Legal Chat Newsletter Archives 2014 -2022

December 2022

In this issue:

• Selling Property this Festive Season: The Tax Angle
• Generational Wealth Planning - To Your Children and Beyond!
• A “Running Down” Damages Claim – Elite Athlete v Happy Snapper
• Employers: Don’t Miss Your Employment Equity Report Deadline!
• Website of the Month: Don’t Stress this Silly Season!

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November 2022

In this issue:

• Bond Clauses: Beware the Deadlines!
• It’s Wedding Season – Three Questions to Ask Before You Marry
• Your Employee Reaches Retirement Age and Wants to Keep Working – What Should You Do?
• If the Municipality Rejects Your Building Plans, Consider PAJA
• Website of the Month: Turn Customer Complaints into Compliments with the HEART System

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October 2022

In this issue:

• Building in Security Estates: The ‘Persuasive Sting’ of Penalty Levies
• Why You Should Sign a Power of Attorney Before You Emigrate or Travel
• Creditors: How to Secure Your Claim with a Notarial Bond
• Dismissed for Criticising a Mine’s “No High Heels in the Workplace” Rule
• Website of the Month: Four Key Areas in Your Strategic Planning

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September 2022

In this issue:

• Your Will Can’t Wait: The Tragic Case of a Mother Who Took Too Long
• Owning Property Jointly – The Rewards, The Risks, and The Remedy
• Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It’s Off to Court We Go – But What are the Costs of Suing?
• It’s Not Simple to Sell a House in Execution (Even if a Trust Owns It)
• Website of the Month: Seven Steps to Becoming a Successful Landlord

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August 2022

In this issue:

• 12 Questions to Ask Before You Sign That Deed of Sale
• Directors – When Are They Personally Liable?
• The Trouble with Family Loans: A R540,000 Lesson
• Fired for Off-Duty CBD Oil Use and Cannabis Smoking
• Website of the Month: Solar Power and the Insurance Risk

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July 2022

In this issue:

• Buying and Selling Property: Who Pays What Costs?
• Trusts on Divorce: Are You Stuck with an Ex-Spouse as Trustee?
• Bodies Corporate: Forcing Access to Units, and Round Robin Resolutions
• Verbal Agreements – Not Much Good, But Lots of Bad and Ugly
• Website of the Month: Don’t Let Hybrid Work Break Your Company Culture!

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June 2022

In this issue:

• The “Great Resignation” is Upon Us – Know the Law!
• Landlords: Zoning Law Contravention Could Invalidate Your Lease
• New Ruling on Divorce Assets: How Does it Affect You?
• Tax Freedom Day 2022: The Day We Stopped Working for Government
• Website of the Month: Are Your Passwords in the Green?

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May 2022

In this issue:

• Property Owners: Your Rates Could Quadruple for Unauthorised Land Use
• Workplace Harassment: The New Code in a Nutshell
• Don’t Just Leave Your Loved Ones Assets – Leave Them a Legacy!
• Beware The Badly Worded Bond Clause!
• Website of the Month: 3 Things the Most Productive People Do Every Day

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April 2022

In this issue:

• Property Owner and Body Corporate Liable After Child’s Electrocution?
• Don’t Accidentally Disqualify Your Chosen Heirs from Inheriting!
• Exemption Clauses and Thieving Employees: Can You Sue (or Be Sued)?
• What Can You Do When Someone Close to You Has No Control Over Their Spending?
• Your Website of the Month: The 9 Key Points of Making a Difficult Decision

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March 2022

In this issue:

• 3 Steps to Buying Your First House
• Fired For Moonlighting
• Effective 1 March 2022: New Earnings Threshold and National Minimum Wage
• Debtor Not Paying? Consider a Liquidation Application
• Your Website of the Month: How to Avoid Falling Victim to a “Tinder Swindler”

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February 2022

In this issue:

• How the Property Practitioners Act Affects You as a Property Seller, Buyer, Landlord or Tenant from 1 February
• Why Life Partners Still Need Cohabitation Agreements and Wills
• When Does Attendance at a Rugby Match Trigger a Dismissal from Employment?
• Using the New Cybercrimes Act to Protect Yourself
• Your Website of the Month: How to Smash Your Goals in 2022 (Even If It Is Already February)

