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Everyone seems to be talking about the news that Angelina and Brad have separated. The divorce has been filed in the USA and therefore the law is somewhat different to that in England and Wales. Angelina has apparently filed for divorce on the grounds of...
David Cameron says every school in England should become an Academy because Academies have improved standards and power should be in the hands of head teachers and teachers. Academies are independent, state-funded schools that operate outside of Local...
Bedminster had a Winter Wonderland Festival on 27, 28 and 29 February 2016. Sophie Warner decorated the upstairs windows of the North Street office with paper cranes. The effect was amazing! ...
On February 3rd 2016 Watkins Solicitors raised an impressive £74.49 for the Great Legal Bake which raised money for legal advice agencies in the South West of England! There were some fantastic cakes baked and several members of staff made...
Watkins Solicitors speak at Bristol Autism Support – dispelling more myths about exclusion and school transport for children and young people with SEN and/or a disability. Liz Smith and Beverley Watkins gave a talk at a Bristol Autism...
These arrived in our Bedminster office today… ...
It’s the New Year and for many of us this offers the chance for a fresh start and a fresh outlook. Some of us will finally commit to that long overdue gym membership, whilst others may simply see the New Year as an incentive to get things...
Education Law Lydia has a Law Degree and was awarded her Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice in June 2015. She has always had a keen interest in Education Law, having a brother with Autism and other learning difficulties. She also wrote her...
The fee for issuing divorce proceedings is set to increase to £550 from £410. The same fee applies to applications for a Decree of Nullity or for a dissolution of a civil partnership. At Watkins Solicitors we offer fixed fee divorce...
We are delighted to announce that Zina Ruffino, Solicitor, has been shortlisted in the category of “Junior Lawyer of the Year” at the forthcoming Bristol Law Society Annual Awards. Zina Ruffino qualified in 2012. Prior to that she was a...
‘The ABC of ABA’ – designed to inform parents of children who have a diagnosis of Autism about ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis). Beverley Watkins opened the conference and welcomed everybody. She gave the following examples of comments...
When purchasing your new home, the solicitor carrying out the conveyancing will carry out a number of searches on your behalf. A Local Authority search is just one of the searches which is carried out and can be very helpful. For example if you were buying...
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The issue of Female Genitalia Mutilation (FGM) has been frequently discussed in the press and championed by a number of different celebrities. The police and local authorities are concerned about the number of young girls in the UK who are at risk of FGM...
Natalie joined Watkins Solicitors in September 2014 whilst she was completing her final year of a law degree at UWE. She is the third student to undertake a work placement with the ‘Law in Action’ module. Here is what she had to say about her...
In order to qualify for a student loan, a student must (a) be resident in England when the academic year begins (b) has been lawfully ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom for the three years before then and (c) be settled in the United Kingdom on that...
When dealing with financial matters following a divorce, it is always advisable to have a final Order which sets out the agreement reached. Once a final Order is made in respect of financial matters, it is only in “exceptional circumstances” that...
As many as 40% of children lose contact with their grandparents following parental separation. Grandparents often wrongly assume that they have ‘grandparents rights’ and have the legal right to see their grandchildren. This is not the case....
Local Government Ombudsman Reports: St Edmond Arrowsmith Roman Catholic High School, Wigan (14005154, 14006249 and 14010168) and Kingston-upon Hull City Council (14008195) Every year there are a number of complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO)...
A new report by the TUC and Women’s Aid – Women’s experience of financial abuse and potential implications for Universal Credit, published on 12th March 2015 https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/FinancialAbuse.pdf – highlights...
Research carried out by the Centre on the developing child at Harvard University shows that early experiences influence your child’s brain development, even before your child is born. The period from conception to the first three years of a...
In February 2015 the Judiciary of England and Wales produced a report of Vulnerable Witnesses and Children working Group. The Outcome of that report (although a further report is due in July 15) is summarised below; 1. That the term vulnerable witnesses...
Beverley Watkins of Watkins Solicitors is well regarded by market commentators, with one commenting that “I completely trust and respect her.” She is highly regarded for her SEN work and has great skill in handling disability cases. ...
See Law Society Gazette article here ...
In the long term this may not be good for solicitors, says Beverley Watkins as firms are bound to cut their training budgets. Firms which currently provide training for solicitors are also likely to close. For more details see article in Gazette ....
