Simon Bladen
Partner, Sheffield
Simon is the partner responsible for looking after the firm’s legal and charitable clients in particular, although he also holds a general practice portfolio. He trained and qualified at Hawsons before becoming a manager and subsequently a partner at the firm. He has a wealth of experience within the legal and charitable sectors and is also a non-executive director for the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce.
Despite the fact Simon supports Tottenham Hotspur he is actually a keen footballer and, when he’s not playing, he enjoys keeping fit in the gym. He has a son and a young daughter who both keep him occupied most evenings.
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Simon’s recent articles
Court Ruling Confirms Insurers Must Pay Many Small Businesses for COVID Losses
The Supreme Court has ruled largely in favour of small businesses receiving payments from business interruption insurance policies. These payments are to cover losses from the first national lockdown. This news will be a relief to many small businesses that may need...
Chancellor Announces New Grant for Businesses
The Chancellor has announced a new one-off top-up grant which will be available for businesses in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors. The grants will be worth up to £9,000 per property. This grant is available on top of business rates relief and the furlough...
How Will Brexit Affect the Legal Sector?
Who would have thought that as we enter the final stretch of 2020 the UK is yet to agree on a trade deal with the EU? Even though a deal has not yet been agreed the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed that some changes will definitely happen no matter...
Additional COVID Support Announced for Businesses
Two new COVID support schemes have now been made available to businesses Restart and Recovery Fund Supply Chain Grants Restart and Recovery Fund From Wednesday 2nd December businesses will be able to apply for the Restart and Recovery Fund. This £1.1m...
The Impact of a Second National Lockdown on Charities
Due to the combination of increasing demand and the decreasing income it is estimated that a funding gap of around £10bn has been created across the charity sector over the past six months. Recent research conducted before the second lockdown was announced showed that...
Indicators Suggest Smaller Charities are Struggling
Recent polls and fundraising data have indicated that donations to NHS charities have risen dramatically since March. Whilst this is perhaps not surprising other charity sectors have seen a decline in donations, this includes homeless and animal shelters as well as...
Chancellor announces further financial help for businesses, employees, and the self-employed
Furlough Scheme extended until March 2021 The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has recently announced that the furlough scheme will be extended until the end of March 2021. This comes just a few days after the government announced the scheme would be extended until 2 December...
Government Increases Business Support Across England
The Prime Minister has recently announced that the following schemes will all be extended to 31 January 2021: Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS)...
Are Solicitors more Affordable than People Think?
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has recently conducted a survey of 3,539 users of legal services. The survey found that only 10% of consumers believed that solicitors were an unaffordable option once they had accessed information on price. This figure was...
Charities Lose Millions to Fraud and Cybercrime Since March
Since March charities have lost an estimated £3.6 million due to fraud and cybercrime. The Charity Commission has stated that the actual figure is likely to be far higher due to fraud and cybercrime being notoriously hard to detect and report by their very nature. It...
HLB Communities Day – Food Bank Collection
HLB Communities Day Today our international network HLB is holding its annual communities day in an effort to support local communities during their COVID-19 recovery. In previous years Hawsons staff have had a day out volunteering at various local charities across...
HLB Communities Day 2020
On Friday the 9th of October our international network HLB will be holding its annual communities’ day in an effort to support local communities during their post COVID-19 recovery. This is a worldwide effort with a common theme of giving back to local communities. In...
Government Announces £3.1m Funding Plan
Government Announces £3.1m Funding Plan for Litigants in Person The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Access to Justice Foundation have worked together on a joint initiative to provide a grant worth £3.1 million to support litigants in person, (a person, company or...
Rebound Revenue for Law Firms
Revenue rebound for Law Firms Legal revenues increase by 19.5% in June The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics indicate that revenues in the UK legal industry jumped by 19.5% in June compared to May. It should be noted that May is normally among the...
Further Funding Available for Charities
Further Funding Available for CharitiesRegistered charities will be able to apply for a grant of between £500 and £20,000 if they meet certain criteria. The grant will be funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery, applications opened on 4 August and will close on 19...