Financial Affairs Legal Power Of Attorney

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We recently received this lovely testimonial for our Partner Melanie Pratlett;

I have been very satisfied with the care and attention that you and your team have given to this task, particularly in the circumstances caused by COVID.
Should I need further assistance in the future I would have no hesitation in placing  further instructions. 

Mr G Saffron Walden

There are a number of reasons why you might need someone to make decisions for you or act on your behalf:

  *   This could just be a temporary situation: for example, if you’re in hospital and need help with everyday tasks such as paying bills.
  *   You may need to make longer-term plans if, for example, you have been diagnosed with dementia and you may lose the mental capacity to make your own decisions in the future.

If you would like to know more about the different types of Power of Attorney which are available and how we can help you please contact Melanie Pratlett.

Mock Interview Day, Castle Manor Academy Haverhill

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Castle Manor Academy Haverhill Logo

We were delighted to be invited to be involved in supporting Castle Manor Academy’s “Mock Interview Day” with year 11 pupils on Thursday 27th January 2022.

Jennifer Carpenter, Managing Partner had the task of evaluating CVs and personal statements, then interviewing four students. A feedback session was then given to the student and then a short written report on how they had performed.

“I was extremely impressed with the professionalism of the students involved. The CVs I saw were set out extremely well. The students were confident and engaging, despite how daunting it would have been to have met with a complete stranger via Teams” said Jennifer.

Daniel Course, Pathways Manager at Castle Manor Academy, Haverhill stated:

“Our student, tutor and supporting staff feedback has been fantastic and it was an event our students really enjoyed and would recommend for future years – although they did say it was challenging. Our students have particularly enjoyed receiving your feedback and have already been discussing what they would do differently if they were given the chance.”

Cyber Essentials Accreditation Renewed

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Adams Harrison - Cyber Essentials Certificate 2022

For the third year we have been awarded the Cyber Essentials accreditation – demonstrating that we have in place systems and controls to ensure that we are best protected against any internal and external threats. This includes not only our computer hardware but our entire internet facing infrastructure at Adams Harrison, including firewalls and internet routers.

The Cyber Essential scheme is Government backed and industry supported. To become accredited, it is necessary to show that there are technical controls in place to prevent against on line security threats.

We take seriously the risk of malicious attacks on data and therefore keep under regular review the steps and measures that can be put in place to reduce the risk.

We are now displaying the Cyber Essentials badge on our website homepage and e-mails to give clients and third parties peace of mind that their data is safe with us.

Adams Harrison Makes Donation To Sawston Charity In Lieu Of Sending Christmas Cards

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We have, for a number of years, donated to good causes at Christmas in lieu of sending Christmas cards. This helps the environment by reducing paper usage and waste, and staff in each office are asked to make suggestions as to which local good cause should receive a donation.

Adams Harrison Cheque presentation to John Huntingdons Charity Sawston - Christmas 2021

Jenny Carpenter presents Jill Hayden of the JHC with cheque

John Huntingdon’s Charity in Sawston was chosen by the Sawston Partners to receive a donation of £200. Jenny Carpenter, Managing Partner, visited Jill Hayden at the JHC Centre on Wednesday 19 January to deliver the cheque.

Practice Manager, Louise Taghi, said

John Huntingdon’s Charity has been helping the Sawston community for over 500 years and is a vital resource, particularly over the past 2 years as a result of the pandemic.

 

Adams Harrison Makes Donation To Saffron Walden Charity In Lieu Of Sending Christmas Cards

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The Partners at Adams Harrison have, for a number of years, donated to good causes at Christmas in lieu of sending Christmas cards. This helps the environment by reducing paper usage and waste, and staff are asked to make suggestions as to which local good cause should receive a donation, and a good cause local to each office is chosen.

Café Cornell Staff with Jenny Carpenter and Louise Taghi of Adams Harrision.

Café Cornell Staff with Jenny Carpenter and Louise Taghi of Adams Harrision.

For December 2021 Café Cornell was chosen to be the recipient of a £200 donation from the Saffron Walden office.

Staff and helpers visited the Adams Harrison office on Wednesday 13 January to receive the cheque.

