Private Client Articles

The Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (“Inheritance Act”) gives the Court the power to order financial provision from the deceased’s net estate for certain categories of applicants. The Claimant must bring their...

Tenants are being warned to be wary of being ‘ripped off’ by rogue letting agents who are flouting new consumer protection regulations. Two new laws, the Tenant Fees Act and the Client Money Protection Schemes for Property Agents, have recently...

The granddaughters of a farmer have lost their shares in his farm because of complications that arose when their father died without making a will. The grandfather had died in 1992, leaving behind a wife and four children. His will stated that the farm was...

A wife was entitled to a financial settlement from her husband that reflected British law even though their divorce was granted abroad. That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving an Omani man and Lebanese woman. The couple had been married...

The value of the government’s Help to Buy scheme has been called into question by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee. They say much of the money invested could have been better spent elsewhere. The Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme was introduced in...

The justice Secretary Robert Buckland has reversed the government’s previous decision to introduce a probate fee increases, which were due to see families paying £6,000 in order to apply for a grant of probate. Currently, in England and Wales,...

When a married couple makes mirror Wills, they usually follow a simple formula – everything is left to each other when the first spouse dies, then passes to the children on the second death. This is an efficient and proven structure when all children...

Pregnant women and new parents are set to receive extended legal protection against being made redundant after they return to work. The move is part of the government’s ‘Good Work Plan’. It follows a consultation which found that new...

A mother has lost her appeal against a special guardianship order which placed her children in the care of their paternal grandparents. The case involved children who had been the subject of a child protection plan due to parental neglect. A residency...

The new digital service for grant of probate applications has achieved a 92% satisfaction rating in its first 12 months, according to HM Courts and Tribunal Service. The service was introduced in July last year to streamline applications by dealing with...