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January 2022

In this issue:

• Can Your Tenant Claim a Lockdown Rental Remission?
• Directors at War: Terminating Email Access
• Divorce: Claiming Interim Maintenance and a Contribution to Legal Costs
• A Victim of Sexual Harassment Must Report It “Immediately”
• Your Website of the Month: How to Cope with Pandemic Stress as A Small Business Owner

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December 2021

In this issue:

• Selling Your Home: How to be Lucky this Holiday Season
• When Can a Shop Be Sued for Damages If a Customer Falls?
• Don’t Let Delays in the Master’s Office Leave Your Family in Financial Distress
• PAIA Manuals and the 31 December 2021 Deadline: Crying Wolf Again, or Real This Time?
• Your Website of the Month: How to Find and Remove Spyware from Your Cellphone

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November 2021

In this issue:

• Community Scheme Disputes and the Ombud’s Powers to Resolve Them
• Fired for a Racist Facebook Post
• Exemption Clauses in Contracts – Fine Print Can Void Them
• Unmarried Parents: A New ‘Notice of Birth’ Ruling for Fathers, with 3 Surname Choices
• Your Website of the Month: New – How to Renew Your Car Licence Disc Online

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October 2021

In this issue:

• Property Sellers: Why, How and When to Choose Your Own Conveyancer
• South Africans - Don’t Lose Your Own Citizenship When You Apply for Another!
• Employers - Walking the “Compulsory Covid-19 Jab” Tightrope
• What SARS Says About Crypto Assets and Tax
• Your Website of the Month: The Best Age to Launch a Successful Startup Is…

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September 2021

In this issue:

• Estate Planning and Wills: A Checklist to Protect Your Family
• Eviction Refused – Landowners, Unlawful Occupiers and the “Just and Equitable” Test
• A Million Rand Warning: Act When Employees Reach Retirement Age
• Don’t Risk Consequential “Loss of Profits” Damages: Check Your Contracts and Insurance!
• Your Website of the Month: Start a New Business Fast and Lean

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August 2021

In this issue:

• Employee Looting and Strike Violence: When Is Dismissal Fair?
• Violence and Looting – Can You Sue SAPS?
• Noisy Neighbours – Your Rights, and Buyers Beware!
• Directors, Creditors - Do Personal Suretyships Survive Business Rescue?
• Your Websites of the Month: Measure and Maximise Your Business Creativity

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July 2021

In this issue:

• Buying Property from a Company – Should You Buy the Shares or the House?
• Spousal Maintenance After Divorce and the “Clean Break” Principle
• R4m Damages for a Workplace Sexual Assault
• Bodies Corporate: Before You Sequestrate to Recover Arrears…
• Your Website of the Month: How to Plan and Hold Virtual Board Meetings

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June 2021

In this issue:

• 11 POPIA Questions to Ask Yourself Before 30 June 2021
• When Bond Clauses Sink Sales
• Dismissed: The Butcher Who Went to Work With COVID-19
• Can You Change Your Marital Regime After Marriage?
• Your Website of the Month: Teamwork Tips from My Octopus Teacher

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May 2021

In this issue:

• Landlord Liable for a Tragic “Freak” Flood Drowning
• Employers: Beware the “Casual Worker” Myth!
• Companies: Are Restraints of Trade Valid in a Time of Covid?
• Extended: The Rights of Grieving Parents to Choose Burial After Pregnancy Loss
• Your Website of the Month: Protecting Yourself and Your Business in Flu Season 2021

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April 2021

In this issue:

• Who Gets the House on Divorce?
• Can an Employee Who Refuses Vaccination be Fired?
• When Company Directors and Shareholders Come to Blows….
• Domestic Workers and Employers: The New Injury and Illness Cover Explained
• Your Website of the Month: Train Your Brain to Unlock Creativity and Innovation

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March 2021

In this issue:

• Buying and Selling Property: Nine Important Questions
• Can Employees Resign to Dodge Disciplinary Hearings?
• Landlords: Can You Cut Electricity to Collect Arrears or Evict?
• New National Minimum Wage and Earnings Thresholds From 1 March 2021
• Your Website of the Month: From Scenarios to Strategy – Use Business “Wind Tunneling”

