Recent Posts
Has an English court really recognised Sharia Law?
This week saw the 'landmark' divorce ruling by the English High Court that 'recognised Sharia law'. But what does the decision really...
06/08/18Draft Register of Overseas Entities Bill: An Initial Analysis
Some interesting revelations under the Draft Register of Overseas Entities Bill laid in Parliament today. For the first time, overseas...
23/07/18Enforcing a matrimonial order
No one wants to find themselves in this position. Either to have to enforce the order or being the person threatened with prison. They...
09/07/18Civil partnerships for everyone?
Well, not yet. The UK Supreme Court recently handed down judgment in R (on the application of Steinfeld and another) v Secretary of...
04/07/18How to pick a divorce solicitor
Separation and divorce is often a highly stressful time for any family and picking the right adviser is crucial. A good divorce solicitor...
03/07/18A 'Payneful' experience
The issue of attestation of wills came to the fore in the recent case of Payne & Anor v Payne [2018] when, on appeal, the court decided...
25/05/18Inheritance and parental wealth within divorce
Within divorce disputes an increasing number of cases focus upon parental financial support, family money and inheritance. In the case...
25/05/18Cohabitation and the problem of proving constructive trusts or proprietary estoppel
The case of Dobson v Griffey is a timely reminder of the difficulties involved in proving constructive trusts or proprietary estoppel in...
17/05/18A taxing time for the unwary
A timely reminder that an executor has obligations to discharge the deceased's debts and ensure that all tax due on an estate is...
03/05/18Domicile - A question of choice?
We all have a domicile of origin but an issue sometimes arises in the context of will disputes as to whether or not the deceased acquired...
27/04/18Family in court over split of Ming collection
Gifts of specific items made by will are sadly and frequently the cause of family disputes. There are issues over identifying the item,...
10/03/16Siblings take estate dispute to court
In another seemingly bitter dispute between siblings, Alan and Carolyn Hamilton have recently taken their fight over the estate of their...
08/03/16Ilott proceeds to the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has granted the charities involved in the case of Ilott v Mitson permission to appeal the Order of the Court of Appeal....
02/03/16Cohabitation considered again
The recent case of Joy Williams who lived with her married partner for 18 years has again raised concerns among some as to the need for a...
29/02/16Lord Lucan's death now official
Despite many 'possible' sightings since his disappearance in 1974, Lord Lucan has now been declared officially dead with the issue of a...
04/02/16Watts v Watts - Appeal dismissed
Watts v Watts [2015]EWCA Civ 1297 The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal of The Appellant considered that the Judge should have...
06/01/16Charity Commission reports on dominant trustees
The latest annual Charity Commission report has highlighted concerns about dominant trustees and how their control or excessive input can...
05/01/16How to die well, with help from your attorney
Guidance from NICE about end of life care embraces common sense and compassion. These are also the principles that a good health and...
18/12/15Has your divorce settlement been wrongly calculated by MoJ Form E software error?
Divorced couples should look back at their Form E (and the Form E of theirformer spouse), and manually calculate atparagraph 2.20 the...
18/12/15Pensioners will be able to sell annuities from April 2017
Pensioners will be able to convert their income for life to a capital sum. This is a very welcome measure.
17/12/15Opera star given a suspended jail sentence for tax evasion
Montserrat Caballe has received a six-month suspended jail sentence and has been fined £180,000 for tax evasion.
17/12/15Japan to rule on laws that prevent women remarrying within six months of divorce
Japan will decide this week whether to uphold, amend or strike out the controversial law which dates back to the 19th century. The law...
15/12/15'Successful' party ordered to pay costs
In the recent Judgment of Jones v Longley 2015 EWHC 3362 Ch, the First Defendant has been ordered to personally pay the costs of the...
15/12/15Not very taxing
On the train home last night I was reading the Evening Standard and came across Chris Blackhurst's article on tax havens. In essence,...
03/12/15Is HMRC monitoring your Facebook account?
HMRC and other organisations (such as insurance companies) are searching the internet for evidence relating to your lifestyle. HMRC in...
02/12/15Inheriting ISAs to be made simpler
The right to inherit an ISA from a spouse or civil partner who has died is a relatively recent right, but the process is very complex. ...
30/11/15SDLT on second homes in the Autumn statement
The attack on owning 2nd homes goes on. The extra 3% could be very confusing in many cases. We await the legislation for April 2016 but...
30/11/15More attacks on tax avoidance in the Autumn statement
The only consolation is that they are looking again at DOTAS and IHT -revised proposals are due out soon.
30/11/15Competition forces down will prices but powers of attorney are bearing up
It would have been interesting if this survey had included the prices of powers of attorney, given that the number of these being...
30/11/15Court rules on life sustaining treatment
The Court of Protection Re N [2015] EWCOP 76, Mrs N’s daughter brought the application for the Court’s determination as to her mother’s...
30/11/15