Kerseys Solicitors March 2025 Newsletter
Kerseys Solicitors March 2025 Newsletter
Just a click or call away for all your legal services needs
Legal Updates
Key Dates
Increase to National Minimum Wage
National Minimum Wage changes on 1 April every year. Please see the table below for more information relating to the upcoming wage changes.
| 21 and over | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice | |
| Current rate from 1 April 2024 | £11.44 | £8.60 | £6.40 | £6.40 |
| New rate from 1 April 2025 | £12.21 | £10.00 | £7.55 | £7.55 |
Changes to the off-payroll working rules for private sector entities
HMRC confirmed an increase to the small company thresholds for the gateway test to the off-payroll working rules within the private sector. The rules only apply if a series of “gateway tests” are satisfied, including the entity receiving the services is not small.
HMRC’s confirmation means that for financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025, a company that does not belong to a group will be considered small, and therefore outside the scope of the rules, if two of the three following conditions are met:
- Its turnover is no more than £15 million (increased from £10.2 million).
- Its balance sheet totals no more than £7.5 million (increased from £5.1 million).
- Its monthly average number of employees is not more than 50 (unchanged).
Statutory neonatal care leave and pay
On 20 January 2025, detailed regulations were laid to bring into force the right to statutory neonatal care leave (SNCL) and statutory neonatal care pay (SNCP) on 6 April 2025.
The new regulation provides a right to parents to take 12 weeks’ paid leave when their baby requires neonatal care as well as the existing maternity and paternity leave entitlements.
We also expect to see further developments relating to the Employment Rights Bill, although changes under this Bill are not expected to come into force until 2026.
Legal Updates
Key Dates
How is Stamp Duty Changing?
The nil rate threshold which is currently £250,000 will return to the previous level of £125,000 on 1 April 2025.
- The nil rate threshold for first-time buyers which is currently £425,000 will return to the previous level of £300,000.
- The maximum purchase price for which First-Time Buyers Relief (a reduced stamp duty rate) can be claimed is currently £625,000 and will return to the previous level of £500,000.
From 1st April 2025, the stamp duty rates in England will be:
| Proportion of property value | Rate for main residence |
| Up to £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 10% |
| Over £1.5 million | 12% |
Additional Properties in England – from 1st April 2025, the stamp duty rates will be:
| Proportion of property value | Rate for main residence |
| Up to £125,000 | 5% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 7% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 10% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 15% |
| Over £1.5 million | 17% |
Legal Updates
Court fees set to increase in April for family cases
In early April 2025, and subject to parliamentary approval, the Ministry of Justice is set to increase around 171 court and tribunal fees to account for changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The MOJ states that the income generated from these uplifts will help to support the efficient and effective running of His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The majority of the 171 fees in scope will be increased by 3.2% to reflect the change in CPI between March 2023 and March 2024, with a small number of fees increased by 13.5% to reflect backdated inflation to March 2022. These fee increases are all rounded to the nearest pound.
Some of the rising court fees relate to family law proceedings. The mains one to note are as follows:
| Description | Current | New |
| Application for a divorce, nullity or civil partnership dissolution | £593 | £612 |
| Application for a financial order (other than a consent order) | £303 | £313 |
| Application for a Consent Order | £58 | £60 |
| Application within existing proceedings where no other fee is specified | £184 | £190 |
| Section 8 orders Children Act 1989 – Child Arrangements, Specific Issue, Prohibited Steps | £255 | £263 |
| Care and supervision order (Section 31 of the Children Act 1989) | £2,437 | £2,515 |
The Help with Fees remissions scheme remains available for those with lower financial means who are unable to afford a court or tribunal fee. Based on various criteria it is possible to ask the court for either a full exemption to the fee or a reduction in the amount of fee needing to be paid. This application should be submitted to the court ideally before incurring the court fee.
As experienced family law solicitors we know the cost of dealing with the breakdown of a relationship or a dispute over the arrangements for a child can sometimes be overwhelming. There are many ways costs can be managed and getting legal advice at an early stage can produce great benefits in the long run. If you need advice and support with any family law related issue, please contact our team today and find out more about our initial consultation process.
