Recent Posts
Ilott 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...
30/11/15Buy-to-let SDLT changes
From 1 April 2016, second properties will be subject to an additional rate of SDLT. This will be applicable for properties worth greater...
30/11/15Pension relief set to be reduced!
With all possible avenues of tax planning being blocked, one of the only way to legitimately reduce your tax bill is to save for your...
24/11/15Will the autumn statement be harsher than expected?
It is envisaged that the Chancellor may increase capital gains tax in his autumn statement on 25 November. It is also envisaged that...
24/11/15Resolution Dispute Resolution Week - Putting #childrenfirst
This week is Family Dispute Resolution Week. The purpose is to raise awareness of conciliatory methods of resolving issues arising as a...
23/11/15UK non-dom changes unfair, unreasonable and disproportionate
Serious questions are being raised by UK professional bodies in relation to the United Kingdom’s politically motivated decision to reform...
20/11/15Limiting treatment for seriously ill children
The case of C, a baby born early this year (in a car on the way to hospital and deprived of oxygen because of the difficult circumstances...
20/11/15Simon Vaughan receives a fair outcome in his divorce financial proceedings
Simon Vaughan, the soldier seriously wounded in Afghanistan, successfully fought off his wife's claims for a share in his specially...
19/11/159 month custodial sentence for non-disclosing husband
Justice Mostyn has imposed what is thought to be the longest immediate custodial sentence for non-disclosure in the Family Court history....
18/11/15UK to have beneficial ownership register
The UK will require overseas territories to: 1. Allow HMRC access to company beneficial ownership information without restriction 2....
17/11/15Will witnesses ... post death
A recent decision by Derby Crown Court serves as a reminder that even if a will has been genuinely signed by the testator, it must still...
17/11/15Cohabitee Dispute - Barnes v Phillips [2015] EWCA Civ 1056
This is an interesting case for cohabitees - Barnes v Phillips [2015] EWCA Civ 1056 . This appeal judgment concerned the purchase of a...
16/11/15UK buy-to-let investors will be taxed more harshly than anywhere else!
The full implications of George Osborne's buy-to-let tax measures are yet to be felt. What is certain is that private landlords will be...
16/11/15