The joint head of Criminal and Prison Law at one of the region’s largest independent law firms says the introduction of secure video calls to help maintain vital family ties during the coronavirus crisis will also aid rehabilitation and help to keep offenders on the straight and narrow following release.

Q:    I live in Wales and my girlfriend lives in Shropshire. We have been going out for a year, but due to COVID lockdown restrictions we have physically seen very little of each other. Because of this my girlfriend wants to move in with me. However, I am concerned that living together so soon could be for the wrong reasons, to beat the rules. Also, I own my own house and she does not. If she moves in and things don’t work out, could she make any claim on my property?

Q:    I have been made redundant following an initial period of furlough. As my pay-out was substantial, I have decided to work for myself. Rather than set up a business from scratch, I am looking at buying a small business that is already established as I think there may be some good opportunities, such as where the current business owner cannot find a necessary cash injection, or perhaps has decided to retire early due to unwanted pressures of the COVID situation. Obviously, there will be pitfalls in buying at the moment so can you give me some pointers?

Q:    I have been working from home since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As many other staff were furloughed, I have literally not taken any time off except for bank holidays, in order to cover their jobs.

Last year, divorce solicitors up and down the country reported a marked increase in the number of relationships failing to survive the pressure of COVID-19 lockdowns and home working.

Q:    After I came home unexpectedly and found my wife in our bed with another man, we split up and she went to live with this other chap. We lived apart for two years and then got a quickie divorce to keep costs down. I stayed in the house and took over the mortgage which I increased to give her half the equity. The decree absolute came through, and that was that - or so I thought.

Q:    The pressure of COVID lockdowns and home working has ended our marriage. As there is no animosity I was planning to move out, rent somewhere and leave my wife to sell the house. Then after two years living apart, we can apply for a divorce on those grounds, get our Decree Absolute and get on with our lives.

A leading North Wales and Shropshire law firm renowned for its commitment to supporting the development of trainee solicitors has appointed a new recruit to its training programme.

Q: Our son started university in October but came home in November as he was uncomfortable with the behaviour of his housemates and their lack of respect for the COVID-19 rules.

Q:    When the first coronavirus lockdown began everyone in our department was asked to work from home and we have continued to do this. However, I am getting stressed because my line manager has become ‘over-friendly’, especially in one-to-one zoom meetings. His recent behaviour could even be termed ‘suggestive’. I have tried, very politely, to ward him off, but he says he is just building a close relationship with me so that he can give me a good report that will help if the firm makes redundancies. Working from home there are no witnesses, it is just my word against his. Could I record our conversations as proof?