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February 2021

In this issue:

• Arrest and a Criminal Record for Not Wearing a Mask
• Buying a Property: Check the Seller’s Marital Status!
• Be Prepared for The Cost of Dying
• Suing a Debtor – Make Sure Your Victory Isn’t a Hollow One
• Your Website of the Month: A Month-by-Month Personal Financial Planner for 2021

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January 2021

In this issue:

• Property Scams – Beware (Cyber) Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing!
• Building a Home in 2021: The Dangers of Not Being NHBRC Compliant
• Workplace Bullying - Can You Claim Constructive Dismissal?
• Don’t Fall Victim to a Ponzi Scheme in 2021!
• Life Partners – You Still Need a Will and a Cohabitation Agreement!
• Your Website of the Month: Starting a Business in 2021

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December 2020

In this issue:

• Property this Festive Season…
• What Must You Prove to remove a Trustee
• Grandparents – When Must You Pay Maintenance?
• Cannabis in the Workplace: Can You Dismiss?
• Your Festive Season Websites: Safe Holidays, Dodging the Dangers, and Now For Something

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November 2020

In this issue:

• Parking Bay Disputes – Enforcing Complex Rules
• Does Your Dog Bite? Your (Substantial) Risk Remains
• POPIA: A Practical 4-Step Action Plan for your Business
• Collecting Maintenance in Hard Times – Threaten Jail Time
• Website of the Month: Looking Good on Zoom

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October 2020

In this issue:

• Is Your Will Valid?
• Landlords and Tenants: Alert Level 1 and the New Eviction Rules
• Home Businesses - Is Yours Legal?
• Friends and Lovers: Before You Lend Out Your Car...
• Website of the Month: Don’t Lose Your House Because of a Lockdown Layoff!

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September 2020

In this issue:

• Property: Don’t Pay Double Commission!
• Directors, Trustees: Can You Hold Your AGMs and General Meetings on Zoom?
• Buying a Business? Make Sure the Seller Publishes Notice of the Sale?
• Options to Renew Leases – Risks for Landlords and Tenants
• Website of the Month: Protecting Yourself from SIM-swap Fraud

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August 2020

In this issue:

• Property: Green Shoots, Agent’s Commission and Fidelity Fund Certificates
• The Pandemic and Business Interruption Cover – Can You Claim?
• Lockdown Admission of Guilt Fines – The Criminal Record Risk
• Property Subsidence: New Law, Strict Liability and Ubuntu
• Websites of the Month: Why and How to Encourage Whistleblowing in Your Workplace

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July 2020

In this issue:

• Electronic Signatures in Property and Other Transactions
• Directors and Business Rescue in the Time of COVID-19
• Our Brave New World: Using Zoom for Retrenchment Consultations
• POPIA’s Deadline is 30 June 2021 – Ignore the “Fake Headlines” But Start Planning!
• Website of the Month: The Mental Battle of Running a Small Business in Lockdown Level 3

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June 2020

In this issue:

• Lockdown! Nuisance Neighbours and How to Handle Them
• Unemployed, Can’t Pay Bond and Credit Instalments? “Credit Life Insurance” May Save You
• Directors: Reckless Trading and Personal Liability in the Time of Coronavirus
• Domestic Violence and the Lockdown: Your Personalised Safety Plan
• Website of the Month: A Complete Guide to Working from Home in 2020

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May 2020

In this issue:

• Leases, Contracts and COVID-19: What is Force Majeure?
• In Times of Great Change, Make Sure Your Will is Updated!
• Divorce in a Time of Lockdown - What Grounds Can You Rely On?
• Property Sellers – Prepare for SPLUMA
• Your Website of the Month: Lockdown Advice for Entrepreneurs

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April 2020

In this issue:

• COVID-19: Small Businesses, Employment Laws, and Survival Support
• Your Neighbour Builds Without Plans - Can You Get a Demolition Order?
• How to Stop an Ex-Director from Competing With You
• Beware the “Common Law Marriage” Myth
• Website of the Month: COVID-19 - Entrepreneurs and Your Growth Opportunities

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March 2020

In this issue:

• Running a Business in a Residential Area – Check Your Zoning First!
• Budget 2020: Good News for Property Sellers and Buyers, and Some Useful Tax Calculators
• Watch What You Say on WhatsApp – The Case of the R20m Lottery Win and the R1m “Offer”
• POPIA’s One Year Deadline to Start Running on 1 April?
• Website of the Month: South Africa in the 2020s – High Road or Low?

