Monday 7 December 2015

ASCC officially opens after major redevelopment

Image Source: Liverpool Football Club
Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Football Club

This past Thursday, Anfield Sports and Community Centre (ASCC) celebrated its official opening following a £2.3 million investment that will offer improved sports facilities and programmes to people living in north Liverpool.

Improvements at the centre include a new full-size, floodlit 3G pitch, a three-court sports hall, the refurbishment of existing artificial grass turf pitches and a new commercial office space and cafe.

The redevelopment is part of ASCC’s '4 Football 4 Everyone' project and has been funded by a number of supporting partners, including Liverpool FC, Liverpool City Council and the Premier League & FA Facilities Fund – facilitated by the Football Foundation, Sport England and the Johan Cruyff Foundation in conjunction with the People’s Postcode Lottery.

One of the key developments has been the construction of a ‘Cruyff Court’, a state-of-the-art facility for sports as well as health and personal development support. It has been funded by the Cruyff Foundation in conjunction with People’s Postcode Lottery and is only the third such facility in the UK and the first outside London.

Liverpool FC will use the centre as a base for charitable activities in north Liverpool through its Foundation, which already runs a range of programmes from ASCC.

Liverpool FC first-team players Lucas Leiva and Adam Bogdan, Liverpool Ladies' Shannon Beckwith and Mollie Green, and Liverpool FC U21s' Ryan Fulton and Andrew Firth all joined the celebrations on Thursday.

They also took part in Liverpool FC Foundation’s showcase with local schools and awarded prizes to the winning teams alongside the club’s official mascot Mighty Red.

Patricia Smith, chair of the ASCC, commented: “We are extremely grateful for the support we’ve received from our all of our funders. A lot of hard work has been invested by ASCC staff, the project team and our key stakeholders to secure all the funding we needed to deliver this project.

"It has been a real team effort and we are delighted to share it with the wider community.

"It was important that this project design not only ensured the provision of accessible sport facilities for local people but that it also supported the long-term sustainability of the centre. I am confident that the project will deliver all it set out to do and more.”

Ian Ayre, chief executive officer of Liverpool FC, added: “This centre is a very important resource for the local community and we have been delivering our charitable programmes here for some years.
"It's been a privilege to work with the ASCC project team developing this scheme and pulling in the funding needed to deliver it. It's fantastic that the centre will become the official home for our charity and a real hub for our activities here in the heart of our local community.”

Cllr Ann O’Byrne, deputy mayor of Liverpool, said: “The Anfield partnership has achieved a lot so far and the opening of the Anfield Sports and Community Centre is yet another significant milestone on the road to the area’s regeneration.

“These kinds of centres are very important to promote health and wellbeing and I’m delighted that this great new facility is now open for use. It will make a real difference to Anfield and many congratulations to all those who have worked so hard on the project.

“I’m particularly delighted about the support from the Premier League & the FA Facilities Fund and Sport England and it is a coup for the city that the Cruyff Foundation has been involved and developed the first Cruyff Court in the UK outside of London.”

Monday 16 November 2015

The Destructive Effects of Bullying and Harassment

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Safety Educational Trust

Long-term bullying and harassment by a colleague combined with a negative approach by management forced a long-serving employee to lose the job she loved and was good at.

“Ruth” worked as a manager at a sheltered residence for the elderly but, due to demeaning treatment and intimidation by her line manager, she had to depart her role on health grounds and has yet to fully recover from this harrowing experience.

Ruth told how, a few years ago, her line manager spread gossip and lies to other team members telling them Ruth was writing information about all their conversations and “spying on them” and not to trust her, encouraged by the line manager, some stopped speaking to her causing her mental anguish. In reality, Ruth was only recording the bullying and harassment by her line manager as advised by her Union Representatives.

Once when she was targeted, a friend and colleague phoned the Health and Safety Manager and asked for him to provide support for Ruth. On his arrival at the residence, he was met by the line manager who said he wasn’t needed. However, he stayed and listened to Ruth’s account of the situation that described how working in such a negative environment day after day had caused her to suffer severe stress.

After the meeting, he was himself summoned to a meeting by the HR Director who criticised and tried to reprimand him for intervening in the matter and supporting Ruth. This director asserted that it wasn’t a Health and Safety but a Human Resources issue. He was shocked at the manner in which he was treated and lack of interest by the senior management to address the problem. He left the company himself soon after because he didn’t agree with their ethics.

Ruth hoped things would improve when her line manager left the company, but the same format of abuse continued as the now ex-manager constantly contacted a friend who still worked in the same office for information about Ruth.

