Staff Get Together To Donate To The Haverhill Food Bank

Here are Adams Harrison Solicitors we aim to help many local charities and organisations and this week our staff from all three offices in Haverhill, Sawston and Saffron Walden have been busy collecting various items of food to donate to a food bank in Haverhill.

Emma Laidlaw, PA to Shoshana Goldhill, organised this excellent collection and everyone within the three offices donated to this great cause helping local people.

Emma Laidlaw Of Adams Harrison With Hamper To Be Donated A Local Food Bank

Emma Laidlaw Of Adams Harrison With Hamper To Be Donated A Local Food Bank

Christmas Hamper Competition Winner

John Lewis Winter Warmer Hamper

John Lewis Winter Warmer Hamper

We are pleased to announce the winner of our John Lewis Christmas Hamper competition. Congratulations go to Cheryll Hastie from Peterborough.

In an amazing gesture, Cheryll has asked us to donate the Christmas Hamper to a local Food Bank. We have chosen the Haverhill Food Bank as this is an organization that we at Adams Harrison Solicitors already support, having carried out a collection at all three offices, we aim to support the local community and we would like to personally thank Cheryll for this amazing gesture that will help so many local people in Haverhill and the surrounding area.

Cheryll’s name was successfully drawn from our free prize draw this morning, after following us on Twitter and re-tweeting our competition in the past two weeks.

We would like to thank everyone that took part in our prize giveaway and keep an eye on our twitter account and blog for legal advice, and top competitions.

Get ready – the next winner may be you.

Christmas Cheer Raised Money for Save the Children

The staff at Adams Harrison raised £98.68 in aid of Save the Children from across the three offices. Thank you to everyone that donated £2.00 to wear their jumpers, and the other donations we received for this great cause.

Adams Harrison Christmas Jumper Event 2014

Adams Harrison Christmas Jumper Event 2014

Christmas Cheer From Adams Harrison

Celebrating the spirit of Christmas the staff of Adams Harrison were delighted to support the Save The Children Christmas Jumper event on the 12th of December.

Even our Christmas Mascot took part!

Adams Harrison Sawston Christmas Jumper Event

Sawston Office Left to Right.
Coral Ott; Sue Lawton; Katie Powell; Beverley Henderson; Denise Whitehead and Cazz Rice

Adams Harrison Saffron Walden Christmas Jumper Event

Saffron Walden Office Left to right – from back row:
Shoshana Goldhill; Teresa Pitts; Jenny Carpenter; Barbara Placido
Middle row – Melanie Pratlett
Front row – Ally Helbert; Rebecca Monk; Rebecca Varey; Megan Addley; Emma Laidlaw

Adams Harrison Christmas Bear

Adams Harrison Christmas Bear

Proposal In Paris

We are delighted to publish  the “proposal photograph” for Emma Laidlaw, one of our secretaries at the Saffron Walden office.

This was a complete surprise as can be seen by Emma’s face – they had gone away for the week-end and James surprised her by proposing in the exact spot they had a photo taken when they first went to Paris 8 years ago.

James had asked a passer-by to take the photo and unbeknown to Emma he pulled the ring out of his pocket whilst she was not looking. The lady taking the photo screamed with delight and frightened Emma to death.

Our congratulations and best wishes to Emma Laidlaw and James Farenden.

Proposal Picture Emma Laidlaw and James Farenden

Proposal In Paris. James surprises Emma.

Late Night Shopping Event Winner

We are pleased to announce a very successful late night shopping event held in Sawston on Friday 12th December.

Many people took part in the Adams Harrison “pin the tail on the donkey” competition. 

We are very pleased to announce that the winner was Lucy Pryor (aged 5) who wins a £10.00 Marks & Spencer gift card. 

Thanks to all those that took part.

Shared Parental Leave

The Children and Families Act 2014 (CFA 2014) inserts new provisions into Part 8 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996) (Chapter 1B, sections 75E to 75K) to introduce a new entitlement for employees who are parents (whether by birth or adoption), to take shared parental leave (SPL) in the first year of their child’s life or in the first year after their child’s placement for adoption (see The SPL period). The provisions of the CFA 2014 are supported by regulations. Parents will not be obliged to take SPL once the new scheme comes into force. The default position on the birth of a child will be that the 52 weeks of maternity leave  (39 weeks paid) will remain in place for the mother, as well as compulsory maternity leave (www.practicallaw.com/5-200-3103), which applies from the day of the child’s birth. The default position on the adoption of a child will be that the primary adopter will be entitled to 52 weeks of adoption leave (39 weeks paid). Changes will be made to adoption leave and pay to make them similar to the maternity leave and pay regime. Additional paternity leave and pay will not be available in respect of babies whose EWC is on or after 5 April 2015, or for children who are placed for adoption on or after that date (section 125, CFA 2014). Unless parents qualify for and opt into the SPL scheme the only entitlement that the child’s other parent will have will be two weeks’ ordinary paternity leave and pay. However, additional paternity leave and pay will remain in place for parents of children with an EWC before 5 April 2014, and for children placed for adoption before that date. As a result, the system of additional paternity leave and pay will remain in operation until mid-April 2016.

When does SPL come into force?

The SPL Regulations came into force on 1 December 2014 and the scheme for SPL apply where:

  • The expected week of childbirth (EWC) begins on or after 5 April 2015.
  • A child is placed for adoption on or after 5 April 2015.

How will the right to take SPL work?

The new scheme will make up to 50 weeks of SPL and 37 weeks of ShPP available for eligible parents to take or share (that is, everything other than the compulsory maternity leave period  or an equivalent two-week period in adoption cases). A mother or primary adopter will be able to end their maternity or adoption leave, or commit to ending it at a future date, and share the untaken leave with the other parent as SPL. This will enable mothers and primary adopters to return to work before the end of their leave without sacrificing the rest of the leave that would otherwise be available to them. SPL can either be taken consecutively or concurrently, as long as the total time taken does not exceed what is jointly available to the couple. It appears that the key to success of the SPL scheme, particularly where both parents are employees and wish to take SPL, will be early discussion of proposals with employers.

Evidence that an employer may request

An employer that receives a notice of entitlement and intention to take SPL may request a copy of the child’s birth certificate or documents notifying the primary adopter that the child was to be placed with them, together with the name and address of the other parent’s employer.

Christmas 2014 Employer Bulletin

We are please to bring you our latest Employer News Bulletin. Please click on the image below you download your copy.

Adams Harrison Employment Law News For Employers Dec 2014

Adams Harrison Employment Law News For Employers Dec 2014

Christmas Competition

We are running a Free Prize Draw starting Monday 8th December until the 21st December.
The winner will win this magnificent John Lewis Winter Warmer Hamper.
John Lewis Winter Warmer Hamper

John Lewis Winter Warmer Hamper

To enter all you need to do is to “Follow” Adams Harrison and “Re-tweet” the competition tweet to enter.
Please follow this link to the Adams Harrison Twitter Page. Good luck with your entry

 

Adams Harrison Christmas 2014 Prize Draw Rules

Please follow this link to download the competition rules

Congratulations to Barbara Placido

Barbara Placido SolicitorWe are very pleased to announce that Barbara Placido, our Trainee Solicitor, has successfully passed her Financial and Business Skills Examination.

Congratulations to you Barbara and best wishes for continued success in your legal career.