Recent Posts

The UK property market…it’s not all about Brexit
Nationwide claims a ‘soft’ March as price growth remains under 1% and it is easy to say that’s it’s all down to the Brexit uncertainty....
29/03/19
Divorce process 'too complicated' for litigants in person
Following the well-publicised case of Owens and the consultation on no-fault divorce, we have been waiting for the Government's response...
21/03/19
Everyone’s a winner: OPG mediation scheme set to deal with family fall-outs
Family disputes are never pleasant, but they can be particularly problematic where a member of the family may lack mental capacity, and...
21/03/19
Some ground rules on ground rent
For first-time buyers, knowledge is key. A recent BBC article quoted one first-time buyers as saying “If I could go back in time I...
19/03/19
Undue influence and a blow for the traditionalists
An interesting undue influence case is reported in the Telegraph this week. Three sisters have successfully challenged their late...
13/03/19
A rather taxing time bomb
Making Tax Digital (MTD) is the government's flagship project to bring tax compliance into the twenty-first century. Starting with the...
08/03/19
Pass (on) the pension...
The importance of writing and regularly updating your will has been reiterated by private client lawyers since time immemorial. However...
07/03/19
Widow can inherit despite helping husband travel to Dignitas
The High Court handed down a ground-breaking judgment this week, in the first case to deal with whether someone who assists a terminally...
25/02/19
Death and Taxes
When the Conservative party introduced the new Residential Nil Rate Band (RNRB) in 2017, many people believed that their homes would...
25/02/19
Choupette Lagerfeld: The cat that got the cream
Following the death of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld on Tuesday, attention has quickly turned to his beloved Birman cat, Choupette....
21/02/19/Passle/55fad68c3d94740998208cb3/SearchServiceImages/2019-02-15-16-41-05-893-5c66eba1abdfe80e282c0816.jpg)
Granddaughter awarded £110,000 from grandmother’s estate after giving up ballet career
From will, trust and estates disputes associate Heather Roberts. The London County Court this week handed down judgment in a case brought...
15/02/19/Passle/55fad68c3d94740998208cb3/SearchServiceImages/2019-02-08-11-27-18-018-5c5d6796abdfe8039885b09d.jpg)
Financial abuse claims on the rise
Find the latest on will, trusts and estates disputes news from associate Heather Roberts, based in our Manchester office, below. Another...
08/02/19
Should auld acquaintance (and former cohabitees) be forgotten? Lessons from Scotland on cohabitee rights
Ethan Axelrod, a trainee solicitor in our London team looks at what lessons we can learn from Scotland on reforming the law for...
08/02/19/Passle/55fad68c3d94740998208cb3/SearchServiceImages/2019-02-06-11-28-53-793-5c5ac4f5989b6f16148dba09.jpg)
NHS to trial smart meters to measure dementia care
In a bid to cut down on hospital visits and improve patient care, the NHS is trialling smart meter technology in the homes of dementia...
06/02/19
Act in haste, repent at (Her Majesty's) leisure (perhaps?)
An interesting and rather extraordinary story is reported in The Times today. Dianne De Marzo's claim to a share in a property in Abbey...
30/01/19
Financial abuse: new year, same risk?
As we begin a new year, it is worth reminding ourselves to be ever-vigilant of financial abuse as my colleague Ethan Axelrod, a trainee...
14/01/19
Richest man to divorce
After 25 years, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie are set to divorce. In a joint statement the pair said "After a long...
14/01/19
Happy 2019: Celebrating 100 years of women in law
As we wave goodbye to 2018, the year that marked the 100th anniversary of some women given the vote, we enter another special centenary...
08/01/19
Compare the market, if you can
From 6 December 2018 law firms are required to publish their costs for obtaining probate and administering estates on their websites. The...
19/12/18
Give the gift that keeps on giving – are you in the 54% of the population without a will?
At this time of year we are finalising our Christmas wish lists including the latest gadgets, clothes and confectionaries. I have very...
06/12/18
Write the right will: The perils of clauses
For those who think that will drafting is a relatively straightforward job, this recent example in the High Court just goes to showy how...
26/11/18
Probate fees: the real tax on death
Inheritance tax (IHT) and how to avoid it is often in the news. Only recently much comment was made about how the late Bruce Forsyth...
13/11/18
Old McDonald had a farm… and everyone started fighting over it
Yet another dispute involving a family farm hits the headlines. My colleague Heather Roberts, an associate in our Manchester office has...
13/11/18
Inheritance laws in Tunisia - why are women still waiting for equality?
To mark International Women’s Day this year, men and women in Tunisia took to the streets in the country’s capital to demand equal...
12/11/18
Are you one of millions who has underestimated the cost of future care?
We don't always like to think about what our later life future holds, but whilst we are all now living longer, that does not necessarily...
09/11/18
Adoption applications are falling - but why?
A recent statistic shows that adoption applications by heterosexual couples has fallen 36% in the past four years. And it is thought...
08/11/18
Do I have to fund my legal fees on divorce?
It is a common misconception that if you either cannot fund your legal costs or do not have the 'cash flow' to do so, there are no...
06/11/18
Pension Pot Tax Shock
With the advent of auto enrolment in 2012, more Britons than ever before are contributing to a pension scheme. We all know that we...
06/11/18
Are your expectations for retirement savings and the cost of future care realistic?
Whilst we are all now living longer, that does not necessarily equate to a healthy life expectancy. It is important not to ignore the...
02/11/18
My costs: Did I win or not?
An important question of costs was considered on appeal in the case of Griffin v Higgs & Ors [2018] last month. This was a will dispute...
02/11/18