Things finally came to breaking point with a change in Ruth’s role. She was still responsible for the wellbeing of frail elderly people in the same building working mainly from the same office. On her return from holiday, the company had changed codes on doors and locks and banned her from using staff facilities, toilets and the staffroom. Certain staff whispered in front of her and personal items went missing. She was told not to use the office bin, write on the whiteboard or use office pens, and was questioned over a broken window blind and other minor matters.

One day, she was ridiculed by a Manager in front of three other employees of the company, and accused of neglecting her duty of care to the tenants of the residence – all untrue. Ruth had evidence proving that the Manager herself was responsible and had not done her job properly. But sadly, it all proved to be unbearable. The stress and anxiety proved so great that Ruth’s doctor prescribed anti-depressants and arranged counselling. However, the situation had deteriorated so much that she had no choice but to leave the job she loved.

After nearly two years, Ruth is now working for another employer and trying to put it all behind her, but still gets upset talking about it, largely because nothing was ever done about it: “They didn’t care about my mental health and my suffering, a joke as they had won “Investors in People.”

Ruth’s advice for anyone in the same position is: “If there are any signs early on that a manager or someone in a position of power is abusing that power in any way whatsoever, you should definitely tell someone as soon as possible. Note down and keep a record of what has happened so that you can verify if you are indeed being bullied, and bring it to the attention of those with authority. The perpetrators may not even realise that they are doing it, but without letting people know, nothing will change. The vast majority of good companies will have a policy on dealing with internal bullying. I understand that, since I left, they have changed their policy.

“Therefore, it appears that someone at some level has done something about it – but not enough to prevent the work culture being one that I believe encourages bullying of employees. I feel the perpetrators have gone totally unchallenged and not been held account for their shameful behaviour, and the company has failed to apologise for what has happened and for not doing the ‘right thing’.”

To assist those who may be experiencing bullying in the workplace themselves, The Safety Educational Trust will be holding drop-in sessions and workshops on the subject of bullying, where attendees can tell their stories of bullying in private if requested, and with confidence that they will receive support and advice on how to tackle their problems.

These drop-in group sessions are available on Friday December 4, Monday December 7, Friday December 11 and Monday December 14 from 10.00-13.00 at Suite 115, One Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9HF. Confidential Individual sessions can be arranged if required. For further information, visit http://tiny.cc/3f365x and/or email admin@thesafetyeducationaltrust.org.

Friday 31 July 2015

Know Hospitality launches new internship initiative at The Richmond Hotel Liverpool

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Richmond Hotel Liverpool

The Richmond Hotel Liverpool has teamed up with sister company Know Hospitality to announce plans for a new training academy in Liverpool to enhance and grow skills in the hospitality industry.

Know Hospitality is working in partnership with leading hospitality and national training provider Kaplan Skills and Employment to manage and deliver the new internships.

Know Hospitality is part of The Know Collection, which consists of a number of city-based tourism/hospitality businesses.

Know Hotels Liverpool Limited (KHLL) was recently appointed as the new management company for The Richmond Hotel Liverpool, a Grade II Listed venue in the former Merseytravel Headquarters located on Hatton Garden off Dale Street.

The Richmond will be the headquarters of the Know Hospitality Academy, and it is from here that students will study and learn all aspects of hospitality from within a working hotel environment.

The programme is aimed at young people aged between 16 and 18, who have a keen interest in starting and developing a career within Liverpool City Region’s thriving hospitality sector.

Liverpool City Region’s Visitor Economy now supports over 49,000 jobs and generates income in excess of £3.8billion, of which hospitality plays a vital role.

Each internship lasts 10 weeks, with up to 12 students per intake engaging in a 24-hour per week programme, with each student being assigned a dedicated mentor to offer ongoing support.

The students will be provided with a uniform and expenses will be covered. They will not be paid to attend. Gaining a place on the programme does not rely on previous academic qualifications. The first programme is scheduled to start on Monday August 3.

The first two weeks will be spent studying food hygiene, functional skills in English and Maths, alongside other work-based skills such as improving communications skills; producing a CV; and taking part in mock interviews. The students will also meet industry experts and will be encouraged to build networks with local businesses.

The remainder of the course will see the students take on a trainee role in a chosen aspect of hospitality within the hotel to provide them with first-hand work-based experience and prepare them for a future in the industry. Participating departments include reception, housekeeping, kitchen and restaurant.

Once the course is complete, the students’ achievements will be celebrated with their own graduation dinner hosted by The Richmond Hotel Liverpool. Upon completion, the students will also receive a £100 voucher to be used to buy new interview clothes as a further confidence boost.

The successful students will then be encouraged to begin an apprenticeship within an established hospitality business to further enhance their skills and develop their experience to continue their career journey.