New office in Woodbridge
We were thrilled to announce the opening of our new office in Woodbridge located at Unit 17a Deben Mill Business Centre, Old Maltings Approach, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1BL in January 2025
The Woodbridge branch is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00PM, Monday to Friday. To schedule an appointment, please contact us on 01394 813732 or email us at [email protected]. Alternatively you can visit our web site at www.kerseys.co.uk and request a call back.
This expansion marks an exciting milestone in our journey as we continue to grow and enhance the services we provide to our valued clients following the anniversary of our Felixstowe office opening last year.
Our new office in Woodbridge is designed to offer a welcoming, professional environment for both clients and staff and is conveniently located in a business centre with ample onsite parking
Our Managing Partner, Kimat Singh, and Senior Partner Jane Riley were there to officially open our Woodbridge office with two of our Senior Associate Solicitors in Woodbridge Laura Parker and Christina Morlham and legal assistants, Tracey Milliard and Samantha Johnson.
Kimat Singh Managing Partner at Kerseys Solicitors says “We are excited about this new chapter and look forward to continuing to provide exceptional legal services from our modern space. This new office reflects our commitment to delivering expert legal support tailored to the needs of local communities.”
The new Woodbridge office will offer a comprehensive range of legal services, including Conveyancing, Probate, Wills, and Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA).
Whether you are looking for assistance with personal matters or for your business, our experienced team is here to assist.
We are also delighted to welcome
Suzannah Halls to Kerseys Solicitors as an Associate Licensed Conveyancer in our award winning Residential Property team in our Ipswich office supported by Debbie Gedge.
Senior Partner and Head of Residential Property Jane Riley says “Suzannah is a welcome addition to our team bringing a wealth of experience.”
Read more about Suzannah here.
Along with Fiona Mann supported by Josie Kellsall who joined Kerseys Solicitors Private Client Law team in Ipswich and Felixstowe in February 2025.
Fiona and Josie help individuals and families in and around Ipswich and Felixstowe, be it in office, remotely or in a client’s home, with a wide range of lifetime planning matters including the completion of Wills, Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection applications. Fiona also deals with the administration of both simple and complex estates, trusts and Inheritance Tax matters.
Read more about Fiona here.
Do you know where your Will is stored?
A surprising number of adults in the UK haven’t made a Will – statistics vary but it’s generally accepted that only around a half of adults have made a Will to ensure that their estate is dealt with in accordance with their wishes.
Making a Will allows you to appoint someone appropriate to look after your affairs after your death – your executors. Having the opportunity to appoint executors allows you to choose someone who will be suitable for the job. You will also set out who should inherit your estate, which may be family, friends or charities.
When someone dies without a Will in place, statute sets out who inherits the estate depending on their closest living relatives. These “Rules of Intestacy” aren’t always appropriate for every situation and often mean that a deceased estate is not distributed in accordance with the deceased person’s wishes.
If you already have a Will in place, you should review it occasionally, particularly if your family or financial circumstances change. You must also consider where your original Will is stored. If it was lodged with a solicitor – do you know that it is still safely stored by them? Is the firm still in business? You should check that you know the location of your original Will and that you are able to access it if needed. When a firm of solicitors is taken over, Wills are often moved or sometimes even sold to another firm so it is important to check that you know where your Will and other legal documents are held.
How can Kerseys Solicitors help?
We have a team of experienced Private Client solicitors who offer face-to-face and remote appointments at our offices in Ipswich, Woodbridge and Felixstowe. We are also pleased to offer Will storage for our clients. If your Will is made by another firm or indeed a firm which has been taken over or gone out of business, we are able to offer a Will Review service for a fixed fee which includes storage of your documents.
Established in 1881, Kerseys Solicitors are delighted to have recently expanded into Woodbridge. Working from our new branch office at Deben Mill Business Centre, we are already helping many local clients to ensure that their Wills and other legal documents are up-to-date and stored securely.
If you would like advice about your Will, please do contact us.
Josie shares her story
How does ADHD and autism affects every day working
I am Josie, a new member of staff in the Private Client department. I am autistic and have ADHD. Both conditions fall under the blanket term ‘neurodiversity’. The brain develops differently at fetal stage – it is currently not known why, but it is hereditary. Both of my parents are neurodiverse, however as this was not tested during school (they were born in the late 40s) they are only now being recognised. The press has recently picked up on the frequency of diagnoses of neurodivergent conditions (claiming that this constitutes ‘a trend’), however the conditions have always been prevalent in the numbers they are now being seen. They are thankfully now being more frequently recognised.
