Branch Austin McCormick

10/06/2025

We're Walking for Justice!
On Tuesday 17th June, our team will be joining thousands of fellow legal professionals, including the Lady Chief Justice, to take part in the 2025 London Legal Walk. We'll be walking 10km through London to raise vital funds for the London Legal Support Trust, which helps people access life changing free legal advice.

Many across the UK are unable to afford legal support, with 1 in 5 people living in poverty. The LLST helps fund organisations that provide free advice and guidance to those who need it most, including people like Mike, who faced homelessness after losing his job and being wrongly threatened with eviction.

Our team of walkers includes:
Caroline Wallis, Gina Payne, Martin Donoghue, Julius Brookman, John Pegg, Charlotte Catto, Hal Branch, Sarita Ghere, Emily Iveson, Tatyana Talyanskaya, Sarah Radley, Aida Vysniauskaite, Caroline Ford, Sophie Francis, Robyn Allardice, Joe McCormick, Miriam Spero, and Gorkem Ozsoy.

Every step we take helps protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

Please sponsor us and support access to justice for all: https://londonlegalsupporttrust.enthuse.com/pf/branch-austin-mccormick-2025

10/06/2025

Since 2022, legal reforms in England and Wales has allowed couples to file for divorce jointly. This change aims to reduce conflict by eliminating the need to cite any specific reason for the divorce, other than the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage and by removing the option to make allegations about the other spouse's behaviour.

Couples are now able to instruct one lawyer instead of a lawyer each to resolve family issues such as:
• Divorce proceedings
• Fairly dividing matrimonial finances
• Establishing workable child arrangements

Key advantages are that this can:
• Minimise legal costs
• Avoiding stressful court hearings

Pep Guardiola and his wife are reportedly using this "one couple, one lawyer" sensible approach to facilitate an amicable and efficient divorce process.

Caroline Ford, a family law expert with over 22 years of experience, offers a unique, cost-effective approach, guiding both parties through the divorce process. This joint approach fosters collaboration, reduces legal fees, and helps couples maintain amicable relationships, essential when children are involved. It’s a practical solution for those aiming to separate constructively and efficiently. Click here to read more: https://branchaustinmccormick.com/one-lawyer-two-clients-both-spouses-both-cohabitants-both-parents-resolution-together/

06/06/2025

Starting a business in the UK is exciting, but it's crucial not to overlook the legal foundations that will protect your business for the future.

Martin Donoghue in our corporate team has outlined some key commercial contracts that UK startups may need - and why they are so important – in our latest Top 10 business advice article: https://branchaustinmccormick.com/building-on-solid-ground-key-commercial-contracts-for-uk-startups/

Contact our team if you’d like to find out more and have a free consultation: https://lnkd.in/eDG6VMMt

06/06/2025

We would like to wish all our clients, friends, and family celebrating a Happy Eid Al Adha.

05/06/2025

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us last night at the Lansdowne Club for our Employment Law Seminar.

It was a pleasure to welcome guests and clients from embassies, consulates and our wider network to discuss the latest developments in English employment law and their implications for diplomatic missions and their staff.

We are especially grateful to our speakers, Elliot Hammer (Partner and Head of Employment, Branch Austin McCormick), Joel Wallace (Barrister, Littleton Chambers), and our esteemed panel guest, Andrew Rosindell MP, for their valuable insights and contributions to a lively and thought provoking discussion.

Thank you also to the Lansdowne Club for providing such an elegant setting for the evening, complete with excellent hospitality.

We look forward to continuing the conversation and if you would like to attend our next event, please email us your details at [email protected]

https://branchaustinmccormick.com/practice-areas/employment-law-for-employees/

28/05/2025

Thinking about marriage and wondering how to protect your assets?

Senior Associate, Gorkem Ozsoy, recently helped a Venture Capitalist client create a tailored pre-nuptial agreement ahead of his wedding to an art curator. With significant investments, a luxury Kensington property, and a shared passion for art, it was vital to safeguard his finances and their valuable joint art collection. By clearly defining ownership of pre-marital assets, shared art pieces, and future acquisitions, Gorkem ensured clarity, fairness, and peace of mind for both partners: https://branchaustinmccormick.com/the-importance-of-pre-nuptial-agreements/

Whether it's your first or second marriage, a well-drafted pre-nup can protect what matters most.