This is the latest development for The Richmond Hotel Liverpool after recently agreeing a new management contract with Know Hotels; and the independent hotel has been chosen as the first North West venue to become part of the new BW Premier Collection partnership from accommodation giants Best Western Great Britain.

Steven Hesketh is Managing Director of The Know Collection, and Treasurer of Liverpool Hoteliers Association. He explained: “The Know Hospitality Academy will play a vital role in our exciting plans for the future and development of the Know Collection brand, which also includes hotel, restaurant and facilities management, alongside hospitality consultancy.

“Hospitality continues to thrive across Liverpool City Region, with new venues opening on an almost weekly basis. This growing number of hotels, restaurants and bars need staff, so now is the perfect time to launch the training academy as the first opportunity for young people to learn about the industry first-hand.

“Once students have graduated, our goal is for them to start an apprenticeship so they can embark on the next step in their hospitality career. We see this as a way of giving something back to the industry; we may just find the industry leaders of tomorrow.”

Danielle Kershaw, National Traineeships Manager for Kaplan, added: “Kaplan internships combine real work experience, employability skills and on the job training to help young people get their career off to a flying start.

“We are delighted to be working with The Richmond Hotel Liverpool to launch the Know Hospitality Academy to offer this innovative project based study programme to give young people a real insight into the hospitality industry.

“Kaplan has been delivering traineeships since August 2013 and are seen as the leaders in the field. We work in line with Ofsted expectations to ensure Kaplan endorsed hospitality courses offer students all the skills and support they need during their first experience of the hospitality industry – so the students are in very safe hands.”

Young people interested in becoming a student at the Know Hospitality Academy should contact Kaplan Skills and Employment by telephoning 0151 202 0530 or by emailing danielle.kershaw@kaplan.co.uk.

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Thirteen lawyers promoted at Brabners

L-R: Mark Brandwood,
Leanne Murray, Adrian Rogers
and Richard Hough.
Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Brabners have announced the promotion of three Partners, six Senior Associates and four Associates across the firm.

Adrian Rogers (Corporate), Richard Hough (Commercial) and Leanne Murray (Real Estate) have all joined the partnership; Leanne has also been appointed as Head of Residential Development.

Corporate lawyer Adrian Rogers qualified with the firm in 2004 and has extensive experience in MBOs, MBIs, acquisitions, disposals, venture capital, corporate insolvency and corporate reorganisations.

Richard Hough is a commercial and intellectual property lawyer, who has particular expertise in healthcare regulatory matters and EU public procurement law. Richard is dual-qualified as a solicitor and pharmacist and leads the firm’s healthcare team, which advises numerous clients operating in the healthcare sector.

Leanne Murray will lead a team of eight and advises on residential development acquisitions and disposals with particular expertise in dealing with development constraints.

In addition, the following lawyers have all been promoted to Senior Associate: Iain Gamble and Kevin Manley (Real Estate), Jack Froggatt, Phil Steele and Simon Morris (Dispute Resolution), and Sue Mackintosh (Private Client).

Catherine Fearon (Housing & Regeneration), Gary Duffy (Dispute Resolution), Graeme Hughes (Charity) and Michael Winder (Commercial) have become Associates.

Mark Brandwood, Brabners’ Managing Partner, commented: “The appointments enhance the firm’s capabilities in core practice areas and growth sectors. These individuals have shown themselves to be excellent lawyers and strong and consistent contributors from a business development perspective. I am confident that they will seize the opportunity these promotions give them to have an even greater personal impact on the success of the firm, and further develop their careers in the future.”

Wednesday 1 July 2015

Brabners to establish Waterloo Uncovered as a registered charity

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

The charity team at Brabners have been appointed to establish Waterloo Uncovered as a registered charity.

Waterloo Uncovered is a ground breaking archaeology project which aims to explore the battlefield of Waterloo and reveal secrets that have been buried underground for 200 years.

While the Battle of Waterloo has been studied by generations of historians, it is the first major international archaeological project at the former battlefield using the latest technology and practices developed by conflict archaeologists.

Waterloo Uncovered has been developed by two soldiers from the Coldstream Guards, Major Charles Foinette, who currently serves with 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, and ex-serviceman Mark Evans. The project is also supported by a number of universities including Glasgow, Dundee, Gent and Utrecht, the Service Public de Wallonie and LP Archaeology.

The archaeology is led by Dr Tony Pollard, who heads the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology at Glasgow University, and includes both professional archaeologists from across Europe and wounded veterans from recent military campaigns. The team has so far discovered coins, buttons, and English and French musket balls.

