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I often introduce Bell Lax Solicitors as firm which specialises in any kind of civil or commercial dispute which could end up in court. However, one area of work which we specialise in, but is hopefully not the result of a dispute, is the...
The Financial Ombudsman (‘FOS’) is a free service, created by Parliament to impartially and independently resolve complaints about financial business, such as banks, insurance companies and financial advisors. Their aim is to resolve disputes...
Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, or the “75 Act”, certain categories of people can bring a claim against the estate if they consider that “reasonable financial provision” has not been made for them...
Serious concerns regarding maternity services at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust BBC's Panorama investigated the maternity services of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust after the tragic deaths of two babies and a mother between 2019 and 2021. ...
This week saw a tragic news report about the death of a mother of two from uterine leiomyosarcoma. She had reported symptoms of extreme pain and heavy prolonged periods to her GP for approximately 5 years prior to the cancer diagnosis. Receiving a...
A routine scan at 36 weeks during pregnancy can reduce the number of unexpected breech births Currently, pregnant women in England undergo routine scans at 12 and 20 weeks, with no routine scan offered in the third (final) trimester. Only pregnant women...
Each year, charity group, Headway, run various campaigns to raise awareness of acquired brain injuries, and the impact such injuries can have on sufferers and their loved ones. According to Headway, hospital admissions in England due to brain injuries ...
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has been fined £800,000 over baby's death Baby Wynter Andrews died at Queen's Medical Centre 23 minutes after her birth due to hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, which could have...
One patient dies every 23 minutes due to delays in Accident and Emergency Departments across England The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has reported that one patient is dying every 23 minutes in England due to delays. This statistic is based upon...
It was reported on the 20 March 2023 that a 52-year-old man was left in a critical condition at Ocean Beach Amusement Park in South Shields after a workplace accident that left him with serious head injuries. The incident has been reported to the HSE...
Was a mother given 'conflicting' advice by the NHS before dying in childbirth? Lucy, a 32-year-old mum-of-two sadly passed away at Royal Hampshire County Hospital after suffering complications during the birth of her second child. ...
Concerns for patient safety grow as NHS England data shows that the average ambulance response times for category 1 - 3 emergencies in October 2022 were the highest since categories were introduced in 2017. Some patients who require emergency...
On behalf of everyone at Bell Lax, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We are looking forward to a busy and prosperous 2024. Warmest wishes The Bell Lax Team....
It is with a great deal of sadness, but also pride that we let everyone know that Natalie Bradshaw has left Bell Lax to begin her new role as a full time District Judge. Natalie has been with Bell Lax since 2007, and has been instrumental in the...
Many people are familiar with the word “mediation”, but only a few have actually participated in one. This blog answers some of the most frequently asked questions about mediation and explains why it is such an important tool when resolving...
Hundreds of Walsall Manor patients recalled Following an audit conducted in February 2020, concerns were raised that operations performed by surgeon Mian Munawar Shah had a ‘higher complication rate than usual’. The concerns highlighted...
The legal doctrine of passing off is based on the principle that “No one is to sell their own goods under the pretence that they are the goods of another”. Zara v House of Zana Retail giant Zara recently launched legal action against an...
Often, a winding up petition is a company’s worst nightmare. If your company receives a winding up petition we have created some useful guidance for you to consider. First, what is a winding up petition? A winding up petition is often the first...
The government is proposing legislation that will bring no-fault evictions to an end. The end of no-fault evictions – which is currently the biggest single cause of homelessness in England will have an extensive impact on the housing market as 13...
Over the past few weeks you may have read solicitors, barristers and other legal professionals comments on the Johnny Depp v Amber Heard and the so-called Wagatha Christie trials. Many in the profession are explaining why lawyers discourage their clients...
We are delighted to announce that Wioleta Dworak has been promoted to the position of Associate Director. She will take up this post on 1 st June 2022 and we are excited to welcome her to our senior management team. Wioleta completed her...
It is with great pleasure that Bell Lax announce the promotion of Aimee Herbert from Solicitor to Associate Solicitor from 1 June 2022. Aimee joined Bell Lax in July 2018 as a litigation support lawyer, before completing her training contract and qualifying...
Important lessons we can learn from the Wagatha Christie trial. Whilst social media has many benefits, we all too often forget about the problems that can arise. What is the ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial? Rebekah Vardy is suing Coleen Rooney...
On 19 April 2022, the Ministry of Justice, (MoJ) announced that decisions from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court will be made freely available on ‘The National Archives Find Case Law’ site which can be accessed at: ...
On 7 April 2022, a paramedic for the London Ambulance Service's motorcycle response unit was involved in a five-vehicle crash while undertaking a training course with the North Wales Police driver training unit. He was rushed to hospital but died of a...
