Blog
15th March 2019
In the course of my professional work, especially when advising clients about making or updating a will, I am often asked for advice on the best way of giving to charity. Charities carry out excellent work of great public benefit, nevertheless from time-to-time press reports highlight criticism of some charities, reflecting various concerns about day-to-day administrative matters or costs for example. So for anyone seriously…
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08th March 2019
Now that the Automated and Electric Vehicles (AEV) Act is enshrined in law, will the government deliver ‘automatic’ compensation for injured victims of driverless cars? According to recent media reports, fully driverless cars are expected to take part in advanced trials on Britain’s roads by the end of 2019 under government plans to scrap a previous requirement for a dedicated safety driver. Recently there have…
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01st March 2019
In the Eighteenth Century, Benjamin Franklin reputedly said that in this world nothing is certain except death and taxes. His famous quote still rings true today – but are you one of the many people who do not have an up-to-date will? According to research, the number of people in the UK without a current will is at an all-time high, with more than half of…
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25th February 2019
Anecdotal evidence continues to point to a steady growth in the number of wills being challenged, although no clear evidence is emerging to explain this increase. Influential factors could include the increasingly complex nature of modern family structures, the economic climate, and perhaps an increasing reliance by some on the internet for legal advice. Unsurprisingly, any solicitor would suggest that a matter as important as…
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14th February 2019
Rugby fans like me will be happy that the Six Nations Championship is now well under way – but rugby, as a full contact sport involving heavy body collisions between two or more players, often results in serious injury to amateur and professional players alike. It is widely accepted that, by participating in a game, rugby players accept a certain risk of injury and, in…
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08th February 2019
Today the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, David Gauke, has announced that no fault divorce will become law. It is a decision warmly welcomed by family lawyers and represents a huge achievement for Resolution, the family law solicitors’ association, which campaigned so hard for this change. For years, the requirement to blame one party in order to achieve an early divorce has…
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08th February 2019
Cases involving falls from height are still too common despite the UK’s current working at height regulations. These rules place significant obligations on employers who require work to be done at locations from which, if there are no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. One such case arose from an incident involving the removal of asbestos roof…
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01st February 2019
Imagine you own a building you have earmarked for redevelopment but, in the interim, you would like to continue earning returns on your investment in order to meet costly outgoings. So you agree to grant some short-term one-year leases to your existing tenants. One tenant has expressed an interest in staying a little longer and, because that suits your circumstances, you agree to give them…
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29th January 2019
In the Chancellor of the Exchequer's 2014 Autumn Statement George Osborne announced that under new rules surviving spouses may inherit their deceased partner’s Individual Savings Account (ISA), referred to as an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS), and that it may stay as an ISA, meaning that they would not pay tax on any capital gains. However, recent figures from HMRC reveal that a low number of bereaved…
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28th January 2019
If I had a pound for every client who asked whether or not they need bother with a building survey in respect of their property purchase, I would be contemplating retirement rather than writing this article. I always advise in favour of a survey – it will reveal defects that the legal paperwork or a physical inspection may not expose and, as such, is well…
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