The aims of Waterloo Uncovered are to transform understanding of the Battle through archaeology as all findings will be made publicly available and to provide a unique opportunity for veterans to participate in an important dig and support those that are injured in their recovery.

Stephen Claus, Partner and Head of Charity and Social Enterprise at Brabners, commented: “Registration as a charity will enhance Waterloo Uncovered’s ability to raise funds from grant makers and others who as tax payers can use gift aid to increase the value of their gift, making even more cash available to fulfil the charity’s objects. Fascinating and incredibly interesting projects such as this do not come along everyday, and we are delighted Mark and his colleagues have chosen to use Brabners to help with registration which can be a daunting process, leaving the team free to concentrate on the project.”

Mark Evans, Project Co-ordinator of Waterloo Uncovered, added: “This is an exciting new chapter in the story of Waterloo Uncovered. Charity status will allow us to significantly increase the project’s reach; doing more archaeology and helping more soldiers and veterans. At such a significant juncture we are glad to be in the very capable hands of Brabners.”

For further information, visit www.waterloouncovered.com.

Wednesday 3 June 2015

New services from The Safety Educational Trust

Jo Howarth of The De-Stress Show.
Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Safety Educational Trust

The Safety Educational Trust has announced a number of new services that it will be providing.

Holistic treatments such as reflexology, Indian head massages, back massages and reiki will now be provided by a partner associate of the Trust, which can be booked via the Trust website, as well as the introduction of games and quizzes to further enhance the finales of existing courses taking place at the Trust.

This is in addition to the existing services which are delivered in partnership with associates of the Trust. They include:

Workplace Hazard Awareness Courses for Schools
Bespoke Training
Sixty Really Useful Minutes (Golden Hour Sessions) to minimise production or service down time
Independent Insight Analysis of current compliance status
Green Screen Recording - the facilities and support to produce an organisation’s own training courses and videos at a modest cost enabling the delivery of induction training and tool box talks at any time.
Creating Animations and Safety Artwork
Venue Hire
Virtual Office (Business Address)
Health and Safety Templates (Forms, Risk Assessments, Method Statements etc)
Health and Safety Presentation materials (Slide Share)

Managed by George Phillips, the Safety Educational Trust was officially launched in April. The Trust provides a range of high quality comparatively priced (bespoke) safety, health and wellbeing training courses and workshops using an array of excellent resources which are delivered at 1 Old Hall Street or at an organisation’s premises by arrangement.

George commented: “Workplace safety measures are vitally important for a company to have in place. Some companies may think their health and safety systems are fine, but if there are gaps and accidents happen as a result, the consequences can be dire for all concerned.”

The Trust is a not-for-profit enterprise that aims to support the needs of social enterprises, Chamber members, charities, SMEs and business start-ups in becoming and remaining compliant with current legislation. By working in partnership with highly-qualified and experienced professionals associates and sharing resources, the Trust can deliver better value courses and workshops with greater regularity, flexibility and reliability.

The core subject courses such as Safety Induction and Awareness and a range of facilitated online courses are held on a weekly basis. Courses which are held bi-weekly cover such topics as managing safety, risk profiling, assessment and management; personal safety, conflict management, workplace resilience and managing workplace stress (the latter presented by Jo Howarth of The De-Stress Show, pictured here).

Full details of the courses can be found online at www.thesafetyeducationaltrust.org or by calling 0151 665 0009 or 07947 839075. For further information, you can also email admin@thesafetyeducationaltrust.org.

In addition, you can interact with The Safety Educational Trust on social media. Click these links to like, follow and connect with the Trust on Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. You can also follow The Trust on Twitter @SafeEdTrust.

Monday 18 May 2015

Brabners wins employment law award at Liverpool Legal Awards

L-R: Brendan McAleese, Stephen
Brodie, Nick Campbell, Elle Beatty,
Elizabeth Graham and Joseph
Shelston, all from the
employment law team at Brabners.
Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Brabners has won the ‘Employment Law Award’ at Liverpool Law Society's Legal Awards 2015.

Brabners was one of three nominated firms to reach the shortlist in the employment law category, alongside Hill Dickinson and Morecrofts.

The independent judging panel said that Brabners has been a service provider in this area for many years, with both litigious and non-litigious advice, and it seemed that they had an innate understanding of clients’ employment and human resources needs and were able to bring an unrivalled breadth of experience to addressing those needs.

What impressed the panel in particular was the innovative approach to training which equipped not only Brabners’ staff as external lawyers to better serve their corporate client’s interests but the facilitation of greater understanding within the client organisation, with the Training Works and HR Works programmes.

Over 300 people attended the awards ceremony, held on Friday May 15 at the Crown Plaza hotel, Liverpool.

