Legal Briefing; : Peninsula; Clough & Willis; DLA Piper, Pannone

PENINSULA Business Services, the Manchester-based employment law specialist, reported a spike in calls in the aftermath of Monday’s riots in London and other areas.

Between 7am yesterday morning and 2pm received more than 1,000 calls to its advice line service from the hours of 07:00am -14:00pm. Inquiries ranged from workers unable to get into work and employers asking whether they should still pay staff even though they are closed for business.
 
Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula said: “Employers haven’t been in a situation like this for some time, it is unknown territory and employers are concerned that the riots will continue. We are receiving a lot of calls from employers who are reporting increased absenteeism levels and from employees whose homes and communities have been damaged or disrupted.”
 
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BURY law firm Clough & Willis has seen a 30% increase in the number of clients it has dealt with who have been given bad guidance on wills from non-legal organisations.

The firm has welcomed The Legal Services Board’s decision to launch a formal investigation that will consider the regulation of will-writing.

Shefali Talukdar, managing partner at Clough & Willis, said: “We see some appalling cases walking in everyday and they’re becoming more prolific so something needs to be done. Many people choose what they see to be a smart and cost effective option but in reality it can be anything but.”

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THE Manchester office of law firm DLA Piper advised on the management buyout of London-based international development consulting company WSPimc, from WSP Group plc.

The deal was backed by capital growth fund Enterprise Ventures (EV) and Co-operative Bank.

The DLA Piper team included corporate partners Elia Montorio and Yunus Maka, Richard Smyth (litigation) and Stuart Campbell (commercial).

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LAW firm Pannone has been appointed as legal adviser on the multi-million pound Tithebarn scheme to regenerate Preston town centre.
 
The proposed £700m scheme will see the development of around 1.5million sq ft into retail, leisure and office space.

The commercial property team has been also been appointed to advise Halton Borough Council on the regeneration of Runcorn Town Centre following a competitive tender.
 
It is also advising on a partnering arrangement between Warrington Council and its local Registered Providers for the placement of solar panels on houses in the area.
 
Stephen Chalcraft, commercial property partner, pictured, said: “These are  a series of great wins in a highly competitive market and enforces our reputation for advising on high quality and cutting edge property and regeneration developments.”