Karis Jones, Assistant Solicitor in the Family Law department of our Cardiff office went back to school to talk to year 11 students studying the BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Law and Legal Work in the city’s Willows High School.

The presentation focused on Parental Responsibility and Public Law Children Matters. During the session Karis helped the students understand the legal definitions and implications regarding these areas of law and provided examples of cases she has worked on. More...

We are pleased to announce that we have strengthened the teams in our Newport and Cardiff offices. 

Karis Jones, an Assistant Solicitor specialising in private and public law children matters has joined the Matrimonial and Family department in the Howells Solicitors Cardiff office.

Joanna Ingles has returned to the practice as a Licensed Conveyancer in our expanding conveyancing team in the Newport office, and Catherine Jones a Legal Assistant again in the Newport office.

Originally from Monmouth, Swansea University graduate Karis Jones gained a distinction for her LPC and completed her training at Graham Evans & Partners in Swansea. Karis will be joining the Family Law and Matrimonial Team providing her expertise for legal matters concerning children for both private and public law cases.

Licensed Conveyancer Joanna Ingles has returned to Howells Solicitors to strengthen the expanding residential conveyancing team in the Newport office. Having previously worked for Howells for seven years before moving to a competitor, the Newport born, Swansea University graduate kept in touch with the Howells team.

Joanna explained, “I enjoyed seven years with Howells earlier in my career and but felt I needed a change, I enjoyed and benefitted from my time working at another practice, but when Howells got in touch to invite me back, I was keen to accept their offer.”

Catherine Jones has been appointed as a Legal Assistant to provide administrative support in the Newport office.

Mark Hobbs, Managing Partner of Howells Solicitors is pleased to welcome the new appointments. He said, “The practice is continuing to grow and we need to make sure that we are able to maintain our high standards by recruiting the right calibre of candidate. Karis, Joanna and Catherine all have the expertise and experience  to enable us to continue to deliver these.”

by Tristan Lewis

Mark Hobbs, Managing Partner of Howells Solicitors is very critical of the announcement by the Welsh Government yesterday to scrap ‘New Buy Cymru’ just weeks before its scheduled launch.

Designed to assist first time buyers by giving them access to a 20% interest free loan for the purchase of a new property, New Buy Cymru’ was going to be similar to the ‘Help to Buy’ scheme announced in the recent budget by the UK Government.  

Following the announcement of the scheme it was widely praised as a measure to further kick start the construction part of the economy and at the same time to help younger purchasers get on to the housing ladder.

Mark said, “I think it has been widely acknowledged that any scheme that assists young first time buyers onto the housing ladder is sensible and aside from the social consequences there is also the impact that this has upon the wider economy. Following the about turn by Welsh Government we now have the ludicrous situation that buyers of new build properties just 20 miles or so away on the English border can gain the support of the English scheme but no one in Wales will.   This seems to be grossly unfair on the population of Wales and represents a missed opportunity in kick starting the economy and encouraging construction and the creation of jobs.”

He continued, “Howells experience suggests there is significant pent up demand in the first time buyer market and that the implementation of a scheme such as ‘New Buy Cymru’ would be successful and popular and would result in Wales being treated no less favourably than England.   I do hope, that the Welsh Government will look again at this concept and realise that the decision made is not in the best interest of the Welsh people and consider reinstating the original proposal”.

by Tristan Lewis

The online divorce packages being offered by the Howells family law team have proven so popular that local and national newspapers have picked up on them and featured Howells Solicitors over the weekend.

The Wales on Sunday ran with this article:

Read the full story here.

The Sun also mentioned us:

As you can probably imagine, what was already a popular new service has now received many more enquiries as a result of this exposure.

by Tristan Lewis

Reforms which will significantly reduce the scope and provision of legal aid will come into effect from 1st April 2013. 

The Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LAPSO) received Royal Assent and became Law on 1st May 2012, with the latest reforms severely limiting the availability of legal aid for family cases including divorce and children matters.

In real terms, the reforms mean legal aid will only be available in public family law matters i.e. care proceedings involving a local authority such as Social Services and cases relating to adoption. In cases involving private family law such as divorce, contact and residence and financial matters, legal aid will only available if there is evidence of domestic violence, child abuse or child abduction. In all other cases legal aid will no longer be available.   More...