Family and Matrimonial

It has been revealed that the widely reported case last March in which a wife was not granted a divorce from her husband because she could not demonstrate that his...

Although a worryingly high proportion of the population never make a will, a fairly large number of those who do make more than one. It is sensible to make a...

Giving away your assets to the next generation before your death can be an effective means of minimising Inheritance Tax (IHT) liabilities. However, as one tribunal case showed, such gifts...

There is a tendency to think that procedural matters are mere formalities and there is no need to be in a rush to dot the i’s and cross the t’s,...

Imprisoning parents is inevitably traumatic for their children, and striking a balance between child welfare and appropriate punishment of criminals is a dilemma confronted by judges every day. However, a...

The dangers of concluding that estranged children who have been disinherited will have no claim against a deceased person’s estate were made very clear after a widely reported case decided...

It is a civic duty to assist the courts in the resolution of disputes, and judges have the power to compel reluctant witnesses to give evidence. Exactly that happened in...

A property owner who demolishes an existing dwelling house and replaces it with an entirely new one is entitled to reclaim VAT on the costs of construction – but what...

The popular press has made a great deal of a recent Court of Appeal case, reporting that there had been a significant departure from the general principle that the assets...

The old adage that ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’ is only partially true and the impact of planning law on a property owner’s rights can be far-reaching – even...