The ceremony recognised and celebrated the achievements of Liverpool Law Society's member law firms and individuals who have shown excellence in innovation or service, or made outstanding contribution to legal services

Nick Campbell, Head of Employment law at Brabners’ Liverpool office, commented: “We are delighted to win this award which acknowledges our innovative approach to supporting client’s businesses in addition to the high standard of legal services we provide.

“It is gratifying that the team’s hard work in creating what is now one of the largest specialist Employment and Pensions teams in the UK has been recognised in this way.

“My particular thanks goes to the many clients we act for both regionally and nationally; their continued support is very much appreciated.”

Mark Brandwood, Managing Partner at Brabners, added: “This award is a testament to the hard work and talent of our employment team whose client service and quality legal advice continues to be recognised across the legal sector.”

Last year, Brabners was crowned employment team of the year at the Manchester Legal Awards 2014.

Thursday 7 May 2015

Emmaus Merseyside receives £3,000 from the North West Housing Conference

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Emmaus Merseyside has received a donation of £3,000 from the organisers of the North West Housing Conference, law firm Brabners and accountants and business advisors, Mitchell Charlesworth.

Emmaus Merseyside offers homeless people companionship, a place to live and work, and an opportunity to integrate back into mainstream society. There are currently 25 Emmaus communities across the UK, providing a home and meaningful work to around 623 formerly homeless people. Emmaus Merseyside is working to open an Emmaus community which will provide a home, as well as education, training and work to people who have experienced homelessness.

The donation came from profits raised by the conference and will be the first contribution to Emmaus Merseyside’s “Sponsor a Bed” campaign which will raise funds for working capital until their retail superstore generates sufficient income for the organisation to be sustainable in the longer term.

Alistair Fletcher, Partner at Brabners and head of one of the largest specialist housing and regeneration legal teams in the North West, commented: We are very pleased to have this opportunity to support Emmaus Merseyside and the unique service it will provide to local homeless people as it combines the provision of a shared home with the support, training and work that the “companions” need to return to normal life. It is great to see the residential facility nearing completion and the retail superstore already fully operational.”

Mitchell Charlesworth Partner and social housing specialist Paul Wainwright added: “Having visited the new site being developed by Emmaus Merseyside it is obvious that the services provided will be a tremendous addition to the area and we are pleased to have been able to help such a local charity providing much needed facilities.”

Nigel Mellor, chair of Emmaus Merseyside, said: “We really appreciate the contribution from the North West Housing Conference since it gets our “Sponsor a Bed” campaign off to a great start. There are several ways to back the campaign: making a financial contribution, donating furniture/household goods for sale in our superstore or offering other in-kind support. Our thanks to all those in the housing movement for their support.”

The North West Housing Conference was held towards the end of 2014 at Liverpool BT Convention Centre and attracted over 180 delegates from across the UK to hear from a range of experts who examined the economic realities facing the sector and considered the impact of spending cuts. The conference was chaired by Simon Nunn, Assistant Director of External Affairs and Members Relations at the National Housing Federation and keynote speakers included Ashwin Kumar, Director of Liverpool Economics, Professor Duncan Maclennan, Director of Scottish Cities Knowledge Centre and Centre for Housing Research at University of St Andrews, Bill Davies, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Policy Research, Dr Michael Birkett, Group Chief Executive of the Regenda Group and Julie Fadden, Chief Executive of South Liverpool Homes.

Social housing specialists also presented a series of workshops, offering practical advice on a range of topics specific to the sector including governance, housing management, risk and regulation.

Brabners and Mitchell Charlesworth hosted the conference with support from partners – Liverpool Mutual Homes, Plus Dane Group, The Riverside Group, Symphony Housing Group, The Regenda Group and Your Housing Group – and sponsors CDP Print Management and Procure Plus.

The thirteenth North West Housing Conference will take place again at Liverpool’s BT Convention Centre on Thursday October 15 2015.

Friday 1 May 2015

What next for employment law? Brabners looks at the key trends in the political manifestos

Joseph Shelston, Employment
Law Partner at Brabners.
Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

In just over one week, the polls will open for voting in what is expected to be one of the hardest-fought and hardest to call elections of recent decades.

Despite the huge uncertainty on the outcome, there are some surprisingly common themes when it comes to what the main parties see as key employment issues, says Joseph Shelston, Employment Law Partner at commercial law firm Brabners.

Employment issues have increasingly come to the foreground as the parties have tried to position themselves as being both good for business and a recovering economy and also the champion of the exploited and underpaid. Whatever the future government turns out to be we can expect to see a focus on job creation, increases to national minimum wage and living wage, the number of hours of free childcare expanded, additional paternity leave and a likely ban on exploitative zero hours contracts.