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February 2020

In this issue:

• Does an Expired Lease Automatically Continue Month-to-Month? At What Rental?
• Employees: Your New Rights to Paternity and Parental Leave
• Can You Sue a Bad Investment Advisor? It depends...
• Report Your Traffic Accident with an Online Reporting Service
• Your Website of the Month: Become a Client Whisperer

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January 2020

In this issue:

• Before You Start a New Small Business in 2020 …
• Must You Pay Tax on Your Rental Income?
• Your Written Contract Should Cover Everything – No Oral Evidence Allowed!
• January is “Divorce Month”: Beware the Dangers of DIY
• Your Website of the Month: Be (Cyber) Safe in 2020!

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December 2019

In this issue:

• Property Sales and Trusts: Demand Proof of Trustee Authority
• Visiting South Africa with Kids Just Became Easier – Here’s What You Need to Know
• All Companies: Prepare for the Mandatory New CIPC Compliance Checklist
• Property Owners, Buyers and Agents: Lost Title Deeds and Bonds – Don't Delay!
• Your Website of the Month: A Festive Season Home Security Checklist

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November 2019

In this issue:

• "Seller’s Remorse" and "Subject to Sale of the Buyer’s Property" – Can They Sink the Sale?
• About To Marry? Don’t Forget Your ANC and the 3 Types of Marriage
• Employees on Probation: Can You Dismiss for Poor Performance?
• It Pays to Report Crime! First Offender’s 20 Years in Prison Confirmed for R4.9m Fraud
• Your Websites of the Month: Buying or Selling Anything? How to Use Facebook Marketplace

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October 2019

In this issue:

• Landlord vs Tenant: When Can You Cut Electricity or Change the Locks?
• Dementia and Incapacity: What is a Power of Attorney and is it Forever?
• Security Complexes and Fibre – You Can Use Telkom Ducting After All
• How Courts Sort Fact from Fiction - A Tale of Jags, Deception and Damages
• Your Websites of the Month: Tips to Manage Debt and Master Your Money

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September 2019

In this issue:

• Your Will: What You Can and Can’t Do
• Property: Are Verbal Agreements Valid?
• What is Poor Work Performance? A Case of Missed Sales Targets
• Home Builders – Your Contractor Must Register with the NHBRC
• Your Website of the Month: Video Guides to Starting Your Own Business

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August 2019

In this issue:

• Beware of Property Cyber Scammers
• Can Your Bank Take Your Money Without Permission?
• How to Stop Vital Evidence Being Destroyed
• Unlawful Occupiers: Eviction Is Possible, but Neither Quick nor Easy
• Your Website of the Month: Living Overseas and Benefitting from a Will in South Africa?

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July 2019

In this issue:

• Property Transfers and Trust Account Theft: A R720,000 Warning
• Your Last Will: The Dire Consequences of Neglecting Formalities
• Employers: What is Your Duty to Accommodate Religious Beliefs?
• Airbnb Owners and Buyers – Should You Be Worried About the New Regulations?
• Your Website of the Month: Business Email Dos and Don’ts

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June 2019

In this issue:

• You Signed a Property Sale Agreement, Can You Still Accept a Better Offer?
• Directors at War and the Liquidation Option – A Tale of Sibling Rivalry
• Equal Pay for Equal Work – Can You Differentiate Without Unfairly Discriminating?
• Business Rescue: Are Your Suretyships Enforceable? A R5.5m Lesson for Directors and Creditors
• Tax Freedom Day 2019 Has Arrived!
on
• Your Website of the Month: Coming Soon - More Courts Offering Mediation Options

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May 2019

In this issue:

• Security Estates: Can You Fine Speedsters?
• Accidentally Paid the Wrong Person? Lessons From a R862k Banking App Error
• Expats and Employers: Plan Now For the New Expat Tax Changes
• Estate Agents: Securing Your Trade Secrets (and Your Commission)
• Property Buyers: There’s a New Deduction from Interest Earned on Your Deposit
on
• Your Website and Video of the Month: Before You Enter an Uber…

