Blog
21st June 2018
Research undertaken by the Macmillan Cancer Support charity revealed that nearly two thirds of adults in the UK have not prepared a will and, perhaps surprisingly, more than 40 per cent of those without a will are older than 55. Perhaps these worrying statistics are fuelled by a number of common misconceptions, for example the idea that wills are only for the elderly or wealthy…
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14th June 2018
If you are considering buying or renting a property, your legal advisor may recommend various property searches as part of a sensible information-gathering process before you commit to the deal. One search on their list is likely to be an environmental desktop search to provide details of land use in the vicinity of the property, as well as information to help establish whether those uses…
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08th June 2018
There is usually a price to pay for extending the term of a lease – so what makes a lease extension an attractive proposition for owners of leasehold residential property? Well, for starters, as the length of the remaining term decreases so does the value of the lease. Furthermore, if you are planning to sell or take out a mortgage on the property, you or…
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31st May 2018
A business lease break clause can allow tenants or landlords to end their lease early. This can be useful for a tenant as it allows them to step out of the lease if their business fails to thrive while it can give a landlord the option of ending a lease if a stronger tenant comes along or they need the premises back for other reasons.…
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25th May 2018
The Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945 provides for apportionment of responsibility for loss between a personal injury claimant and defendant if both have contributed to the damage – and when it is proved that the claimant’s own negligence contributed to the damage or loss, a defendant is often required to pay a significantly-reduced sum in compensation. Contributory negligence defences are common in personal injury…
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14th May 2018
Many world investment markets performed strongly in 2017 only to falter in the first part of this year on the back of concerns about US President Donald Trump’s proposal to impose trade tariffs on a number of countries including China and the members of the European Union. As I write, some market stability has returned and the oil price has surged on President Trump’s further…
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04th May 2018
Technological advances have enabled prosthetics manufacturers to create some incredible devices for amputees – but these limbs do not come cheap and the National Health Service has competing priorities and demands on a finite budget. NHS England plans and buys specialised services for people with complex disability needs, including lower and upper limb amputees – according to its website, the NHS works to ensure it…
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27th April 2018
Despite the introduction of a new Inheritance Tax (IHT) allowance in 2017, as a result of increasing house prices and rising stock markets HM Treasury recovered more than £5 billion in death duties last year. Under the current rules married couples and civil partners can inherit each other’s allowances – in total, £1 million of the couple’s estate can be passed on tax free. But…
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19th April 2018
The fate of the UK’s once highly-regarded criminal justice system appears to hang in the balance, threatened by unprecedented levels of cutbacks and years of under-resourcing. We need to see incremental improvements rather than the constant paring-down that is jeopardising justice for the innocent and dissuading competent lawyers from choosing criminal law as a career path. This year has seen a spate of rape allegations…
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13th April 2018
As a society we have used insurance as a method of transferring or distributing risk for centuries – UK property insurance can be traced back to the aftermath of the Great Fire of London in 1666. An insurance policy provides protection from financial loss: premiums paid by insurers’ customers are pooled to establish a collective fund that pays for individual losses. But it is worth…
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