Minimising Your Debt
By Ashleigh John
Ashleigh John is a Solicitor at Mullane & Lindsay in Newcastle and specialises in our Family & Relationship Law Team.
Interest rates rising; employment levels dropping; trying to recover from ‘Christmas on credit’ – in these tough economic times it is easy for bills to build up and debts to spiral out of control.
Allowing debts to get out of control can have dire consequences for the individual, including inability to obtain credit in the future, bankruptcy or loss of your family home or life savings. Read the rest of this entry »
Managing Workplace Surveillance – Computer
By Kristy Nunn
Kristy Nunn is a Senior Solicitor at Mullane & Lindsay in Newcastle and specialises in our Dispute Resolution & Litigation team.
As employees are frequently spending more time at the office, the use of office computers for personal use is become an increasing issue for all employers. Usually a workplace has a policy on use of the internet and work emails by employees for private reasons. There will often be some give and take over this issue as long as employees act responsibly. Read the rest of this entry »
Making a Power of Attorney – Part 2
By Robert Lindsay
Robert Lindsay is a Director at Mullane & Lindsay in Newcastle and leads our Commercial & Property Law team.
The Powers of Attorney Act provides that an Attorney is not entitled to benefit himself or herself unless the Principal (the person appointing the attorney) specifically empowers the Attorney to do so in the Power of Attorney. It is commonplace for a spouse to appoint his or her spouse as Attorney. Often a substitute Attorney is not appointed in the event that the spouse dies or is unable to act as the Attorney. Section 12 (2) of the Powers of Attorney Act allows a clause to be added to the Power of Attorney whereby the Principal authorises the Attorney to confer benefits on the Attorney to meet his or her reasonable living and medical expenses.
Making a Power of Attorney – Part 1
By Robert Lindsay
Robert Lindsay is a Director at Mullane & Lindsay in Newcastle and leads our Commercial & Property Law team.
A Power of Attorney is a document which enables a person (the Principal) to appoint another person to be his or her Attorney. Subject to the terms of the Power of Attorney, the Attorney is free to make business decisions for the Principal. The Power of Attorney can become effective immediately or at some future time. When the Power of Attorney becomes effective it does not mean that the Principal loses the ability to make his own business decisions. It simply means that there is a second person who can also make business decisions for the Principal. The Powers of Attorney Act 2003 sets down the rules relating to Powers of Attorney.
If a Principal appoints two or more Attorneys then they can be appointed either jointly, or jointly and severally. If the Attorneys are appointed jointly then all decisions by them must be joint. If they are appointed jointly and severally then the Attorneys can make independent decisions. Read the rest of this entry »