Company News Archive
Further Court Battles Likely for Forgers
6th December 2011
When a millionaire estate agent died intestate, the two women he had been involved with both tried to have his estate distributed according to their wishes. Chris John died leaving an estate worth £5...
The Winner Takes It All or Not
30th November 2011
It is well known that in the UK, the loser in a court case pays the legal costs of the winner. It is often assumed that if, say, your legal costs are £5,000 and you win your case, you will get the £5,000 reimbursed. However, this...
Equitable Compensation to be Tax Free
28th November 2011
People who suffered losses as a result of the collapse of mutual insurer Equitable Life in 2000 will be pleased to know that the compensation payments they receive as a result of the passing of the
Court Reversal for Vendor Who Didn't Know What He Had Sold
25th November 2011
The recent case in which the court was asked to rule regarding a vacant flat that was part of a property sold at auction – the existence of which neither...
Widow Challenges Will After Brain Tumour Death
23rd November 2011
A widow who was excluded from inheriting her husband’s £500,000 estate, under the terms of a will he made four years before he died in 2009, has contested the will, alleging that the brain tumour from which her husband was...
Judge Has Discretion Not to Wait for Evidence of Psychiatrist
22nd November 2011
A father who sought to have a hearing regarding his contact with his children adjourned so that new evidence could be obtained found his argument rejected by the Court of Appeal recently. The family court had...
Reasonably Safe Does Not Mean Free from Risk
17th November 2011
A landowner’s duty of care with regard to land used by members of the public was the subject of a recent case in the High Court. The limits of legal...
HMRC to Name and Shame 'Dodgy' Tax Advisers
14th November 2011
New measures put forward by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to deal with the problem of ‘tax agents who act dishonestly in tax matters’ include proposals that HMRC should ‘name and shame’ advisers who are found to have...
Trust Must Provide for Children from Bigamous Marriage
10th November 2011
Years ago, it was common for a deed creating a trust for children to specify the beneficiaries as being ‘the legitimate children’ of the person setting up the trust. Recently, the children of the 13th...
Disapproval of Son-in-Law Leads to Property Challenge
7th November 2011
A woman who paid more than 90 per cent of the cost of a £3 million property purchased for her daughter, in whose name the title is held, has failed in her attempt to have the ownership of the property changed to reflect her...
Businessman UK Resident Despite HMRC Guidance
4th November 2011
The Supreme Court recently handed down its judgment in the case of Gaines-Cooper v Revenue and Customs. In what will be a suprising decision to many, the Court has ruled in favour of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), who argued that...
Long-Term Gym Membership Contracts Unfair
4th November 2011
The High Court has upheld a challenge by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to various terms found in some gym membership contracts – most notably lengthy...
Must HMRC Follow Their Own Guidance Supreme Court to Rule
1st November 2011
The Supreme Court’s decision in the Gaines-Cooper case is eagerly awaited for more than one reason. Firstly, the outcome in this case will affect hundreds of people who may well find that their residence status for UK tax purposes has...
Family Feud Breaks Out Over Deathbed Marriage and Will
26th October 2011
The combination of a deathbed marriage, a millionaire and a new will was always likely to end in a court battle, and so it proved recently when a family challenged their late father’s will, which left everything to his new wife, who had...
Have You Made a Will
24th October 2011
The Law Society is urging the nearly 70 per cent of the adult population who have not yet made a will to do so. There are many reasons why you should make a will. It is a mistake to think that it is only...
I Hear You Knocking and Drilling and Sawing...
20th October 2011
Noisy neighbours can be the bane of one’s existence, so it is no real surprise that a lesbian couple finally lost patience with their adjoining next-door neighbours after they had workmen carrying out extensive building work on their...
NSI Withdraws Savings Certificates
17th October 2011
Just four months after relaunching Index-linked Savings Certificates, the Government-backed savings institution National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has withdrawn its Savings Certificates from sale. The move was necessary in order to...
Government Announces Ban on Referral Fees
14th October 2011
As part of the Government’s bid to tackle the growth of a ‘compensation culture’, the Ministry of Justice has announced that the payment of referral fees in personal injury cases is to be banned.
Will Signed by Beneficiary Valid
11th October 2011
Among the requirements for a will to be valid are that it must not be witnessed by a beneficiary and it must be signed at the bottom by the testator (the person making it) or, if they are unable to sign it, under their direction.
Inherited Wealth Not Split on Divorce
7th October 2011
A recent divorce case has confirmed the general position that when wealth is inherited, it is not normally subject to the ‘equal shares’ rule that...