Practice Manager, Louise Taghi, said

We take our community and social responsibilities very seriously and for a number of years we have made donations to local good causes in lieu of sending Christmas cards. We are conscious of the negative environmental impact of sending Christmas cards and we used the money saved to donate to a good cause. Café Cornell has been operating at Cornell Court in Saffron Walden since May 2021 for residents and general public and also offers a work-based training scheme which is focused on enabling individuals facing challenges and barriers to work to build confidence and to work towards formal qualifications. We were delighted to welcome trainees, staff and volunteers to our ‘covid-safe’ space in our car park on Wednesday so that we could present them with a cheque for £200.

 

Charity Donations Instead of Christmas Cards

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The partners of Adams Harrison have decided that in lieu of sending corporate Christmas cards they will be donating the money normally spent to three local charities  – REACH Haverhill; The John Huntingdon’s Charity in Sawston and Café Cornell in Saffron Walden. In addition to supporting local charities this is also incorporating the firm’s commitment to reduce it’s environmental impact. If you wish to donate to any of these great charities please click on one of the images below to go directly to their website.

Reach Charity Haverhill John Huntingdon's Charity SawstonCafe Cornell Saffron Walden

Mock Trial In Haverhill

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Mock Trial Samuel Ward Academy

Mock Trial Samuel Ward Academy Haverhill

Jennifer Carpenter from Adams Harrison attended Samuel Ward Academy secondary school in Haverhill yesterday and conducted a Magistrates’ court mock trial with students interested in a career in law. Kerrie Cavilla Perkins the assistant headteacher said;

Thank you so much for yesterday and all of the time it took to prepare. It was so professional and memorable for our students – they all felt very lucky to take part and you and Adams Harrison got a special mention in the open eve talk last night!

Samuel Ward Academy Careers Fayre

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Jennifer Carpenter and Anton Bilinski At Samuel Ward Academy Careers Fayre 2021Jennifer Carpenter and Anton Bilinski attended the Samuel Ward Academy careers fayre in Haverhill.

Jennifer said;

We met year 7 to 13 – very interested and engaging students. Exciting to know some could be future lawyers. 

Death and Digital Assets

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Our lives are now carried out online far more than they were even 10 years ago.

E-mail accounts, Paypal accounts, Bitcoin, Etsy accounts, blogs, digital photos, media players, gaming accounts, social media accounts etc are all digital assets.

However, there is no actual definition of what a digital asset is.

What happens to those digital assets after your death? How can you protect those assets and not lose sentimental or financially viable items?

Unfortunately, the law is very unclear in this regard and there is no correct answer. There is no consistency between service providers on how they deal with these items. Some social media platforms can be taken offline, frozen or used as a memorial. Apple provide a legacy feature allowing someone to access their account after their death. Some of these digital assets are not deemed to be owned by you and some view email as information rather than an asset. It may be necessary to obtain a court order to gain access to such accounts. This is time consuming and expensive. Cryptocurrency i.e. Bitcoin is an asset that can only be accessed with a passkey. It is vitally important to leave a record of your passkey so that the account can be accessed after your death.

What you can do:-

  • Make a comprehensive list of your digital assets
  • Keep your passwords and other details in a password manager and provide the login details to your executor or leave a sealed envelope with your Will. Ensure you update the details in the manager when you update your password or other information.

CQS Re-accreditation July 2021 to 2022

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We are delighted to announce that we have been reaccredited from July 2021 – July 2022 by the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS), which is a recognised quality standard for residential conveyancing practices.

This shows our clients and other third parties that we have the expertise to deliver nationally recognised quality residential conveyancing advice; use standardised processes to recognise and reduce risks and that we inform clients about what to expect when using our conveyancing services.

The accreditation also gives greater access to lenders, and demonstrates that we can provide residential conveyancing advice of the level expected by clients, lenders and the wider residential conveyancing community.

The award is testament to the dedication and expertise of our Conveyancing department who have worked through the additional challenges of the Pandemic, as well as managing additional high volume workflows due to Stamp Duty Land Tax reductions over the past year.

Adams Harrison CQS Certificate july 21-22