One new concept which has been presented to the electorate by the Conservatives is a proposal that workers who work for a “big company” (more than 250 employees) or within the public sector will be entitled to Volunteering Leave for three days per year, on full pay. Paid Volunteering Leave would be paid for by the employer. This idea will promote engagement between businesses and the not for profit sector and could be very popular with staff but obviously has an impact on productivity and costs to UK employers.

The country’s relationship with the European Union also looms large and leaves many big unknowns in terms of the future of employment law. Many key laws and regulations are based on EU directives and a decision to leave the EU could lead to wide scale revision of the UK’s employment law legislation.

Brabners HR Forum

Following the general election, Brabners is hosting a HR Forum which will look at the key employment law changes and whether zero hours contracts are likely to survive.

Brabners HR Forum is a networking group aimed at HR and operations managers, together with anyone who is responsible for managing people in their organisation.

Employment law specialists from the firm will consider the many unanswered questions in this unsettled time for employment law and offer strategic guidance for employers, business owners and HR professionals tasked with handling the changes.

The HR forum takes place between 08.00-09.45 on the following dates:

Tuesday May 12 at Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool

Wednesday May 13 at 55 King Street, Manchester

To register to attend, email events@brabners.com.

Friday 24 April 2015

Brabners supports Liverpool Law School students in their annual Charity Law Moot Competition

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Students from the University of Liverpool met last night at the Liverpool offices of Brabners to participate in the fourth annual Charity Law Moot Competition.

A moot is a legal debate, based on a factual situation, where two teams of counsel, representing appellant and respondent, attempt to persuade the judges of the strength of their case by reference to legal authority. The moot problem is a pre-drafted factual situation in which a point or points of law are in dispute.

In this particular moot, the debate was around the legal definition of charity. The task of each team is to support the side of the argument with which it has been presented. This is done with reference to legal authority, such as case law or legislation.

The judges weigh up the arguments presented and question counsel during the course of their submissions. At the end of the moot, the judges give their judgement on the law and they also decide who is the winning team, in terms of mooting skills. In this competition, the judges also chose one overall winner, Mehr Nigar, whose prize is a week-long work placement at Brabners, to be taken up over the summer holidays. The winning team (the appellants) and the respondents team will all receive a small gift from Brabners to mark their overall achievement in the competition.

Professor Debra Morris, Director of the Charity Law & Policy Unit at the University praised the students, who are all currently in the second year of their studies, for their commitment, preparation and performances. She thanked the judges, Professor Warren Barr, Ms Charlotte Hood-Fedriksen, both of Liverpool Law School and Mr Stephen Claus, Partner and Head of Charity and Social Enterprise at Brabners. She also thanked Brabners for supporting the competition and for providing such a valuable prize. She said: “The experience gained from placements is invaluable for students.  The winner of last year’s competition went on to become a Regional Champion of the National Client Interviewing Competition in 2015.  I am sure that Mehr will equally benefit from her placement opportunity at Brabners.”

Stephen Claus of Brabners, sponsors of the University’s Charity Law & Policy Unit, said: “We are again delighted to show our support for the next generation of lawyers by offering a legal placement to the winning student.  We have been able to offer a placement now for several years in the area of Charity Law, something students appear to be very interested in taking up. Brabners is a strong supporter of the University of Liverpool, and in particular the Charity Law & Policy Unit’s work and we are proud to be able to continue to give it our support. Ranked as the North West’s leading charity law practice, we are naturally interested in supporting the research and activities undertaken by the Charity Law & Policy Unit, and remain very impressed with the achievements to date which seem to go from strength to strength under the leadership of Debra, Warren and their team.”

Monday 13 April 2015

Brabners sponsors TEAM Member Of The Year award

L-R: Paul Chamberlain;
Mark Guest; and Liz Longman.
Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Brabners sponsored the TEAM Member Of The Year award at the TEAM National Networking Conference for the second year in a row.

TEAM is the largest network of independent recruiters in the UK with currently over 500 locations.

Brabners has a well-established relationship with TEAM; in addition to being the network’s Principal Legal Advisor, the firm is regional advisor to the Midlands, North West, North East and South West England.

Each year, the members of TEAM cast a vote for TEAM Member Of The Year. This year, the award went to specialist manufacturing recruiter bbe Recruitment. Established in 1999, bbe Recruitment is run by its director Marc Anderson-Boyd, and operates both nationally and internationally, recruiting for the plastics, packaging, engineering, technical, financial and commercial sectors.

Liz Longman, managing director at TEAM, commented: “Some of the reasons given for bbe Recruitment winning were: ‘the strong TEAM ethic comes through from the business at all times’, ‘they rarely miss a meeting’, ‘they share business regularly’; ‘they are always ready to help’, and ‘the staff are really super, they have such a strong TEAM ethic and are always receptive and professional’.”

