Posts tagged ‘Northern Ireland’
Mark Jackson comments in Irish News article – Social Media cases up by 40 per cent
03/10/2013
Mark Jackson
The Irish News sought the comments of one of our Partners, Mark Jackson, in connection with a story it published on 12 September 2013 entitled “Social Media Cases up by 40 per cent”.
See the full story here – Irish News Article – 12 September 2013.
H
elp us make Will Aid a success this November
We are pleased to announce that we will once again be participating in Will Aid.
During November 2013, Thompsons Solicitors will prepare basic Wills without charging our normal fee. Instead, to raise as much money as possible for Will Aid, we will ask clients to make a donation to the Will Aid charities. The suggested donation level is £90 for a single Will, £135 for a pair of Wills or £40 for a codicil to an existing Will.
Make or update your Will with Will Aid and you will gain peace of mind from knowing that you have protected your family and loved ones for the future as well as giving money to help thousands of people in need to gain the skills, tools and support they need to improve their lives.
It is extremely important to seek qualified and professional expertise when making a Will. So don’t put it off any longer. Phone 028 91 811652 or email us at law@thompsons-solicitors.co.uk to arrange an appointment in November.
All money raised by Will Aid supports the work of ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, Sightsavers, SCIAF (Scotland) and Trocaire (Northern Ireland).
We provide a full range of legal services in addition to drafting and preparing Wills. See our website for details at www.thompsons-solicitors.co.uk.
In a decision given in March 2012, an Industrial Tribunal in Northern Ireland has held that an employee was fairly dismissed for making vulgar comments about a female colleague on his Facebook page.
In the case of Teggart -v- Tele Tech UK Limited, the Tribunal held that an employee was fairly dismissed because comments which he posted on his Facebook page amounted to harassment of a female colleague and breached the employer’s Dignity at Work Policy.
The claimant was employed at a call centre in Belfast. He posted obscene comments about a female colleague on his Facebook page from home. The comment mentioned his employer’s name and was read by some other work colleagues. It was alleged that the comment had been brought to the employer’s attention by a member of the public. The female colleague heard about the comments and asked the claimant’s girlfriend if he would remove them. However that led the claimant to simply post further comments. Read more
As a result of the current economic climate, the last few years have seen a sharp rise in redundancies. Only last week Ulster Bank Limited announced that they will be making a further 350 redundancies in Northern Ireland – see here for the story.
The rise in redundancies has in turn seen an increase in the number of people who need advice on a compromise agreement. Employers are increasingly using compromise agreements, especially in a redundancy situation, to avoid any potential future litigation as a result of bringing the employment to an end by offering some sort of financial settlement in return for the employee agreeing not to sue. It can be daunting when handed a legal document by an employer that looks complicated and full of legal jargon. Plus, if you’re being asked to enter into a compromise agreement, you’ll need to get advice from an independent solicitor to explain what the document means if it is to become legally binding. So what is a compromise agreement? Read more
On your marks, get set, go….
The 2012 Olympics are six months away and employers are encouraged to start planning now for possible disruptions. Recent surveys indicate that up to one in six of the UK’s employees is planning on pulling a “sickie” to watch the Olympics on television. That includes employees in Northern Ireland. What then can employers do now to try to avoid any potential disruption? Read more
Northern Ireland Law 