Recent Posts
Trustee compliance on the increase
In 2017 HMRC introduced the online Trust Register in order to capture information from trustees about their the trusts which they...
29/05/20Courts uphold first-time trustee's £1.6m tax bill - how can you avoid the same fate?
Trusts are a popular estate planning tool used to hold and protect all kinds of possessions, from property to life insurance and even...
26/05/20Little-known tax exemption for front-line emergency workers
There has long existed an exemption from inheritance tax for members of the armed forces whose deaths result from injuries sustained on...
06/05/20Floods not forgotten
By Helen Hutchison, Residential Property partner The floods in November 2019 seem forever ago. The world has changed so much in 2020, but...
01/05/20Five ways the residential property market is improving
Bleak headlines concerning the residential property market are abundant, but at Irwin Mitchell we focus on the positives. Here are five...
01/05/20Should success fees be recoverable in Inheritance Act claims?
The recent unreported case of Bullock v Denton and Willoughby provides authority for the recovery of a success fee in claims under the...
27/04/20Supreme Court acknowledgment of the challenges posed by surrogacy law in the UK?
Comment by Kathryn Evans A woman left infertile when her cervical cancer was spotted more than four years after her initial smear test,...
22/04/20Daughter loses Adult Child claim under the Inheritance Act
In recent years there have been an increasing number of judgments released in cases brought under the Inheritance (Provision for Family...
16/04/20Possession may not be 9/10ths of the law
The recent case of Barkatali v Davies [2020] demonstrates the challenges faced by co-habitants seeking the right to remain in property...
14/04/20Coronavirus: Charities to be hit by fall in legacy income
Analyst company Legacy Foresight has forecasted that legacy income for charities could decrease by up to 9% this year because of...
07/04/20Opinion: could a will ever be validly executed by e-signature, and could this lead to more disputes?
In a world that is fast evolving, the process of making a Will has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years, indeed the...
31/03/20Social distancing for separated parents: can I still see my child?
BY MARK HANDS Last night, after the Prime Minister’s address to the nation many separated parents will have been worried about how the...
24/03/20Families being shaken, not stirred?
Daniel Craig is arguably one of the most recognised names across the globe as a result of his portrayal of the iconic character of James...
23/03/20Lord Templeman Will upheld after seven day trial
Goss-Custard v Templeman [2020] EWHC 636 (Ch) Mr Justice Fancourt has just handed down judgment in the High Court after the seven day...
19/03/20Court of Appeal uphold Guest v Guest estoppel decision
The Court of Appeal ([2020] EWCA Civ 387) has this week handed down its decision in the long running dispute between a son and his...
19/03/20Family Court Reveals Dark Secrets of Dubai Royal Family
Family proceedings, particularly those relating to children, are rarely reported in detail in the media. Although accredited journalists...
16/03/20Ali v Taj: Inventory and account obligations
In the recent case of Ali v Taj, the court considered an application for permission to appeal the order that the executors provide an...
03/03/20Kirk Douglas to disinherit sons and grandchildren
Kirk Douglas was a well-known actor with affluent children and a family worth a fortune. Kirk had set up a charity called the Douglas...
27/02/20Equity release: an alternative to downsizing
Equity release is available to people aged 55 or over to access funds tied up in their property, either as a lump sum or as a regular...
28/01/20What a relief (from sanctions)!
In the recent case of Djurberg v London Borough of Richmond & Ors [2019] EWHC 3342 (Ch) Chief Master Marsh held that the courts will not...
15/01/20Property pet problems
The Government will change the model tenancy agreement to remove the blanket restriction on pets, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has...
08/01/20IHT implications of leaving shared property by will
The recent decision in Margaret Vincent v HMRC raises important issues in relation to will drafting and estate planning. The FTT found...
06/01/20Rock legend disinherits wife
The recent death of The Cars legend Ric Ocasek in September this year was a shock to all rock music fans but it seems that the greatest...
20/12/19Changes in capital gains tax on private residences
Sweeping changes are coming to the reporting and payment of capital gains tax on the sale of private residences; accountants, tax...
12/12/19Unwanted war baby challenges late father's will
An “unwanted war baby” has sought to challenge his late father’s will after it failed to make any provision for him. Colin Johnston was...
11/12/19A broken promise or a broken relationship?
Lucy Blyth has failed in making a claim against the estate of tycoon Charles Caudle amounting to £8.6 million. They pair met in a...
11/12/19'Divorce tourism': there is a limit
It is sometimes possible for the English Family Court to make a financial order where the divorce has taken place in another country, and...
05/12/19Property Ombudsman to introduce fair-usage fees
The Property Ombudsman has announced they will increase member fees from January 2020. The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is a not-for-profit...
25/11/19The importance of will storage
Nowadays, with advances in technology, many things have been digitised, resulting in much less important paperwork. This is not however...
25/11/19International dispute over $40m diamond inheritance rages on
A well-off Italian family face a legal battle over the beneficial owner of a $40 million pink diamond. In the 1960s, Renato Angiolillo...
11/11/19