Company News
An Arrangement Among Friends or a Business
7th September 2010
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) imposes a strict regulatory regime on persons operating in the financial services area by way of business and this includes the licensing of ‘deposit takers’. Recently, three men were charged...
French Law - No Trust Means No Benefits
3rd September 2010
A recent case illustrates the sort of unanticipated problem that can arise as a result of owning property abroad. The case...
Failure to Take Pension Leads to IHT Liability
31st August 2010
In a recent case, the executors of a woman's estate have been ruled to be liable for Inheritance Tax (IHT) on the value of her pension fund, after she...
Foreign Divorces - Better Protection for Spouses
30th August 2010
The principle that British persons divorced abroad can look to the courts in England and Wales to ensure that their ‘reasonable needs’ are met in the divorce settlement has been firmly established following a
No Penalty for Driving While Using Mobile as a Dictaphone
27th August 2010
The comedian Jimmy Carr was recently successful in using a loophole in the law to avoid a fine for using a mobile phone whilst driving. The argument was based on the fact that he was using his mobile phone as a...
Boundary Dispute Over Strip of Driveway Ends Up in Court
25th August 2010
An argument over a narrow strip of land has left a mother and son facing massive costs after their case was heard in the Court of Appeal recently.
Farming Family in Intestacy Challenge
24th August 2010
The problems which can arise when there is an intestate estate that involves business assets were made clear recently when the High Court had to rule on a complex claim relating back to a death that occurred many years ago.
Courts Won't Enforce Undocumented 'Rights'
19th August 2010
It is often thought that, when couples live together, they have similar rights to those who are married or in a civil partnership. However, this is far from the truth, as a barrister found out recently when she lost her
Council That Refused Meeting With Homeless Man Failed to Meet Obligations
18th August 2010
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a man who knew that he and his daughter were about to become homeless, and who wrote to the council seeking its assistance...
Friend Must Repay Inheritance, Rules Court
16th August 2010
A will made two months before the death of an elderly woman has been set aside by the High Court after it heard evidence that by 2006, when the new will was made, she was ‘seriously losing her grip’. The new will...
Ash Cloud Relief for Non-Residents
16th August 2010
HM Revenue and Customs have announced that non-UK resident persons who remained in the UK due to disruption of their travel plans because of the volcanic ash cloud and who, as a result, spent more than 90 days in the UK at one time, will not...
Court Rules that Widow Can Evict Daughter
12th August 2010
A recent case in the Court of Appeal has resulted in a 92-year-old widow being given the right to evict her daughter and son-in-law, after a bitter family...
HMRC to Name and Shame Tax Dodgers
10th August 2010
Taxpayers who evade more than £25,000 of tax will now be ‘named and shamed’ by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) where the evasion affects a period after 1 April 2010. It is expected to be 2011 before the first tax evaders will...
Civil Litigation Overhaul Proposed
5th August 2010
Radical changes to the civil litigation system are imminent, following the publication of Lord Justice...
Compensation for 'Toxic Sofa' Victims
5th August 2010
Over 1,500 people who suffered chemical burns and allergic reactions after buying ‘toxic sofas’ are to share a compensation settlement worth £20 million, in what is thought to be the largest consumer class action in English ...
Husband's Covert Affair Means Wife Keeps House
4th August 2010
When a wife agrees to allow the family home to be used as security for her husband’s debts, the legal situation is normally clear and the creditor can rely on her consent in order to take possession. However,
Information on Household Gas Safety
2nd August 2010
A total of 15 people died from carbon monoxide poisoning associated with domestic gas appliances in the year 2008/2009, mainly a result of gas appliances being fitted badly or not being serviced properly. All...
Emigrating and Tax
30th July 2010
With tax rates on the rise and the coldest winter in years still a vivid memory, it may be a tempting prospect to leave Britain behind and settle somewhere in the sun. One of the drawbacks with this approach is...
Executor Who Stole From Estate Faces Prison
29th July 2010
An executor who stole more than £80,000 from the estate of a client faces a jail sentence for his crime. The man, who operated as a ‘will writer’, also faces a confiscation order against his assets. Much of the money was used...
