Adams Harrison’s Commitment to Assist Local Students With Work Experience Opportunities

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We are committed to supporting the communities local to our offices in Haverhill, Saffron Walden and Sawston in a number of ways but particularly by offering work experience to students.

Being a small firm, and committed to ensuring that any work experience placement offered is worthwhile and enjoyable, we are limited by the number of placements we are able to offer. In June/July 2024 placements were offered to two students in each office.

We hope that it will be the start of an ongoing relationship and we are very proud to confirm that we currently have students who participated in work experience placements working for us on a part-time basis in entry level positions and one is now undertaking qualifying training with us to become a solicitor.

Employability Partnership Certificate Of Appreciation

Adams Harrison Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation – what’s it all about?

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The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) is a quality assurance scheme introduced by the Law Society in 2011 and it has been widely adopted by many solicitors and law firms. There are now more than 3,000 solicitor firms who are accredited on the scheme.

Membership of CQS is designed to establish a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders eg regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers, and the core aims of the Scheme are to improve the quality and consistency of services provided by residential conveyancing practices, and to help combat fraud and money laundering.

There are significant overlaps between the Lexcel accreditation (which Adams Harrison have held for 25 years and an earlier post explained) and CQS, but to achieve the CQS accreditation firms must apply and demonstrate greater focus on risk management, compulsory training and client care in the relevant aspects of conveyancing work.

Adams Harrison were an early adopter, having held the CQS accreditation continuously since July 2011, and were delighted to renew their accreditation for a further 12 months in July 2024.

You can find out more about the Conveyancing Quality Scheme here:

https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/firm-accreditations/conveyancing-quality-scheme

Adams Harrison Customer Service Excellence (CSE) accreditation – what’s it all about?

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Adams Harrison are extremely proud to have held the Customer Service accreditation since 2021 and have recently re-accredited for a further three years.

Originally known as Charter Mark it was one of the consequences of a political iniative, the Citizen’s Charter, which was launched by Prime Minister John Major in 1991, with its purpose being to improve customer service and performance in the public sector.

Over time Charter Mark evolved and in 2005 it was reviewed and as a consequence the Customer Service Excellence standard was launched. Although the principle focus was on public sector organisatioons, voluntary organisations having more than 10% public funding and private subcontractors on public contracts

The Customer Service Excellence Standard is made up of 5 main criteria. Assessment is carried out annually via a desktop review followed by an onsite / or remote review which views physical documentation and also speaks to clients, staff and partners to review their attitudes and working practices and also the firm’s customer focussed initiatives and performance.

You can find out more about the Lexcel quality standard here: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/firm-accreditations/lexcel

*These are law firms who still exist as they did when they were first awarded the Lexcel accreditation. Some law firms who were awarded the accreditation on 25th May 1999 or earlier may have merged or been acquired by other firms.

Tracy Bonham celebrates 35 years’ service at Adams Harrison

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Tracy joined the practice when it was Adams and Land and shortly after she started Adams and Land merged with Harrison and Co to become Adams Harrison.

Tracy Bonham celebrates 35 years’ service at Adams Harrison

Tracy has worked in a number of roles in the Saffron Walden office during her 35 years, starting as Office Junior / Accounts Assistant. She then moved to Office Junior / Receptionist and then became a full time Receptionist.

Over the years Tracy took on more secretarial duties until she became secretary to Melanie Pratlett in the Private Client Department.

As she acquired more Private Client knowledge and skills her role evolved into more paralegal type work and she then became Probate Assistant to Melanie.

Tracy is not our only long serving employee celebrating a work anniversary this year.

In the past few weeks Michelle Salmon, who is a Residential Conveyancing Personal Assistant in Haverhill office, celebrated 25 years; and Amanda Cox, who is Receptionist / Office Administrator in Haverhill office, celebrated 25 years.

How do I start divorce proceedings?

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Divorce proceedings are now dealt with through an online court portal. Since this procedure came into force, you do not now need to site grounds for divorce i.e. adultery or two years separation, only that the marriage has broken down irretrievably.

You can only now apply for divorce through the court portal by making a sole application yourself or jointly with your spouse should you wish and provided you are both in agreement.

The initial steps consist of completing an online form with basic details of the parties and the marriage. You will also need to upload a full, clear, colour copy of your marriage certificate onto the court portal. If you do not have your original marriage certificate, you can apply for this online. There is usually a small fee for this and it should come through within a few weeks.

When applying for divorce, there is a court fee payable in the sum of £593 however, if you are on low income, you may be able to apply for fee exemption. In order to check if you are eligible for this, you need to complete a further online form called ‘How to apply for help with fees: EX160’. Once completed, if you are eligible for full fee exemption, you will be notified there and then and given a code to use when completing your divorce application. However, depending on your income, you may be required to pay a part payment towards the court fee but again, you will be notified of this.

Once you have uploaded your divorce application, the Court will then review this and provided this is completed correctly, they will then issue your divorce application and provide you with a unique 16 digit case number to use on all correspondence in connection with these proceedings.

We are experts at handling divorces from the simplest to the most complex, so when you are ready to proceed please do call and we will provide you the professional support you need at a difficult time in your life.

Emma Bilsborrow​​​​, Legal Executive, Partner

In celebrating 190 years of service staff donated items to local food banks

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Staff donated items to be delivered to local food banks to celebrate 190 years of service.

