Library

Disputes within families are very common indeed and one of the issues the courts see over and over again is where there is a family... Read More

To what extent are the tax authorities entitled to delve into what would otherwise be your private financial information? The High Court tackled that issue... Read More

For a UK court to have jurisdiction over a family law case, it is necessary to show that at least one party to it has... Read More

Although the final result was not financial ruin for the defendant, a recent case illustrates how unwise it is to vent one’s spleen on social... Read More

Can someone who trades in cryptocurrency futures or other sophisticated products via an online platform be viewed as a consumer? In a crucial decision for... Read More

The purchase of properties abroad is a process that can be replete with disputes and financial losses for the unwary or unadvised. Whilst some foreign... Read More

We have often stressed the importance of obtaining high-quality legal advice in any dispute and starting any necessary legal action as soon as possible, and... Read More

It is normally essential when creating a legal document to get the procedures right, and failure to do so can cause unnecessary complications. A... Read More

Yet another sad case reported recently shows the wisdom of appointing only those who are absolutely trustworthy and/or insured professionals as trustees over your assets.... Read More

Ignoring tree preservation orders can prove to be a very expensive mistake and if your property has a protected tree on it, you should make... Read More

When a personal guarantee has to be given in order to give a lender the security it needs, the guarantor hopes that the guarantee will... Read More

The principle of open courts is highly valued in the UK legal system. However, it is often a worry to people engaged in legal proceedings... Read More

A recent case should serve as a reminder that rules are rules and ‘close enough’ often isn’t! The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted... Read More

Mistakes do happen, and in some circumstances they can be rectified by the courts. In a recent case, the wife of a man who... Read More

When a person is appointed executor of an estate, they are given a reasonable period to progress the estate administration but cannot procrastinate without adverse... Read More

The law requires that the driver of any vehicle has a valid insurance policy that covers injury or damage to third parties caused by or... Read More

A wealthy Omani man who failed to pay to his ex-wife the financial settlement ordered by the court, or to cooperate with disclosure orders, faces... Read More

Failing to take active steps to protect your land from use by another can produce unfortunate effects, as a couple from York discovered recently. ... Read More

It is common in legal disputes for the two sides to agree to suspend the court proceedings for a period so that they can get... Read More

If you dispute a tax bill, you are entitled to a fair hearing of your appeal and specialist advice will ensure you get just that.... Read More

It is not widely known that the ‘cap’ on assets above which people in residential care must fund their own care is only £23,250 in... Read More

If building works on your home go wrong, strong legal representation can ensure that you are properly compensated. In a recent case, a couple who... Read More

The legal ownership of property is not always the same as the beneficial ownership and disputes can arise when no documentation is executed to show... Read More

A professionally drafted will is something every adult should have. Not only does it provide certainty as to who should inherit your possessions after your... Read More

Judges interpret tax statutes in the real world and are experienced at looking beyond the detailed provisions of intricate transactions to discern their actual purpose.... Read More

In order to sue someone, they have to be served with a notice of claim unless the service of the notice can be properly dispensed... Read More

The process of divorce in the UK has for many years been seen as rather long-winded and tending to produce more conflict than need be.... Read More

The legislation that introduced the Right to Rent scheme, which went live in February 2016 and compels landlords to check the immigration status of their... Read More

The law in the UK is not supportive of people who assist, however unwillingly, those they love who want to die. Although such wishes are... Read More

Trusts have been gradually falling out of favour, according to a recent report. It is thought that the fall of some 4 per cent in... Read More

The quality of British justice is respected around the world – but there are inevitably occasions when judges overstep the mark. In a family case... Read More

Clients are reminded that, following the introduction of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (Administration) (Amendment) Regulations 2018, the time limit for the payment of Stamp Duty... Read More

The impossibility of asking a deceased person what their real intentions were makes the value of these being clear before death quite obvious, as a... Read More

Having enough money to pay for care costs in the final years of life is a major concern for many and, despite promises made by... Read More

The welfare of children is always top of the list of priorities of the Family Court when making arrangements following the break-up of a family.... Read More

More than 550,000 people die annually in the UK and half of those deaths require the completion of Inheritance Tax (IHT) forms, which are not... Read More

When your spouse’s lack of attention to making a will causes issues, faking one is definitely not a good idea, as a Kent woman found... Read More

Divorcing couples can sometimes achieve savings of both time and money by opting for arbitration, rather than court proceedings, as a means of resolving any... Read More

It is not uncommon for children born with severe abnormalities or injuries to die in childhood. In a recent case, the Court of Protection was... Read More

If you own or buy a property, you may find that there are covenants which apply to it, a covenant being a requirement to do... Read More

