Recent Posts
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
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
Irwin Mitchell
Giving it all away: lifetime gifting to avoid IHT
When the term "tax planning" is banded about in the press and on social media, many people imagine complex and expensive schemes...
31/10/18
Irwin Mitchell
Asian Divorce: Digging for Gold
As a specialist in this area, I am often asked to advise on the issue of jewellery and dowry. Here is my summary and some top tips....
31/10/18
Irwin Mitchell
Ashes To Ashes - A judge has to rule
A case involving a dispute about ashes and who should be allowed to attend a cremation has been widely reported in the media. TV comedian...
24/10/18
Irwin Mitchell
Man who 'doesn't like cows' in farm inheritance battle
A humorous headline from the BBC as often is the case in our area of law. My colleague Nazia Nawaz, a senior associate in our Manchester...
22/10/18
Irwin Mitchell
In the Estate of Lord Templeman deceased: Summary judgment in a probate claim is possible, just not this one
In the mid 70s, Mr Justice Templeman as he then was, gave the leading judgment in Kenward v Adams 1975, setting out the now infamous...
19/10/18
Irwin Mitchell
Promise of Land - is it really enforceable?
One of my colleagues in our Manchester office, Nazia Nawaz, has brought the case of Moore v Moore to my attention and comments as...
12/10/18
Irwin Mitchell
The Protection Racket
Sadly, this is another example of how the very system that is supposed to protect vulnerable people can be used against them. In this...
08/10/18
Irwin Mitchell
‘Merry Christmas Gaffa’ - Christmas for a professional football player
As the retail shops begin to stack the shelves with Christmas products, spare a thought for the professional footballers and their...
27/09/18
Irwin Mitchell
Hindsight is a wonderful thing - why significant delay could cost you your home
A recent decision of the High Court has seen the claims advanced by a widow against her late husband's estate, dismissed some 28 years...
19/09/18
Joanne Moseley
Irwin Mitchell win injunction allowing senior Cardiologist to return to work
A senior consultant doctor has won the right to return to full duties at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, against the wishes of his...
14/09/18
Irwin Mitchell
Banfield v Campbell: disabled cohabitee awarded life interest
Another interesting decision in relation to a claim under the Inheritance Act 1975, this time by Master Teverson in the case of Banfield...
30/08/18
Irwin Mitchell
Modern families, medicine and the law: IVF and conception post-death
Advances in medical treatment and modern family life have both lead to the courts in England and Wales and overseas, grappling with new...
22/08/18
Irwin Mitchell
Familiarity is good for your mental health
Two interesting dementia-related stories being reported on the BBC this week. Firstly, the email read out by Jonathan Agnew about the...
21/08/18
Irwin Mitchell
Cohabitees at war: woman gets to keep what is already hers
Despite the headlines in the mainstream media that Ms Ladwa, 43 has 'won' half of the £1.7 million home she shared with her partner of 16...
15/08/18
Irwin Mitchell
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...
06/08/18
Irwin Mitchell
Draft 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...
23/07/18
Irwin Mitchell
Enforcing 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...
09/07/18
Irwin Mitchell
Civil 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...
04/07/18