Donations from Haverhill staff were delivered to the Haverhill food bank, run by REACH, and donations from Sawston and Saffron Walden staff combined were delivered to Uttlesford food bank.

Louise Taghi, Practice Manager, said “Adams Harrison partners and staff understand the importance of not only serving the local community, but also of supporting the local community.”

Adams Harrison Saffron Walden and Sawston food bank donation

Adams Harrison Haverhill food bank donation

Do I need a solicitor for agreement on dividing up the finances in a divorce?

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You can complete the financial agreement yourself or ask a solicitor to do it for you. Though cheaper to apply for it yourself, for the reason that it requires cooperation from both parties it is better to instruct a solicitor to review the terms of the consent order (the legal document which confirms your agreement) before you file it with the court.

When deciding on a settlement the Court will take into account a list of factors that are contained in Section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 to include, but not limited to, income, earning capacity, property and other financial resources which each of the parties to the marriage has, or is likely to have in the foreseeable future, including each parties’ earning capacity, and the financial needs, obligations, responsibilities, and resources of the spouses, both during the marriage and after the marriage has ended. A settlement must be both fair and reasonable otherwise it will be rejected by the court.

Unless you have a Financial Remedy Order (the court order which sets out the financial arrangement between divorcing spouses) which is sealed by the Court, then irrespective of the time which has elapsed since your Final Order (previously called Decree Absolute) concluding the Divorce you remain at risk of a financial claim from the other party to include claims against pensions.

We are experts at handling divorces from the simplest to the most complex, so when you are ready to proceed please do call and we will provide you the professional support you need at a difficult time in your life.

Emma Bilsborrow​​​​, Legal Executive, Partner

Our Lexcel accreditation – what’s it all about?

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Adams Harrison are extremely proud to have held the Lexcel accreditation for 25 years.

The Law Society of England and Wales’ Lexcel quality mark is designed for legal practices that want to implement an effective practice management system.

First launched in 1998, Lexcel accreditation is a sign of quality, showcasing our firm’s commitment to sound practice management, and designed to give reassurance to our current and future clients that we are a firm built on trust and integrity.

According the Solicitors’ Regulatory Authority (SRA) as at the end of June 2024 there were a total of 9,958 law firms in England & Wales, ranging from sole practitioners to international firms. All may apply to hold the Lexcel accreditation.

Of those only 1,596 organisations hold the Lexcel accreditation.

We are in a group of only 14 law firms* who have held the Lexcel accreditation since 25th May 1999 or earlier.

You can find out more about the Lexcel quality standard here: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/firm-accreditations/lexcel

*These are law firms who still exist as they did when they were first awarded the Lexcel accreditation. Some law firms who were awarded the accreditation on 25th May 1999 or earlier may have merged or been acquired by other firms.

How long does a divorce take?

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A no fault Divorce allows for someone to make a sole application, which is then served on your former partner, or a joint application which a couple submits together.

An application for a no fault Divorce can be made online. All that is required are the names and addresses of both parties and the original or a certified copy of the marriage certificate.

If a sole application is made, the Court will send a copy of the Divorce Application (previously known as the Divorce Petition) to the other spouse. They are then required to confirm receipt of the Application and send an Acknowledgement of Service Form back to the Court within 14 days. The timescales relating to the no fault Divorce process are relatively straightforward. It is estimated that no fault Divorce takes a minimum of 26 weeks.

There are now two separate waiting periods. There is a 20 week waiting period for the Conditional Order to be issued (this was formerly known as the Decree Nisi), and a further 6 week waiting period for the Final Order (this was formerly known as the Decree Absolute).

The time it takes to finalise the Divorce will also depend on other factors, including the division of finances.

A no fault Divorce cannot be contested, except in limited circumstances where the Court feels empowered to investigate further, this might include where a Court does not have jurisdiction to deal with the Divorce, or the marriage is not valid.

We are experts at handling divorces from the simplest to the most complex, so when you are ready to proceed please do call and we will provide you the professional support you need at a difficult time in your life.

Emma Bilsborrow​​​​, Legal Executive, Partner

How much does a divorce cost?

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Divorce on its own is seldom expensive. The bulk of costs are usually accumulated resolving the matrimonial finances. How much it will cost to resolve financial issues typically depends on how complicated the finances are and how cooperative the other person is. Divorce costs in England and Wales can start from £500 to £650 plus 20% VAT and disbursements of £593 (no VAT).

Divorce costs in England and Wales will differ depending on the level of knowledge of the family lawyer. The applicant in the divorce proceedings should budget somewhere in the region of £500 – £650 plus 20% VAT for divorce costs. If you are the respondent in the proceedings, then the fees you pay are likely to be much lower and are unlikely to exceed a few hundred pounds.

Disbursements are expenses incurred by a solicitor whilst carrying out work on behalf of a client. In relation to divorce proceedings (for most people) this will simply be the divorce application fee (or disbursement) of £593 (no VAT). Other disbursements that could be incurred are paying out for a certified copy of your marriage certificate if you have lost your original marriage certificate or organising for a translation of the marriage certificate if the certificate is in a language other than English.

We are experts at handling divorces from the simplest to the most complex, so when you are ready to proceed please do call and we will provide you the professional support you need at a difficult time in your life.

Emma Bilsborrow​​​​; Legal Executive, Partner Family Department