DTM Celebrate winning Business Award

DTM have been awarded the Business Start Up Award at the Cheshire Business Awards held at the Queen's Hotel Chester on 19 November 2009.

The awards which are organised by Trinity Mirror Cheshire were hosted by TV news presenter Lucy Meacock .

Julie Mogan a Partner at DTM said:

"It has been a fantastic 12 months at DTM seeing us almost double in size from an initial team of 19 to 37. Its been a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun along the way and winning this award is the icing on the cake.

None of this would be possible without the fantastic team at DTM and the clients and business contacts who support us."

Top Tips on land Registration

Land Registry figures indicate that 30% of England and Wales remains unregistered, the Land Registry have for some years now offered a 25% discount on voluntary registrations.


There are benefits of registering your land and registration itself provides security of title which in turn provides a better protection against claims for adverse possession.

By registering your land you will gain a better certainty and security about your ownership. Typically unregistered title deeds are held by land owners, their solicitor or if charged by the bank. Registration leads to an electronic register and the Land Registry’s aim being to have a ‘complete register’ therefore any relevant information is either set out in the register itself or copies of the relevant documents are ‘filed’ and can be obtained from the Land Registry.

Points to consider as a landowner regarding land registration are:

1. Locate your deeds - are these with your bank, solicitors, at your offices, at home, under the mattress (it has happened before!);
2. Establish the extent of your ownership - i.e compare what you think you own on the ground with what the deeds say you own;
3. Are the boundaries correct? If necessary you may need to walk them to double check;
4. Ensure you have all the deeds/documentation you need to prove you have good title to your land - the rules require evidence of a good 'Root of Title' 15 years is the minimum;
5. Do the deeds show you as the legal owner?;
6. Does the plan/s and description in the Deeds adequately describe my land?
   

The Land Registry website provides guidance on registration and DTM's Property team have experience in land registration from dealing with a small plot/property to the registration of complex estates to date up to 6,000 acres.

If you're land is unregistered and you wish to fully protect it by registration please contact Thomas Pearson for assistance with the process.

Selling your company : 10 practical steps to make life easier when going through a company sale process

1. Check you have your statutory books and that they are up to date;

2. Check you have a signed employment contract for each employee and that your employment contracts comply with current legislation;

3. Check you have written agreements with all important customers/suppliers;

4. Check your insurance cover is adequate;

5. Check you are registered with the appropriate agencies (e.g. Information Commissioner);

6. Check your IT has all the necessary licenses;

7. Check your IP is adequately protected;

8. Check your property arrangements are in accordance with the documentation;

9. Check your banking/finance arrangements are all in order; and

10. Check you have in place the correct professional advisors (e.g. appropriately experienced lawyers).


DTM's company commercial team have a wealth of experience in assisting clients through the whole process.

DTM launches a series of 'Top Tips'

We are often asked by clients and work referrers for our top tips, points to consider etc on one legal topic or another.

So we thought we would run a series of entries on our blog with top tips on varying legal topics in the run up to the end of the financial year.

Please follow the blog to see each new entry and if there are any particular topics you wish us to cover please let us know

Specialists at DTM prepare for further seminar

Following the success of the seminar - Are you ready for the Upturn? at last month's Flintshire Business Week, a panel of specialists in their field from DTM are preparing to present this seminar at Wrexham Business Week on 19th November.

The seminar provides practical advice over four main areas: Business, Intellectual Property, Commercial Property and Employment and DTM's specialists look at key points that businesses and their advisors should be considering in the current financial climate.

To book a place on this seminar please contact Sarah Moss

Elective Surgery and Company Sick Pay - when to exercise discretion?

Sickness absence and sick pay are two areas that can cause headaches and the particular area I would like to open for discussion is elective surgery. Of course SSP is payable whether required or optional surgery.

An elective surgery is a planned, non-emergency surgical procedure. It may be either medically required or optional surgery.

It is unlikely an employee will notify his or her employer of what in most cases will be a very sensitive issue for example if the employee is to undergo surgical enhancements.

Should an employee who has chosen to change the shape of their nose for example be treated any differently from somebody who has chosen for medical reasons to have laser eye surgery?

What if there are complications post surgery and the employee is signed off work by their doctor? Do you have the power to exercise discretion and should you exercise discretion over Company sick pay? If so in which of the two circumstances should you (medically required or optional)? Or if not why not?

Gender reassignment may be the first issue to come to mind. Would you treat an employee differently from one undergoing gender reassignment treatment/surgery?

Do you have a policy to deal with elective surgery and have you considered indirect discrimination?

Paul Edwards heads up our Employment Team and welcomes your comments and views on this topic