It is commonplace for people to appoint siblings or friends as their executors. When they do and they are of a similar age, there is... Read More

The application of the ‘sharing principle’ to big money divorces is more than a matter of simple mathematics, and what family judges aim to achieve... Read More

Many people employ carers or cleaners to assist them with daily living. Quite often, such arrangements are informal and can last many years. However, failing... Read More

With significant losses being reported in ‘pension transfer scams’, it is no surprise that when the administrators of a pension scheme receive a request to... Read More

You may have good reasons for writing close relatives out of your will but, as any lawyer will tell you, the consequence of doing so... Read More

Restrictions on land use appear in the title deeds of many properties – but the law permits their deletion or modification if they become obsolete... Read More

Although commercial surrogacy businesses have long been banned in the UK, the Court of Appeal recently ruled that a clinical negligence victim would not be... Read More

The legal dispute between Elon Musk and Vernon Unsworth, the man who helped to rescue boys trapped in a cave in Thailand, may have dropped... Read More

The supposition that residential properties are exempt from Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is a common, but incorrect, one. You would think, for example, that... Read More

When parents changed their wills to exclude their son from inheriting their £1 million farm after a family falling-out in 2016, he took the unusual... Read More

Home-made contracts, particularly for the sale of land, are a singularly bad idea and can lead to costs that dwarf the modest sums needed to... Read More

When the mother of a teenage daughter who had been taken into care in 2016 with her agreement had another child, the local council’s social... Read More

Recently, Santander was fined more than £30 million for failing to distribute more than £180 million held in deceased customers’ accounts to their personal representatives... Read More

When an 18-year-old woman bought a derelict end terrace property in London in 2006 and sold it to developers the following year, she made no... Read More

Many wills contain clauses which alter the distribution of assets in the event of changing circumstances, such as the death of one of the beneficiaries... Read More

If you have a legitimate legal complaint, any delay in consulting a solicitor is highly likely to benefit the wrongdoer. A man whose home was... Read More

The law relating to the division of family assets on divorce varies widely across the world and the UK is generally regarded as one of... Read More

Is compensation paid to individuals whose businesses have failed due to mis-selling of financial products subject to Income Tax? In a decision that will disappoint... Read More

Inheritance Tax (IHT) is not only payable on the value of the estate of a deceased person, but can also be levied on ‘transfers of... Read More

You might think that where the boundaries of property lie should be clear, but boundary disputes are a fruitful source of argument in the courts.... Read More

It is a mark of a civilised society that anyone who suffers a wrong at the hands of state authorities is entitled to compensation. In... Read More

It may sound overcautious to say so, but it is always worth taking legal advice before entering into any significant arrangement, even when it is... Read More

The recent Budget contained an announcement that will be unwelcome news for some property owners. The sale of a person’s principal private residence has... Read More

Proposals to link the cost of being granted probate over an estate valued at more than £5,000 (currently fixed at £215 for those applying individually... Read More

The leasehold system in the UK has been crying out for reform for years, and the Government has decided to tackle the issues through the... Read More

Modern litigation spans the globe and issues concerning cross-border service of documents and jurisdiction often raise difficulties that make specialist legal advice essential. That was... Read More

You may be forgiven for thinking that the authorities always follow proper procedures, but that is not the case, and when they fail, their actions... Read More

It is commonplace for one spouse to control the family finances and, while relations are amicable, this usually causes few issues. However, if the relationship... Read More

When a man’s first wife died, he inherited her share of the property they had owned jointly. At the time, he was living with his... Read More

A recent case may raise alarm bells for anyone thinking about adding a basement to a property which is divided. It involved a terraced... Read More

When people need to go into care, the local councils that end up supporting the care costs are well known for their doggedness in attempting... Read More

Legislation that will give families of people who go missing the ability to administer their affairs is to come into effect: but not until July... Read More

There has been a massive amount of disinformation put about over the years (and, apparently, recently promoted by the Russian security services) regarding the effects... Read More

Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) have many advantages over normal savings accounts – chiefly that the investment income earned on them is tax free and gains... Read More

The widespread belief that ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’ can all too easily lead the unwary into breaching planning rules. That was certainly so... Read More

When an investment is made in a capital asset that subsequently becomes valueless, the loss can normally be used to reduce future liabilities to Capital... Read More

If parents engaged in child contact disputes take up entrenched positions, it is very nearly always the child that suffers most. Such disputes can often... Read More

Lending money to the public is, for obvious reasons, a heavily regulated activity and, as a case concerning timeshare properties showed, any involvement by those... Read More

The High Court of Justice is a very expensive place to resolve a family dispute, as is evidenced by a recent case which pitted members... Read More