Need advice on pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreements? Our expert family law team is here to help: https://branchaustinmccormick.com/practice-areas/family-law/

27/05/2025

Have you divorced overseas and received little or no financial provision?
Under Part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, individuals who’ve divorced abroad may be eligible to seek financial relief through the courts in England and Wales, particularly where the outcome overseas failed to meet their reasonable needs. But strict jurisdictional and discretionary criteria apply. Read more: https://branchaustinmccormick.com/can-i-apply-to-the-english-court-for-financial-provision-after-getting-divorced-abroad-financial-relief-after-an-overseas-divorce/

Mira Gohil-Patel, a divorce lawyer with 20+ years of experience, can guide you through these complex applications. Whether you're bringing or defending a Part III claim, we offer free initial consultations to help you understand your options.

Contact us today to see how we can support you: https://branchaustinmccormick.com/practice-areas/family-law/

22/05/2025

As the next step in our series of articles on things to consider when doing business in the UK, we’re taking a look at the Top 10 Legal and Compliance Issues that directors need to be aware of. Harender Branch has outlined 10 key issues which we often come across when advising start-ups, SMEs and family-owned businesses: https://branchaustinmccormick.com/top-10-legal-and-compliance-issues-facing-directors-of-private-companies/

Contact our team if you’d like to find out more and have a free consultation: https://lnkd.in/eDG6VMMt

19/05/2025

We act for Josy in her claim against her employer following her attempted murder by her employer’s son. This is a truly horrific case. It has been widely reported in the media including in the Daily Mail today. Josy is left destitute and living off charity after the attack. Her employer, Sylvia Bourne knew or should have known that her son was an extreme danger to Josy, but she did nothing. Her son, Maximillian attacked Josy over 40 times with a knife, leaving her with life changing injuries. We have tried to resolve matters with Mrs Bourne but she has ignored all our approaches other than to instruct her lawyers, who have equally failed to respond substantively.

BAM Partner, Hal Branch told the Mail. ‘She was the victim of a near-fatal attack while working as a housekeeper. We will be seeking justice for the devastating harm she has endured.’

Josy urgently needs to bring court proceedings and needs medical reports to do so. She has no money to pay for those reports and has set up a crowd funding page in the hope that the generosity of others will enable her to do: https://lnkd.in/e8kWEA27

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14724997/nice-boy-Chelsea-20m-house-cleaner-evil-demon-stab.html

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Three short words - 'Josy, come outside' - was all that marked the start of the devastating knife attack in which a live-in maid almost bled to death in a £20 million Chelsea townhouse last year.

12/05/2025

Branch Austin McCormick partner Elliot Hammer successfully represented the Free Speech Union (FSU) in the Court of Appeal case Higgs v Farmor’s School. Click to read more: https://branchaustinmccormick.com/press-release-partner-elliot-hammer-to-represent-the-free-speech-union-in-supreme-court-case-higgs-v-farmors-school/

12/05/2025

Since 2022, legal reforms in England and Wales has allowed couples to file for divorce jointly. This change aims to reduce conflict by eliminating the need to cite any specific reason for the divorce, other than the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage and by removing the option to make allegations about the other spouse's behaviour.

Couples are now able to instruct one lawyer instead of a lawyer each to resolve family issues such as:
• Divorce proceedings
• Fairly dividing matrimonial finances
• Establishing workable child arrangements

Key advantages are that this can:
• Minimise legal costs
• Avoiding stressful court hearings

Pep Guardiola and his wife are reportedly using this "one couple, one lawyer" sensible approach to facilitate an amicable and efficient divorce process.

Caroline Ford, a family law expert with over 22 years of experience, offers a unique, cost-effective approach, guiding both parties through the divorce process. This joint approach fosters collaboration, reduces legal fees, and helps couples maintain amicable relationships, essential when children are involved. It’s a practical solution for those aiming to separate constructively and efficiently. Click here to read more: https://branchaustinmccormick.com/one-lawyer-two-clients-both-spouses-both-cohabitants-both-parents-resolution-together/

08/05/2025

We’ve been looking at a range of things to consider when doing business in the UK.

This week, John Pegg in our Corporate team has shared the top 10 provisions every shareholder agreement should include, which are essential for protecting the interests of shareholders in a company: https://branchaustinmccormick.com/top-10-provisions-every-shareholder-agreement-needs/

Contact our team if you’d like to find out more and have a free consultation: https://lnkd.in/eDG6VMMt