In the media there has been controversy over a “shipping company with no ships”, Seaborne Freight (UK) Limited, that has been awarded a £14 million government contract in readiness for Brexit.

Ridicule has been heaped on the company in many publications because of the ‘terms and conditions’ that were published on its website at https://seabornefreight.com/. The terms and conditions that appeared on Seaborne Freight (UK) Ltd’s website stated:

“It is the responsibility of the customer to thoroughly check the supplied goods before agreeing to pay for any meal/order.”

It would appear that at least some of the published terms and conditions have been prepared for reasons other than freight shipping. The words in the excerpt have now been removed, presumably because of all the press attention. One would expect the company to have moved quickly to repair the damage to its corporate image that has resulted but no. As of today (04 January 2019) another section remains which is laid out thus:

“Seaborne Freight (UK) Limited and any

disclose, distribute, incorporate and otherwise use that material and all data, images, sounds, text and other things embodied in it for any and all commercial or non-commercial purposes.”

There is a noticeable gap between the word ‘any’ and the word ‘disclose’ which means the words on either side of that gap do not form a coherent sentence. Whatever editing was carried out by the company since this story hit the news has obviously been clumsy and less than thorough.

As the government are proposing to spend taxpayers’ money with this company the negative reaction has put the transport secretary in a bad light and brought questions as to what sort of due diligence the government carried out before awarding the contract.

A company website is a shop window to the world. Putting up terms of business copied from elsewhere without thought is a cheap shortcut, illustrative of a company whose managers do not care about important things. Also copying terms from elsewhere on the internet without permission is unlawful as it breaches the owner’s copyright. Terms and conditions are intended to create legal relations between the company and a customer. If there is a problem with a customer, how is a Court going to identify the obligations arising out of shipping freight relationship when the terms and conditions refer to food?

This sorry tale provides a stark illustration of how quickly a carefully cultivated business image can fall apart and how it can have a negative effect on customers of that business. For the sake of a modest expenditure, we work with the director(s) to prepare terms of business that fit around the business model. This process also helps the directors to understand how the law interacts with their particular business. After Seaborne Freight UK Ltd the benefits become obvious.

If you want to discuss your own business terms without obligation, please contact Stuart on 01543 440 308 or email on admin@fouroakslegalservices.com.

Making Dementia Friends

Joanna Parkin recently became a Dementia Friends Champion, meaning she is able to deliver Dementia Friends information sessions on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society.  The Dementia Friends programme is a social action movement designed to change the way we act, think and talk about dementia.

“I have previously attended a Dementia Friends Information Session and found it really interesting and helpful with my understanding of people who are living with dementia. I wanted to join my colleague Beckie Head in becoming a Champion and keep spreading the word”, says Joanna.

Information sessions can be run for groups of 5 people upwards.  Should you or your business be interested in hosting a free session, please contact Joanna on 01543 440308.

Further information about the Dementia Friends programme can be found here https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/

A recent gift to the charity Oxfam has highlighted the importance of making a provision in your Will for the unlikely event that the whole family should die with you or before you.

Richard Cousins was the head of Compass, a successful Catering company, and had an estate worth in excess of £40m. On 31^st December 2017, he was with his fiancée and 2 sons (aged 25 and 23) when the plane they were all flying in crashed into a river in Australia and all on board were killed.

Cousins’ Will provided that his estate would pass to his sons, sadly they died with him. His Will included a long stop provision that should his sons also pass away then the bulk of his fortune would pass to his chosen charity, Oxfam. Without this provision, his estate would have been governed by intestacy rules.

At Four Oaks Legal Services, when we talk to you about making a Will, of course we look at family members you wish to provide for in the first instance but often, particularly where children are young and it is likely that you travel together, or where the family is small, we will advise you to name a ‘long stop’ individual or charity who would be entitled to benefit should those first in line have passed away.

Hopefully, the worst won’t happen but if it does then it’s important to have a plan in place. Many charities rely on legacies in wills and in 2017 legacy giving accounted for over half the single source of funding for charities.

If we can help with updating or making a new Will for you please contact Rebecca or Joanna on 0121 308 8231 or e-mail us at rebecca@fouroakslegalservices.com or joanna@fouroakslegalservices.com

 

We are pleased to announce that we are expanding and will be opening our new Lichfield office at Ground Floor, New Media House, Lichfield, WS14 9DZ on Monday 22nd October.  

We have outgrown our offices at 168 Birmingham Road, which has been our home for the last 2 and a half years.  New Media House will become our main office but we will continue to offer appointments at 168 Birmingham Road, Shenstone Wood End, WS14 0NX as we currently do now.  Therefore clients who visit us at our offices can choose which location they wish to visit.

The new Lichfield office is on the outskirts of Lichfield and there is plenty of parking at the rear of the office.  We will be based on the ground floor with an easily accessible meeting room.

We look forward to welcoming you to our new office soon!

We reported back in February that the Office of the Public Guardian would be making partial refunds to people who had paid to register their Lasting Powers of Attorney between the 1^st April 2013 and the 31^st March 2017.  This was due to the Office of the Public Guardian making savings on their operating costs which weren’t passed onto the public during that time.

Following a Freedom of Information request, the Office of the Public Guardian have confirmed that as at the end of August, there have only been 158,212 claims made for refunds.  The OPG believes there are over a million potential refunds due.