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April 2019

In this issue:

• Your Dog, Cat or Cow (Even Your Bees) Could Cost You Millions
• Neighbours Building? Know Your Rights Re Plan Approval
• Losing Your Licence with AARTO Demerits: More Danger than You Thought, and The Wheels are Turning
• Small Claims Courts - From 1 April You Can Sue For Up To R20,000
• Your Website of the Month: Music for Productive Work

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March 2019

In this issue:

• Property Buyers: Beware Unlawful Occupiers!
• Traffic Fines and Admissions of Guilt – Will They Earn You a Criminal Record?
• Trustees at War: The Removal Remedy and Its Limits
• Employers: When Should You Sue Rogue Employees? A R33m Example
• Your Websites of the Month: Your Selection of Budget 2019 Tax Calculators (And a Tax Guide)

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February 2019

In this issue:

• Property Owners, Buyers and Agents: Check for the Title Deeds Before 25 February!
• Private Schools and Parents Behaving Badly – the Expulsion Option
• Proving Your Claim in a Liquidation or Sequestration – When You Should, and When You Shouldn’t
• Buying Your First Home with a Government Subsidy
• Your Website of the Month: 5 Steps to Business Success

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January 2019

In this issue:

• Buying Property this Festive Season? Check the Title Deed First!
• Lending to a Friend or Selling Property on Credit - Must You Register as a Credit Provider?
• Reporting Crime and the Defamation Danger: Lessons from the Workplace
• Firearm Owners: What to Do if Your Licence Has Expired
• Websites of the Month: The Existential Dread of Gift Giving, and Science to the Rescue!

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December 2018

In this issue:

• Paternity Leave and Minimum Wages – How Will The New Laws Affect You?
• Beware the Building Deadlines When Buying-to-Build
• Victims of Corruption Take Heart – “Big Chief” Gets 15 Years Behind Bars
• Property Developers Beware: Deemed Accruals Can Seriously Disrupt Your Cash Flow
• Your Website of the Month: “Ready, Steady, Loadshed!”

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November 2018

In this issue:

• Can I have pets in a residential complex?
• It’s “13th Cheque” Time Again: Must You Pay Annual Bonuses?
• When is a Debtor “Insolvent”? A Case of Arrear Maintenance Illustrates
• Travelling Abroad? Know Local Laws or Risk Jail
• Your Website of the Month: 6 Ways for Your SME to Survive the Recession

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October 2018

In this issue:

• Selling Your House: Disclosing Defects
• Dagga – Just How Legal is it Now?
• The Importance of Directors’ Meeting Minutes - “Who, What, Where, When and Why?”
• Aging Employees: When Must They Retire?
• What To Do When Someone Dies

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September 2018

In this issue:

• Do You Need a Will?
• Buying Your First House – An Action Plan
• Drunk Driving Arrest: Damages for Sexual Assault in Cell
• "You’re Fired for Misconduct" v "No, I Resign" – Who Wins?
• Your Website of the Month: How To Sleep Like a Boss

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August 2018

In this issue:

• Your Body Corporate and Arrear Levies: To Sequestrate or Not To Sequestrate?
• Suing Your Security Company: The Case of a Burgled Butchery
• Property Scams – Beware (Cyber) Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing!
• Lending Money Repayable “On Demand”: Beware Prescription!
• Your Website of the Month: What’s Your New Tax Return Deadline?

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July 2018

In this issue:

• How to Escape from a Property Suretyship
• Changing Your Surname – Your Choices on Marriage, Divorce and Widowhood
• Depressed and Dismissed – A Hard Lesson for a Hard Employer
• Suing an Insolvent Debtor - Can You Recover from his Trust?
• Your Website of the Month: Science and Your Daily Routine

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June 2018

In this issue:

• What Happens If You Cancel Your Lease Early?
• Road Rage – Sue, and Report It!
• Whistleblowers: What If Your Disclosure is Factually Wrong?
• Life Partners: Beware the “Common Law Marriage” Myth!
• Your Website of the Month: Boosting Health, Happiness and Productivity in Your Office

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