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Following rigorous audit, Thompson Smith and Puxon (TSP) Solicitors is proud to announce its successful accreditation with the ISO9001 Law Net Quality Standard (LQS) a bespoke ISO 9001 standard written specifically for law firms. ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS) and is the most widely used QMS standard in the world. The Law Net Quality Standard encompasses all the requirements of ISO 9001 as well as Lexcel (the Law Society Quality Management Standard that the firm has held since 2006) whilst also taking account of the SRA Standards and Regulations. Accreditation to this standard is a requirement of the firm’s membership of LawNet and includes regular independent evaluation, providing in-depth analysis of performance and recommendations for continuous improvement to ensure customers receive the best possible service. The aim of ISO 9001 is to help organisations, such as ours, meet the needs of our clients and other stakeholders more effectively by building a quality framework to ensure consistent quality in providing our services to our clients. Sean Stuttaford, Chief Operating Officer at TSP commented “A big thank you to all of our staff for their efforts in ensuring TSP secured this accreditation with an
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In the latest installment from her trainee perspective series, Anisa Khan talks about making mistakes and how to learn from them. MistakesThe Oxford dictionary defines the word mistake as ‘an action or an opinion that is not correct, or that produces a result that you did not want.’ Note that within this definition it does not include the words soul crushing, life destroying, anxiety producing or even panic inducing. Although it sometimes feels like it should. As a junior in any team not just as trainee we may feel as though we make more mistakes than anyone else in the whole world, ever. Especially if we’ve never done something before. But making mistakes is such a natural and normal aspect of being in any position, it is expected. This is why we have all the levels of supervision and support in place to ensure a high standard of work through all levels of a team, this being firm wide means this won’t change as you move across seats. But it is why Fiona will personally check any letter, email or document drafted before it is finalised. Remember, a mistake is not the end of the world, it is a learning
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In her latest update, Fiona Ashworth, Head of our Wills and Estates team, talks about the expenses executors can claim so that they are not left out of pocket. What Can You Claim and How Much? If you have been named as an executor in a Will you will have a lot of responsibilities. The primary duty of executors is to the beneficiaries by carrying out the wishes of the deceased as set out in their Will. Executors can act together or alone, but an executor cannot go against the terms of the Will, breach their fiduciary duty, fail to act, self-deal, embezzle or harm the estate through neglect. Dealing with these responsibilities will likely result in out of pocket expenses. An executor should not be left out of pocket for completing their duties and, in many cases, they will be able to claim these expenses back from the estate. What expenses can an executor claim for? The basic starting position is that, like trustees, executors must act for free. They can be reimbursed for reasonable expenses – for instance, mileage incurred when carrying out their duties, postage charges, reasonable general house and garden maintenance for protecting the asset and complying
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Louise Margiotta and Stuart Tyler from our family team look at the latest advice for separating parents on how to manage the impact on children and extended family. CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) have recently been working with the Family Forum Group (consisting of parents, carers, and extended family members who have had direct experiences in the children proceedings) in order to find helpful tips in assisting separated parents with the impact that proceedings will have on children and the extended family. From the many tips identified by CAFCASS and the Family Forum Group, the following are the most important, as identified by the TSP Family Department, which should be considered by separating parents to minimise any impact this may have on your children. If you are experiencing any issues regarding children matters, and you wish to speak to a member of our Family Department, please get in touch, and we can arrange an appointment to discuss what can be done to help you further.
A Company’s constitution consists of its articles of association and, where there is more than one shareholder, a shareholders’ agreement. These documents set out the rules governing the affairs of the Company. There can sometimes be an overlap between the two documents, but a shareholders’ agreement often goes further, providing greater protection for shareholders and their investments. A shareholders’ agreement, unlike a Company’s articles, is a private document, and need not be registered at Companies House. This makes it more appropriate for dealing with matters of a confidential or sensitive nature. Typical terms of a shareholders’ agreement Whilst a shareholders’ agreement should be tailored to the specific circumstances and requirements of the Company and its shareholders, typical provisions found in many agreements include: Potential pitfalls without a shareholders’ agreement – don’t get caught out Where there is no agreement in place, shareholders will be subject to the rights and restrictions contained in the Company’s articles and those afforded by statute. This can lead to some unintended consequences, including: A robust shareholders’ agreement, and suitable articles of association, can together provide certainty for shareholders as regards their rights and obligations as shareholders, and also the tools for resolving potential
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