Over the last couple of months, since the Coronavirus lockdown was first implemented, we have all had to adapt to a new normal. For us, here at Howells Solicitors, this has meant being flexible with our services wherever possible to ensure we can still offer our clients the high-quality assistance we are known for.

However, this month, the Ministry of Justice has announced a change to the 183-year-old rules regarding the witnessing of wills. It’s been labelled the ‘biggest change to law for 200 years’, so it’s important to read all about it. More...

With lockdown measures being eased, the world as a whole is getting used to our ‘new normal’, wearing face masks, keeping a distance, etc. However, some normality has begun to resume; we are finally able to board planes and travel abroad again… or so we thought? More...

The Business Impact of Coronavirus Survey (BICS) found that between the 15th June and 28th June 2020:

• 22% of the UK workforce had been furloughed.
• 51% of the UK workforce who continued working were working remotely; and
• 49% of the UK workforce who continued working, continued working at their normal place of work.

Lockdown measures are now being eased, pubs are opening back up and we are now able to meet with family and friends, but as a result of COVID-19, many businesses have had to evolve and are continuing to evolve to ensure that their business is secure.

Google and Facebook employees will be working from home until the end of the year. Twitter have told staff they can work from home ‘forever’ and Barclays Bank has stated that the office ‘may be a thing of the past’.

In fact, many employers during the COVID-19 pandemic might have found that homeworking is effective for both the business and their employees. It might be that when employees are able to return to work, employers allow their employees to divide their time between the office and home. More...

If, like us, you’ve been following the government updates on the property market with bated breath, then you’ll know viewings are returning to normal and there will soon be changes to Land Transaction Tax/Stamp Duty. But, what exactly is changing and what does that mean for you?

We’ve summarised the updates for you below. More...

BBC news reported that approximately 4.7million people were waiting for routine operations in England in February 2021. 388,000 people waited more than a year for non-urgent surgery. This is a staggering amount when there were just 1,600 waiting more than a year for non-urgent surgery before the pandemic began.

In Wales in 2021, over 115,000 patients had been waiting more than a year for an operation. The number of patients waiting over 36 weeks was 200,000 higher than the same month in 2019.  

More...