Paul Chamberlain, employment partner at Brabners, presented the award to Mark Guest of bbe Recruitment at the national networking event.

Paul said: “We were pleased to sponsor TEAM’s Member Of The Year award again, and would like to congratulate bbe Recruitment on its well-deserved win.”

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Yet another week of stress?

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Safety Educational Trust

The following story is courtesy of The Safety Educational Trust ...

Hello from the Trust!

“We see the world of work changing fast. Everything has to be ‘agile’, everything has to be ‘lean’ and it all has to be right 24-7, 365 days a year.  It’s increasingly competitive and uncompromising”. This is a quote by Jan Chmiel, Chief Executive of IOSH.

We all understand that having healthy, motivated people in business improves results, and we believe that investing in good safety and health improves business reliance and reputation. Safety and health is seen as an integral part of running a well-managed business.

Conflict and work-related stress are major issues in many organisations today but equally important are safety and health management, risk management and statutory compliance. We offer the highest quality short courses and workshops dealing with these important issues at the right time, the right cost and at easily accessible venues.

From April, with the support of our associates, we will deliver courses and workshops which will enable you and your people the opportunity to create and sustain a safe and healthy workplace where the welfare and wellbeing of all is taken seriously. The courses and workshops will be delivered at our fee of £40.00 per delegate; see website for full details and our special introductory offers.

The next workshops are:

Get SET for Managing Workplace Stress (Thursday April 9; 09.30-13.00)

Get SET with Workplace Resilience (Friday April 17; 09.30-13.00)

You are now only a couple of clicks away from your solutions!

For more information, you can email George Phillips at admin@thesafetyeducationaltrust.org.

Alternatively, you can visit www.thesafetyeducationaltrust.org, or you can call either 0151 665 0009 or 07947 839075.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

Brabners launches Legal Property Solutions as an alternative to the court system

Rachel Watkin, Partner
at Brabners.
Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Brabners have launched Legal Property Solutions, a service which offers legal resolutions for property disputes.

The creation of the resolution service follows the controversial rise in court fees which came into force sooner than had been previously expected on Monday March 9.

There is a real fear that the increase in fees will deny many smaller businesses and private individuals access to justice.

Through the introduction of Legal Property Solutions, Brabners offers an alternative for all potential litigators by enabling the parties involved to choose their own preferred method of resolving or determining a dispute.

The dispute can then be resolved quickly, confidentially and cost effectively.

The services on offer include Mediations, Indications on Paper, Hearings on Paper, Settlement Hearings and Live Hearings, all genuine alternatives to court.

To access this service, businesses and private individuals involved in a dispute can either contact Legal Property Solutions directly or through their own solicitors who will be able to assist and guide them through the process involved.

The idea for Legal Property Solutions was conceived by Brabners Partner Rachel Watkin and Senior Associate Karen Beddow on the evening that the proposed increase in Court fees was announced.

Rachel Watkin commented: “When I read the news, my first reaction was that it could be disastrous, not just for lawyers but many small businesses and private individuals who may now have difficulties in bringing claims.

“We believe that there is always a solution and the inception of Legal Property Solutions was the obvious way of safeguarding access to justice.”

Legal Property Solutions has the benefit of a number of highly qualified lawyers with specialist experience in resolving property disputes.

Led by Rachel Watkin, who sits as a Deputy District Judge, the team includes Jeff Lewis, also a Deputy District Judge and Mediator; Ian Alderson, Mediator; Helen Marriott, Arbitrator; and Stuart Irons and Karen Beddow, both property law experts.

Commenting on the launch of the service, Rachel added: “Although a number of professionals are now offering mediation or arbitration in light of the court fees increases, we are not aware of anyone who is offering a “one stop shop” for all types of property dispute resolution services and, certainly, not in a way that is truly accessible to all.

“Many businesses and individuals involved in a dispute have no idea of what arbitration and adjudication are.

“We have cut the formalities right down; there won’t be a need for formal pleadings, interim headings or detailed directions with this service.

“This will keep costs and time to a minimum enabling a matter to be fully resolved within a few weeks or days rather than months or years.”

Mark Brandwood, Managing Partner at Brabners, explained: "This type of pro-active thinking and innovative initiative is exactly why Brabners excels in its field.

“We have some remarkably talented lawyers who will ensure dedicated handling of property dispute resolution matters to the benefit of all parties who chose to use the service.”