Beverley Watkins is mentioned in the Times article concerning school admissions. Beverley has advised parents in respect of school admissions for over 15 years. ...
Bristol have had Jenny Jones break records at Sochi but on Sunday Victoria Shufflebotham will be attempting to break another record – she will be trying to get into the Guinness book of records for the fastest women to run the London marathon in a...
Bric a Brac Sale – what a splendid day! After all the rain the sun finally shone on 7th March 2014 so that we could put up our yarn bombing outside our Kingswood office in time for our bric-a-brac sale on the following day. The office really did...
Special Educational Needs – time limits for appealing. When a Local Authority issues a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Amended Statement, accompanying the Statement or Amended Statement will be a letter informing the parent that they...
Beverley Watkins, comments, “It is already a criminal offence to assault another person, we already have offences of assault, GBH etc. The real issue is the way domestic violence is treated by the police and the Courts. The police frequently, despite a...
We are running the London marathon to raise money for Survive and the Bourne Family Centre (part of the Aid International charity). These are both really worthwhile charities working in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire area. Like many small charities...
A couple who took their children on a week long holiday during school term have been ordered by Magistrates to pay £993 in costs and fines. Stuart and Natasha Sutherland from Telford, Shropshire, originally refused to pay a £360 fine. It doubled...
Liz Smith recently successfully argued that Bromley Council caused delay, distress, uncertainty and failed to arrange special educational provision for a young man with selective mutism and severe anxiety. The Council had delayed by 15 months issuing a...
Watkins Solicitors celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Southville office with a party! Luckily the weather held. ...
Last week at the Marriott’s City Centre Hotel saw the annual Bristol Law Society awards handed out to the cream of the legal profession in Bristol. The event attracted over 300 lawyers and guests and was hosted by Mr Ashley Palminteri, the President...
We are active in the local legal community, including engaging with and encouraging the next generation of lawyers. Here’s a good example of us working with students studying law at UWE Bristol in this short film from UWE. Find out more about our...
Nominees shortlist for Bristol Law Society’s 2013 Awards Each year the Bristol Legal Society awards legal companies and individuals for their contribution to legal services in the the local area. This year, we are pleased to say, Watkins have been...
In certain cases parents or the court might decide that there should be a period of supervised contact. It might be appropriate for there to be supervised contact for a number of reason such as the amount of time that has passed since a child has seen the...
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE BAD WEATHER FORECAST ...
Christopher Dean a local photographer has been taking photographs of people in their whose gardens have won a gold award in the Bedminster Garden competition. Chris visited our office garden one August summer evening when Vicky from Paper Village had called...
Some times it just makes us feel good to read a ‘feel good story.’ 2012 will of course be remembered for the London Olympics which resulted in a number of tear jerking stories about the sacrifice and pain of athletes in making it to the Olympics....
Confidentiality is at the heart of everything a solicitor does. It is astonishing therefore to discover that a partner in a solicitors firm which deals with entertainment law was at the heart of the disclosure that Robert Glbraith was a pseudonym for JK...
What is Law in Action? Law in Action is a third year module run by the University of the West of England ( www.uwe.ac.uk ). There are two elements to the course. One area focuses on promoting the University in the community by carrying out events and the...
Watkins Solicitors celebrate the opening of their second office in Kingswood with a traditional tea party and cutting of the ribbon. Contact us for more information....
In September 2012, Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, admitted in the Commons that pupils had been unfairly treated A claim for judicial review has been lodged by a group of Headteachers and Local Authorities in the wake of the dispute which...
He has had no contact with the family since 2004 but the CSA have asked him to pay maintenance. A gay man from Essex who donated his sperm to enable a lesbian couple to have two children, but who was never named on their birth certificate and had no role in...
The firm was at the forefront of the campaign against the cuts for legal aid making the local evening tv news ! Read the full story here ...
The recent case of ‘S’ will make depressing reading for many fathers who are striving to have contact with their children. The background to the case is that S, aged 12, had been the subject of court proceedings almost continuously since 1999....
Unmarried couples should prepare for all eventualities says Law Society The Law Society says unmarried couples are at risk if they don’t plan or prepare for all eventualities when co-habiting or combining assets. Following a recent case where a man...