If you might be due a refund and you haven’t yet made a claim, full details can be found on the Government website https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney-refund

Applications can be made online or by telephoning the Office of the Public Guardian on 0300 456 0300 (choose option 6).

On Wednesday 12^th September 2018, Four Oaks Legal Services and Tamworth Wellbeing and Cancer Support Centre, held their inaugural charity golf day at Aston Wood Golf Club.

Ten teams played the 18 hole course at Aston Wood, including a team made up of former football manager Ron Atkinson, former Aston Villa footballer Steve Staunton and local Birmingham based actor Mitch Powell, in superb September weather.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the golfers, the sponsors and our hosts at Aston Wood, the day was a great success and raised a whopping £2,209.15 for Tamworth Wellbeing and Support Centre!

A huge congratulations go to the winning team ‘The Peaky Blinders’, consisting of our very special guests Ron Atkinson, Steve Staunton, Mitch Powell and Aston Wood Manager Simon Smith.  Also, a well done to the best individual player Richard Bywater and the runner up, our very own Stuart McIntosh. Nearest the pin winner was Simon Trevelyan of Four Oaks Financial Services.  The longest drive winner was John Burton and the putting competition winner was Mark Blake – congratulations to you all!

Finally, we would like to thank our sponsors for the event, who helped raise much needed funds for the charity.  To you all, we are very grateful:-

Please keep Wednesday 11^th September 2019 free as we are planning to do it all over again!

Aston Wood Golf Club

• 98% of people in the West Midlands leave important health and welfare decisions to chance
• 71% would like a family member to make medical and care decisions on their behalf, in the event of mental incapacity
• 80% of people in the West Midlands are worried about dementia and losing the ability to make decisions for themselves
• 81% haven’t discussed end of life medical and care wishes
• 36% admit to having made no provisions at all, such as a will, Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), pension or funeral plan

Coalition of partners join forces to warn of ‘incapacity crisis’ led by SFE, including Baroness Ilora Finlay, Alzheimer’s Society, Dying Matters, Age UK, Anchor, and SOLLA

A new report from SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) and independent think tank, Centre for Future Studies, reveals the UK is leaving medical and care preferences to chance. The report looks at the ever-increasing number of people living with dementia which, combined with the failure to plan ahead for mental incapacity, exposes a looming crisis.

The study found 98% of people in the West Midlands have not made necessary provisions, should they lose capacity from conditions like dementia. A further 36% admit to having made no provisions at all for later life, including a will, pension, funeral plan or LPA.
The research found that 80% of people in the region are worried about dementia and losing the ability to make decisions for themselves, but 81% have not spoken about, or even considered, personal medical and care end of life decisions.
A staggering 70% of people incorrectly believe that their next of kin can specify what they would have wanted if they are no longer able to and 71% of the public would like a family member to make medical and care decisions on their behalf.

69% of people incorrectly believe that their spouse has the power to do so

80% of those in the West Midlands are worried about becoming mentally incapacitated and losing the ability to make decisions for themselves

60% believe that being on the NHS organ donor register ensures that organs are donated following death, however this is not the case.

Only 2% of Britons surveyed in the West Midlands by SFE have a health and welfare LPA in place.

SFE is urging the nation to act now to avoid this incapacity crisis by planning ahead in case of mental incapacity.

It is crucial to have a conversation with loved ones in order to make specific medical and care wishes known – such as, where you are cared for, whether you wish to be an organ donor and whether or not you would want to be resuscitated – otherwise there is a risk your preferences are not taken into account.

The campaign calls on people to act now and start a conversation with loved ones about end of life topics to remove the stigma surrounding the discussion.

Lakshmi Turner, Chief Executive of SFE, said:

“Most of us do not like thinking about, let alone talking about, death, disability or disease, despite the fact that it touches all our lives – but it is essential that we do so.

“Whilst it’s great that more and more of us are putting wills in place and establishing plans for finances and assets, far too few of us are planning ahead for our health and care needs and wishes, leaving this to chance.

“It’s time to set the record straight. Planning ahead by talking to family or friends shouldn’t be seen as doom and gloom, it’s about having a positive conversation about welfare, empowering your loved ones and making the decision-making process easier for everyone.”

Professor Ilora, the Baroness Finlay, states: “With decades of experience working and campaigning around palliative medicine, the low numbers of health and welfare lasting power of attorneys is of concern.

“When a person loses capacity to take decisions, it is sad to see families and professionals struggling to try to determine what a person would have wanted. Delays and distress can be avoided by appointing someone to speak for you when you can no longer speak up for yourself.

“Discussing medical and care wishes ahead of time ensures that care can respect an individual’s wishes, with the respect they deserve – even when it comes to fulfilling wishes after death, such as organ donation.

“It’s important to have an open discussion about future illnesses and possible incapacity. I urge the millions of people who haven’t given loved ones the opportunity to listen, to act now.”

Jeremy Hughes CBE, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Society

“We welcome this initiative. Lasting powers of attorney for health and welfare too often get overlooked.

“People with dementia have the right to make choices about their care, just like anyone else. Making someone they trust their attorney for health and welfare is one of the ways people can do this. A health and welfare LPA provides reassurance to them and the act of creating one can start useful conversations about the future with family and friends.”

 

To download the report, a short video and infographics, visit https://sfe.legal/the-incapacity-crisis-a-nation-unprepared/