April is Limb Loss Awareness Month. This is an event run by various charities to raise awareness about living with limb loss and supporting amputees in a community setting by ensuring that they have the access to the correct support system....
In 2019, the biggest maternity scandal in Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust’s history came to light. Hundreds of families came forward, telling their stories of how the Trust had failed them and their babies. This led to an inquiry into 1,592...
It was recently reported that the NHS is facing a mass exodus of GPs in England. Official data was quoted showing that 23% of family doctors are 55 years or over and will be looking to retire within the next few years, with the average retirement age being...
As of 29 January 2022, the Highway Code has changed to include a new hierarchy for road users. The aim is to try to improve road safety for the more vulnerable road users, and hopefully protect those more physically at risk should a collision occur. One...
Michel Roccati made international news for being the first person, with a completely severed spinal cord, to regain the ability to walk. This was made possible by ground-breaking advancements in medical technology which will hopefully lead the way in...
In 2018, 2 young women tragically died within weeks of giving birth having contracted a “rare” strain of herpes. The source of the infections is now suspected to have been the surgeon who performed caesarean sections for both of the women. ...
The long awaited ‘Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020’ comes into effect on 6 th April 2022. It was first introduced in Parliament in January 2020 and aims to modernise the divorce legislation, by introducing the ‘no fault’...
This week the BBC reported that more than 13,000 patients a year are having NHS funding for their palliative care withdrawn after living longer than expected. In addition, other patients were having their continuing healthcare support replaced with more...
Q. What is a No Win No Fee agreement? A no win no fee agreement (also known as a conditional fee agreement), means that if you are unsuccessful in your claim, you will not have to pay us for our work. Q. What will I have to pay if I do...
Last week was Family Mediation Week organised by the Family Mediation Council (FMC). The FMC is a not for profit organisation who maintain a professional register of family mediators. Family Mediation Week was an opportunity to raise awareness about family...
In recent weeks, there has been reports and warnings of lengthy wait times for ambulances across England. Additionally, nearly one in four patients arriving at hospitals by ambulance in the first week of 2022 waited at least 30 minutes to be handed over to...
Cervical Screening Awareness Week runs from 21 to 28 January 2022 and aims to raise awareness and highlight the importance of regular cervical screening for women. Cervical screening (a smear test) is an effective way of preventing cervical cancer....
Across the country men will be growing their beards to raise awareness and support vital research and lifesaving work to help prevent bowel cancer. More than 42,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the United Kingdom every year, and more than...
During the Covid 19 pandemic, we have seen a rise in people abandoning their cars and public transport in favour of bicycles as their preferred mode of transport to work. Last year, the Government encouraged this by offering a £2 billion package to...
Resolution’s Good Divorce Week 2021: Parenting through Separation Each year Resolution, a group of family justice professionals from around the country, campaigns to MPs and the public about an issue which is close to its heart. The issue relates...
A High Court judge has recently dismissed a claim for compensation, following a data protection breach describing the breach as “trivial” Delivering judgment in Rolfe and others v Veale Wasbrough Vizards, Master McCloud confirmed that for...
Our Legal Director, Richard Kerry talks about how the pandemic has impacted the legal profession, but how it has also led to technology being more positively embraced by the courts and improving productivity in the industry. As well as hearing more about...
On Friday 10 September, I had the pleasure of attending the Birmingham Medico-Legal Society (‘BMLS’) annual dinner with my colleague, Saira Walji, at the Edgbaston Golf Club. We were grateful to be invited as guests of St Philips Chambers, whom...
A Midlands neurosurgeon has been prevented from performing complex surgery following negligent treatment. Mr Hussein El-Maghraby is a consultant neurosurgeon at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust and the private Woodland Hospital in...
NHS Trusts fill nurse vacancies with non-nurses NHS Trusts in England are recruiting unqualified people to fill the growing number of nursing vacancies within the NHS. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned that this compromises...
Cervical Screening Awareness Week runs from 14 June 2021 to 20 June 2021 and aims to raise awareness and highlight the importance of regular cervical screening for women. Did you know? In the United Kingdom, cervical cancer is the most...
Walsall Manor Hospital has been told to make 'significant improvements' to its medical services within three months following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission in March 2021. An inspection was carried out due to concerns regarding the...
Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores and pressure sores, can be debilitating, painful and potentially fatal if left untreated. However, with appropriate nursing care pressure ulcers can be prevented most of the time. Whilst there are certain...
In the first criminal prosecution of its kind, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust was recently prosecuted and found to be in breach of the Duty of Candour for failing to be open and transparent with a bereaved family. In this case, a patient died at...
The COVID-19 outbreak has had an enormous impact on core NHS services. In order to free up capacity to deal with the initial peak of the pandemic, the NHS shut down or significantly reduced many areas of non-COVID care from April 2020 onwards. This resulted...
