Legal EYE - February 2016 edition

We're pleased announce the publication of the February 2016 edition of Legal EYE. To view it click here. in this edition:

MARTIN CAREY CELEBRATES 15 YEARS AT SCULLION LAW
Our Director celebrates 15 years at Scullion LAW. Martin is Head of our Property Department which has grown from strength to strength under his leadership.

CALL US TODAY TO CREATE YOUR WILL FOR FREE
This month we're again promoting the Marie Curie Free Wills campaign where any person over 55 years of age for whom we prepare a simple Will will not be charged. You can read all the details in Legal EYE or call us now on 01698 283 265 to make an appointment.

LOOKING FABULOUS AT THE BAR
We recently attended the Glasgow Bar Association Annual Dinner held in the stunning Grand Central Hotel on 5th February. it was an excellent event and gave our lawyers the change to mingle with their peers in a social setting! You can see all the photos from the event on our Facebook page.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
This month we offer our congratulations to Stuart Gilmour, a conveyancing clerk in our busy Property Department. Stuart is popular with clients and colleagues and in voting for him, his colleagues said he was friendly, positive, helpful, willing, kind and eager to learn.

IN THE FRAME
In the Frame this month is solicitor Jason Stark. Jason, who has been with Scullion LAW since 2011, heads up our Criminal Team and was recently promoted to Associate Director.

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
This month our "Your Questions Answered" feature looks at a question one of our clients sent into us by email. Here's the question:

"I was at the pub last Thursday and got caught in a brawl with my ex girlfriends brother. He kept eyeing me up and bumping into me. He said if he EVER saw me in there again - in HIS pub, then I wouldn't be able to walk out of there cos he would break both my legs. I felt threatened and in defence I pushed him away from me - but he accidentally fell and hit his head off a table edge and is still in Hospital. I didn't mean to cause him any harm and I need legal advice. Please help me…."

You can read the answer in this month's edition of Legal EYE.

Buying or Selling a Home in Scotland - use Scullion LAW

Scotland has it's own legal system and law governing ownership of land and property. We at Scullion LAW can act for the buyer or seller. If you are searching for an experienced team of Property Lawyers to handle your 'Conveyancing' then call us 01698 283 265 or email info@scullionlaw.com

WHAT YOU PAY FOR AT SCULLION LAW

Conveyancing – is the process in which solicitors THOROUGHLY check all the information involved in a house purchase or sale - on your behalf. We ask you to place your trust and money, in the hands of  our experienced professionals in return for a bespoke service. 

Often you are paying for a service which you don't fully understand. There is a lot of paperwork involved and our job is to guide you through the whole process (which can often be complex and stressful) and simplify all the details so that you focus on the JOY of moving house.

We want you to feel the money you invest in return for our TIME, CARE and EXPERTISE is exceptional value due to the high levels of service you receive... You can read more about house purchases on the Law Society of Scotland's website. 

MAKING AN OFFER AND CONCLUDING MISSIVES

The buyer's solicitor makes a written offer to buy and the seller's solicitor accepts it in writing. The Solicitors then exchange letters clarifying the details and conditions of the offer and acceptance. These letters are known as missives. Once everything is agreed the MISSIVES CONCLUDE in a binding contract, which agrees the 'DATE OF ENTRY'. The seller can then not accept a higher offer from someone else. (If the buyer can not fulfil the obligations set out in the missives they may be liable to pay the seller thousands of pounds in damages). Therefore before making an OFFER the buyer must get legal advice and organise their finances to meet the purchase price. Until the missives are concluded, either the buyer or seller can withdraw and walk away without any penalty.

HOME REPORT

The seller's (estate agent) will provide the potential buyers with a copy of the 'Home Report' normally within 9 days of it being requested. It details the condition of the property and notes any repairs that may be required etc. The buyer should double check all the information with their solicitor (valuation and rebuilding costs) for insurance purposes. If you like the property you should get estimates for completing any of the 'urgent' works prior to putting in an offer. Also consider if you can cope with the upheaval of the repairs and use the feedback to decide what your 'maximum offer' would be.

Surveyors can also provide seller's with a standard mortgage valuation report. So buyer's are encouraged to check that the report is acceptable to their lender. The Home Report must not be any older than 12 weeks when the property goes on the market. It normally includes: council tax band; issues that have affected the property such as storms and fire; alterations; extensions; and details of any notices that affect the property. The Energy Report gives the house an energy efficiency rating which is the basis of running the property. This should include an Energy Performance Certificate. (There are a few exceptions when a Home Report is not necessary - please speak to your solicitor ).

NEW HOMES

The procedure for buying a new home differs from buying an existing one. The home advertised may not have been built yet and is normally set at a fixed price. It is the builder who normally sets out the conditions on which they are prepared to sell the property so you should get legal advice before you accept their terms/ conditions/ offer because your acceptance is legally binding.

CONVEYANCING 

When the missives are concluded and you have agreed a contract with the seller, Scullion LAW will carry out the conveyancing (which is the process of transferring the ownership - title- of a property from the seller to the buyer). Your solicitor will investigate the property and examine the title deeds that applies to the property. They will check the land certificate and deeds to make sure the seller actually owns the property and tell you about any burdens (limitations or legal restrictions) or servitudes (that allow someone to use the land or prevent you making use of it). Your solicitor will also make sure that any existing standard security (mortgage) over the property is paid off when the house is transferred to you.