Brabners is hosting an event to formally introduce and celebrate the launch of Legal Property Solutions on Wednesday March 25 at Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool, from 16.30-18.30, and anyone is invited to come along for a glass of wine, a short presentation and an opportunity to meet the legal experts.

Spaces for this free event are limited, so to register to attend please email events@brabners.com.

Wednesday 4 March 2015

An introduction to The Safety Educational Trust

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Safety Educational Trust

The Safety Educational Trust is a not-for-profit enterprise which officially launches on April 7 2015. The Trust will work closely with a team of highly qualified and experienced professional colleagues to deliver essential, competitively priced (bespoke) training on safety, health, welfare and wellbeing issues, using excellent resources at easily-accessible venues to provide best value for your company or organisation. Once launched, a comprehensive range of workshops and courses will commence for enterprises that need and want cost-effective, relevant, readily available and easily accessible training. It aims to support the needs of social enterprises, Chambers of Commerce members, charities, small to medium-sized business enterprises (SMEs) and business start-ups in becoming and remaining compliant with current legislation.

As managers and directors of businesses, especially SMEs, you may sometimes overlook health and safety duties due to an understandable focus on delivering your products and services and concentrating on other areas of your organisation. However, it is vital that these duties are properly addressed; a failure to do so not only impacts on the reputation of the organisation and the safety of employees, but it can also lead to financial catastrophe in the event of an accident in the workplace. When investigations into such incidents are carried out and in subsequent prosecutions or litigation, the first question that will be asked is: "Was your employee properly trained in health and safety for this job?"

Research says that people in the workplace today value optimum safety, good health, a feeling of being valued, a sense of belonging and a chance to get involved. Clearly a workforce that is given the benefit of the information, instruction and training to which they are entitled will be a safer, healthier, happier and more productive workforce.  Commencing April 7, the schedule for training will be as follows:

Monday: Facilitated online courses

Tuesday: Health and Safety Induction Day

Wednesday: Managing Safety Day (fortnightly)
                Risk Profiling, Assessment and Management (fortnightly)
                 Facilitated online courses (early morning)

Thursday: Personal Safety Workshop (fortnightly)
              Conflict Management Workshop (fortnightly)
              Facilitated online courses (afternoon / evening)

Friday: Workplace Resilience (fortnightly)
           Managing Workplace Stress (fortnightly)

Saturday: Facilitated online courses

The Trust's rolling programme of certificated courses will be delivered by accredited tutors to meet the needs of managers, core staff and new starters to ensure your compliance within current legislation. As noted above, facilitated online sessions are available for the 'time pressed' which can also be taken at weekends, early mornings or during the evening to suit the needs of your business and shift workers.

Full details of all of the training that the Trust offers can be found online at www.thesafetyeducationaltrust.org.

To contact the Trust or to enquire about an upcoming course/event, you can call 0151 665 0009 or email admin@thesafetyeducationaltrust.org.

Monday 2 March 2015

Brabners Boosts Property Solutions Team

L-R: Hannah Carter,
Rachel Watkin, Karen
Beddow and Heather Morris.
Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

North West law firm Brabners has boosted its Property Solutions team in Liverpool by appointing three solicitors.

The most recent recruit is Hannah Carter, who joins the firm from DWF LLP in Liverpool and has experience in resolving all aspects of property disputes including commercial, agricultural and residential matters.

Hannah’s appointment follows the arrival of Karen Beddow as Senior Associate; Karen previously worked at DWF LLP and Addleshaws and specialises in resolving retail property disputes, portfolio management issues and other claims arising from property transactions.

The third appointment is Heather Morris as Solicitor; Heather will advise on a wide range of property disputes, including high value professional negligence claims arising from real estate transactions.

Headed by Partner Rachel Watkin, the Property Solutions team sets itself apart from its competitors by offering and delivering a solutions based approach to disputes.

L-R: Rachel Watkin,
Heather Morris, Karen
Beddow and Hannah Carter.
The team offers a range of experience across the spectrum of property disputes in the commercial, residential and agricultural sectors.

Commenting on the appointments, Rachel Watkin said: “We pride ourselves on delivering a first rate service to our clients which, given the broad spectrum of experience within the team, results in the client having access to expertise at a level appropriate to the individual case which in turn results in effective costs management for the client and efficiency in the provision of legal advice.”

Although the team has been extremely busy over recent months, Rachel foresees them becoming even more so with the recent announcement of the court fees increase: “It is understood that the fees are likely to increase so significantly that it may place access to justice out of reach for many potential litigators.

“As such, parties may be more actively seeking a solution rather than litigation.”

Mark Brandwood, Managing Partner at Brabners, added: “The new recruits will be invaluable support for our busy real estate team across Brabners’ three offices in Liverpool, Manchester and Preston.”