



The investigation revealed unnecessary suffering caused to hundreds of patients and approximately 400 unnecessary deaths, because the most basic standards of care were not observed and fundamental human rights were not respected.  …

Bethan Jones, a solicitor in the Lanyon Bowdler employment department summarises this recent case:

The Equality Act 2010, which came into force on 1 October 2010, combined and re-stated the previous legislation governing discrimination. One form of discrimination covered by both the Equality Act 2010 and the previous legislation is victimisation.…

'The crimes they are a-changing' as Bob Dylan might say!



Stephen Scully a criminal solicitor with Lanyon Bowdler says: "Over the past few years, largely due to the increase in social media, the types of offences I represent are evolving.



"More and more evidence is being produced of threats made on Facebook or via text message, meaning…

Drug driving is set to become a criminal offence punishable by up to six months imprisonment, under a new law to be unveiled later this week.



The Government is acting to change the current law which requires the prosecution to prove that the driving was impaired by drugs for a successful conviction in court.   



The new law, which will be included in the Crime, Communications and Court Bill, will also cover the abuse of prescription drugs in addition to illegal…

Unknown to many, the Department of Health has set a deadline for families seeking to claim repayment of care home fees, where it is felt that they were wrongly charged.  The cut off date is 30 September 2012.  Unless families disputing fees paid between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2011 register their claim before this date they will be unable to bring a claim.



Paula Nash, a partner with Shropshire &…

Experience personal injury solicitor Gayle Kinsey with Lanyon Bowdler sums up this interesting case:

Earlier this month, I nearly became the first lawyer in the country (and possibly in Europe) to test out a piece of European legislation before a judge. I say nearly because the case settled just 30 minutes before the…

Lucy Regan is a an assistant solicitor in the private client team based at our offices in Shrewsbury. Lucy says:

"We have in the past been presented with situations where a downsizing farmer has moved out of the farmhouse and given away much of the land, perhaps to the next generation, but has retained ownership of the farmhouse.  The farmer may have thought that they were acting prudently…

There has been much in the media recently regarding the growing concerns in the safety of metal on metal hip replacements, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are launching an investigation into the safety of these implants.…

A personal Injury specialist with Lanyon Bowdler; Karen Clarke looks at the subject of dangerous dogs which is featuring heavily in the news at the moment, she identifies that there is a continuing problem of dangerous and illegal dogs in the West Midlands.



Karen says; "Although the majority of dog owners are responsible and care for their animals,…

Criminal solicitor Stephen Scully says: "Reports released in the press today suggest that the government is recruiting a panel of scientists to look into drug-driving limits to try and make it easier to secure convictions.



"At present the law requires the CPS to prove beyond reasonable doubt that a driver’s actions have been impaired by taking drugs.



"The panel will consider a possible new…

Rebecca Whittaker - a solicitor with Lanyon Bowdler who specialises in Planning Law has prepared the following post:

The Localism Act received Royal Assent on 15 November 2011 and is coming into force in stages.  One of the key features of the Act provides for reforms to the planning system and in particular new planning enforcement…

As a Solicitor specialising in clinical negligence claims, Paula Nash frequently works with children and young people who have an acquired brain injury.  In layman’s terms, an acquired brain injury (ABI) is brain damage caused by events occurring after birth. 



Paula explains “ABI can arise in any number of ways to include physical trauma from an accident or a non traumatic injury such as a stroke, brain…

Paula Nash, partner and head of the clinical negligence team at Lanyon Bowdler reports "On Monday 7 November 2011, the House of Lords debated an amendment to the Health and Social Care bill to introduce a "duty of candour" – a statutory obligation on all healthcare providers to be open with patients when things go wrong and cause harm.

"Unfortunately,…

Family law soliitor Lisa Grimmett takes a look at the true impact of the proposed legal aid cuts.

"It is high time the consequences of the legal aid cuts are brought to light. The government aims to save money saying £2 billion a year is an expensive legal aid system, but that presumably also includes the criminal legal aid budget. The proposed cuts will directly impact upon separating couples and cases…

Peter Flint - senior partner and family law practitioner with Lanyon Bowdler looks at this recent 'U' turn.

"I think it will have come as a surprise (and also a disappointment) to Family Law Practitioners that the Government has decided not to bring in legislation which would have rationalised and simplified the present legal position with regard to…

Following on from employment seminars hosted by Lanyon Bowder earlier this year, both Stephen Scully and Richard Murrall promised to update delegates on any successful prosecutions under the new Bribery Act, which came into force a few months ago.



Stephen now…

Lanyon Bowdler’s personal injury team has been restructured in order to ensure quality legal advice, and support, is readily available across the firm’s offices throughout Shropshire and Herefordshire.



Partner Neil Lorimer heads this talented team of lawyers who offer expertise…

On 1 July 2011 the Bribery Act 2010 came into force. The Act extends the crime of bribery to cover all private sector transactions, as previously only bribery involving public officials and agents were offences, the Act has created a new strict liability offence where commercial organisations have failed to prevent bribery where a bribe has been paid, or received, by an employee, agent and/or other persons connected with an organisation.



The potential consequences for failing to…

Lucy Small, experienced clinical negligence solicitor with Lanyon Bowdler explains:

"As highlighted by the recent Tonight Programme on ITV (Thursday 8 September), there is much concern about the Governments proposals to remove Legal Aid for Clinical Negligence claims contained in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill,…