LIFE INSURANCE AND MORTGAGE

If you have kids or a partner that relies on your income or if you are part of a family living in a house with a mortgage that you pay - life insurance will provide for them if you die. Click here for details.

Learn all about the different types of mortgage available here and work out your overall buying and moving costs. It will help you work out how much you can afford to borrow for a mortgage.


HELP TO BUY SCOTLAND

Have a shop around for various HELP TO BUY schemes available throughout Scotland. You can get lots of information here...

Legal EYE - January 2016 Edition

The latest edition of Legal EYE has been published, our first edition of 2016. In this edition:

LAW AWARDS FINALISTS

We've been listed in the Law Awards again this year in the category of Excellence in Client Care. We are obviously delighted and are looking forward to the Awards Ceremony and are hoping our efforts in looking after our clients' interests will be rewarded!

MARIE CURIE "FREE WILLS" SCHEME

Following upon the huge success of last year's support for this very worthwhile charity, we're launching our "Free Wills" scheme at the beginning of February and it'll run right through to the end of March. Anyone making a simple Will will not be charged. You can read all about it in Legal EYE by clicking here.

ANNIVERSARIES

This month sees Robert Sheridan, Margaret Maguire and Jason Stark celebrate anniversaries with Scullion LAW. you can read about them in Legal EYE or on the Scullion LAW website that you can view here.

IN THE FRAME

Our new In the Frame article this month features Natalie Taylor, a Trainee Solicitor in our dynamic conveyancing department. You can hear about Natalie's likes and dislikes in Legal EYE.

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Another new addition to Legal EYE is the "Your Questions Answered" section and this month Emma Lawrie of our award winning Conveyancing Department responds to the question: "What are Missives and when do I sign them?"

Legal EYE from Scullion LAW - December 2015

        

Legal EYE - November 2015 Edition

The November edition of Legal EYE is now available and you can view it in full by clicking here.

Paris Atrocities: We're sure you'll join us in denouncing the acts of terrorism in Paris whilst our thoughts and prayers go to the victims.

Scullion LAW School Debating Cup: The competition is hotting up with Holy Cross and Strathaven Academy in the final. We're looking forward to a closely contested debate to be held in the Council Office in Hamilton on 25th November.

Hamilton Advertiser Christmas Appeal: Scullion LAW are delighted to be supporting the Hamilton Advertiser Christmas Appeal and we're looking to collect new or nearly new toys to be distributed to the less fortunate at Christmas. If you have any new or nearly new toys your children no longer need, please bring them along and leave them at our reception at our office at 105 Cadzow Street, Hamilton.

Protect your loved ones this Christmas: We're offering 20% off the preparation of straight forward Wills if you instruct us before 14th December. What better gift could you give to your loved ones than making sure your affairs are all in order when the inevitable occurs - of course, we're hoping that's many years from now.

We're hiring: We have two positions available at the moment - one for Receptionist and the other for a Conveyancing Paralegal. Would you like to join our award winning team? You can view the details in November's Legal EYE and contact Shanna McDiarmid on 01698 283 265 or by email on shanna@scullionlaw.com

HOLIDAYS ARE COMING HO HO HO HO

We at Scullion LAW are really getting into the festive spirit. It has been a really successful 2015 and we would like to thank every one of our clients for contributing towards this. Your loyalty means everything to us and we thank you for your continued support. We hope to work closely again with you in the coming years.

We would also really like to thank our valued STAFF without them - there is no success. Retaining and attracting the best staff in Scotland is core to our success as a firm. It is equally as important to us to attract the 'right' members to our team as it is to attract clients because we believe happy staff are the foundation to a successful business. HAPPY staff provide a better service when they are working in a stable, friendly and professional atmosphere and we at Scullion LAW believe that is what really sets us apart from the competition.
Many of our staff have been with us on average 10 years and we are continuing to expand. Keep an eye on our newsletter for more updates.




Attached are some photos of our team at Da Luciano Italian Restaurant Bothwell, enjoying the Christmas party. More photos to follow on our facebook page. Thank you to everyone at Da Luciano for a great night with excellent service and delicious food. The atmosphere and everything was amazing!!



Please note we have offices in Hamilton and Glasgow offering award winning multi -service legal representation. Thanks again and festive wishes to everyone. We hope to hear more from you in 2016. Until then, take care & call us anytime. 

    www.scullionlaw.com

     0141 374 2121

Legal EYE - October 2015 Edition

We've just published the October edition of Legal EYE and you can view it in your browser by clicking here.

Internal updates: We're delighted to announce that Craig Broadley has joined our Award Winning Criminal Law Team and we would like you to join us in making him feel welcome. Whilst our Practice Manager, Shanna McDiarmid celebrates 10 years with the firm – retaining and attracting the best staff is core to our success.  

Charity involvement: This year we're supporting the Cosy Kids Campaign and would urge all of our clients to give whatever support we can by way of warm clothes to keep the kids of Lanarkshire warm this winter.

Community involvement: This month also sees the launch of our 6th Interschool Debating Cup and we're looking forward to enjoying the excellent standard of debate again this year. Finalists include Holy Cross High and Strathaven Academy.

Legal feature: Finally,  we look at your rights in Separation and Divorce. 

We hope you enjoy Legal EYE and if you want to sign up, go to our Facebook page and complete the subscription form and you'll receive Legal EYE directly into your Inbox! Thanks for your continued support.