Autism is a condition which limits a lot of aspects of my life such as (but not limited to) emotional regulation, regulating and coping with stress, coping in group settings and life admin. Autism does not affect a person’s intelligence, even in persons who are non-verbal – the first non-Verbal autistic adult graduated University just last year. Autistic adults need clear instructions. Asking me to ‘call Mr Jones and speak to him about his Will’ would send me into spirals of overthinking. Better would be ‘Call Mr Jones and ask him about clause 4 and 5 of his Will and whether he wants to sign it next week’. I will never take offence at something being ‘over explained’ to me. I quite often need the clarity.
I find stress regulation very difficult and may be short, blunt or perceived as rude in certain situations. This is not intentional or personal. It is simply the case that when I am overwhelmed, stressed or simply not coping, I may not (and often do not) hit the right tone when addressing colleagues. I may be snappy, I may cry. I may be temporarily unable to talk (this usually only happens in confrontational situations or during a meltdown / panic attack). Panic attacks are not directly ‘panicking’, but more a breakdown in coping capabilities. The body goes into freeze or flee mode. In this event, I may simply cry, cover my ears and find somewhere to ‘hide’. I cannot deal with confrontation. I have to go away and think about the situation before being able to process it.
Autistic adults might have developmental delays or overall a more ‘childish’ presentation. Colourful clothing, enjoy Lego and other toys, have an ‘immature’ sense of humour. Some autistic adults are not recognisably different. Autism does not have a ‘look’. Autistic adults broadly speaking like routine, a regulated day-to-day sameness and very little change. Co-occurring conditions can include hearing and speech difficulties, poor body perception, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, Tourette’s syndrome, prosopagnosia (face blindness) and alexithymia (the inability to recognise and name own emotions) and of course ADHD. Autistic adults have often learned to present as neurotypical – they ‘mask’ their autism so as not to stand out as they have learned as children that standing out is deemed a negative. Burnout is also more frequent in autistic adults as we’re expected to ‘perform’ in the same manner as the neuro-majority.
On the flip-side, ADHD causes more spontaneity, impulsivity and lack of impulse control and of course, the trait that most people associate ADHD with, being fidgety. That may mean that the autistic person gets up to walk around frequently or has fidget gadgets on their desk to help them through long telephone calls or webinars, even meetings. I have deliberately not said ‘fidget toys’ as they are not toys, they are for regulation purposes, not for idle play. A person with ADHD may have a short attention span, may not be attentive to details, be forgetful, often lose things, be incapable of tackling tedious or time-consuming tasks, have poor organisational skills. Impulsivity is not restricted to actions, ADHD adults may also interrupt during conversations and / or talk lots. Co-occurring conditions can be anxiety disorder, sleep problems, behavioural issues, depression, epilepsy and more complex learning difficulties.
Help us free Matt Clemence
Matt Clemence, HR Partner and Head of Family law at Kerseys Solicitors says “As a family lawyer of some 25 years and seeing what separation and divorce does to families and children, I know just how invaluable Home Start are to so many people who find themselves in that situation. It is testament to the success of Home Start that they have over 280 fully trained volunteers offering practical and emotional support to families.”
Matt has been arrested due to attempting to talk about Prince or his Prince collection at any given opportunity. If you know, you know!
Matt didn’t need to be asked twice to participate in this year’s Jail and Bail event, and whilst many people would probably pay extra to keep this hapless lawyer locked up, we would ask that you all to dig deep and help free Matt so Kerseys Solicitors can have their HR Partner and Head of Family lawyer back in the office, we need to raise £1000 bail release fee!
If you want to help free Matt whilst raising money for Home Start please click the just giving link here.
Reminder to protect your computers
Microsoft will end Windows 10 support for security updates on 14 October 2025. Your device may be able to be updated to Windows 11 but if not please seriously consider adding a new computer to your Christmas list. Running on Windows 10 after that date is a dangerous option and puts yourself at risk.
