Legal News
- Defamed on Social Media? You Don't Have to Put Up With It Wounding statements that can have a devastating impact on your professional and personal life take moments to type but can spread like wildfire on the internet. As a High Court case concerning two sports journalists showed , however, lawyers can move fast...
- Husband in £64 Million Divorce Case Claims COVID-19 Hardship COVID-19 has without doubt drastically affected the fortunes of some very wealthy people. As a High Court ruling in a big money divorce case showed , however, the pandemic does not by itself amount to a good reason for failing to meet legal and financial...
- Confronting Mortality - Professional Advice Helps Produce Order from Chaos Confronting mortality is never easy and many people put off making decisions critical to their own future, and that of their loved ones, until after the onset of serious illness or old age. Such a course involves serious legal risks but, as a High Court...
- Tribunal Excludes Furnished Lettings Business from Inheritance Tax Relief In a ruling of interest to anyone engaged in renting out furnished properties, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has taken a restrictive approach to the circumstances in which such enterprises may qualify for Business Property Relief (BPR) from Inheritance Tax...
- Creating a Family Trust? Are You Sure It Reflects Your True Intentions? Rather than giving money to your children directly, you may choose for a variety of good reasons to provide for them by way of a discretionary trust. Such a step is a serious matter, however, and as a High Court case underlined , it is extremely difficult...
- Sensible Divorcees Put Personal Animosity Aside - Court of Appeal Ruling Any good lawyer will tell you that it is far better for divorcing couples to agree how their assets should be divided, rather than fighting it out in court. A Court of Appeal case showed , however, that, where personal animosity persists, it is only too...
- COVID-19 - High Court Authorises Vaccination of Elderly Dementia Sufferer Should vulnerable people who lack the mental capacity to make important decisions for themselves be vaccinated against COVID-19 even in the face of objections from their loved ones? The High Court confronted that uniquely difficult issue in the case of an...
- In Dispute with Your Neighbour? A Lawyer Will Help to Restore Peace Disputes between neighbours frequently inflict enormous emotional and financial harm on all involved. A High Court dispute concerning use of a shared driveway showed why any lawyer would advise sensible negotiation as a far better alternative to...
- Clerical Errors in Your Will or Codicil Can Create Discord After You Are Gone Even apparently obvious or trifling clerical errors in a will or codicil may provide fertile ground for dispute and that is why it is so important to have such documents drafted by a professional. In a High Court case on point , a straightforward...
- Interim Maintenance in Divorce Proceedings - Court of Appeal Gives Guidance Working out the financial consequences of divorce takes time and that is why judges have the power to make interim maintenance awards to bridge the gap. In an important ruling, the Court of Appeal gave guidance on how that power should be exercised to...
- Passenger Defeats International Airline in Battle Over Misspelt Name Individuals can feel almost powerless when faced with the might of large corporations but, with the right legal advice, that is very far from being so. In a case on point, a judge ruled that an international airline had no right to charge a passenger almost...
- Driving Instructor Stricken by COVID-19 Pays for Ignorance of the VAT Regime The VAT regime is far from straightforward and anyone going into business on their own account should take professional tax advice at the outset. In a striking case on point, a driving instructor who was recovering from a life-threatening bout of COVID-19...
- Disabled Would-Be Tenant Discriminated Against by Letting Agency The much-criticised practice of some landlords and their agents of excluding those in receipt of state benefits from obtaining private rented accommodation has been effectively outlawed by a judge's ruling on the basis that it amounts to indirect...
- Child Abduction - Runaway Mother Feels the Force of International Law Cross-border child abduction is an all too frequent result of broken relationships but it is also unspeakably cruel and English judges take their international treaty obligations to stamp it out very seriously. The High Court powerfully made that point in...
- Racing Driver's Inaccurate Will Leaves His Heirs with Unwelcome Headache The task of administering your estate after your death will be made all the harder if your will is not drafted with the precision that only a professional can provide. That was certainly so in one case concerning a retired racing driver's will which failed...
- Disturbed by Your Neighbours' Building Plans? See a Solicitor Today If you feel that your neighbours' building plans will impact on your views or otherwise harm your enjoyment of your home, you should not hesitate to consult a solicitor. In one case, a couple who did just that succeeded in blocking construction of a...
- Owed Money and Tired of Excuses? The Law Knows How Pressure is Applied Many businesses and individuals who are owed money sadly become accustomed to hearing explanations and excuses for non-payment. However, as one case showed , specialist lawyers do not give up and are adept at bringing relentless pressure to bear on debtors...
- Transatlantic Child Maintenance Storm Breaks Over One-Day-Old Baby Some relationships sadly do not survive the prospect of impending parenthood and that can result in children being born into the teeth of a legal storm. In one case, a little girl was only one day old when she became the subject of child maintenance...
- Tax Tribunal Rules Peripatetic Businessman 'Ordinarily Resident' in the UK Many businesspeople lead peripatetic lives of constant international travel and the crucial question of whether they are settled in the UK for tax purposes can be very difficult to answer. A First-tier Tribunal (FTT) ruling , however, revealed the lengths...
- High Court Uncovers Blatant Forgery as Will Dispute Tears Family Apart If an elderly man had listened to his solicitor's repeated advice to make a will, his children would have avoided a sea of trouble after his death. His failure to do so resulted in a bitter High Court dispute and a judge's finding that one of his daughters...