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Substantial compensation has been obtained for a woman who suffered life-changing injuries in a road traffic accident. She was in a stationary queue of traffic when another vehicle drove into the back of the queue at about 70mph. Her car was shunted into a...
Claims that title to land has been acquired by adverse possession are not easy to establish and can be resisted if it can be shown that the claimant has not been in possession of the land for the required period. Recently, a woman's claim to have acquired...
A businessman has been awarded damages by the High Court after a website published a defamatory article about him. The businessman had developed projects in a number of countries, including Uzbekistan. Due to his professional reputation and his success in...
Compensation has been secured for a door and window fitter who suffered a serious injury when a drill fell from a nine-metre ladder onto his leg. He was working on the door of a house when he knocked a ladder that was standing nearby. A drill fell from the...
Compensation has been secured for a man who suffered life-changing injuries in a climbing accident. The man was taking part in a climb when his climbing partner allegedly released the rope without being instructed to do so, and did not communicate this to...
The High Court has refused to strike out a claim seeking to propound a man's will despite the Court of Protection having previously declared it invalid, on the grounds that the Court had not had jurisdiction to make that declaration. The man had suffered...
The Court of Appeal has set aside a financial remedy order in a divorce between a wealthy couple, finding that it was necessary for the case to be reheard. The couple had begun a relationship in Bahrain in 2011. They had moved to England in January 2013...
Compensation has been obtained for a girl who suffered a life-changing brain injury in a road accident. The girl, who was nearly three years old, was hit by a taxi in the road outside her home. She suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was left with...
The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has dismissed a businessman's appeal against a decision of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that he was domiciled in England. The businessman, who had been born in England to Irish parents in 1942, had filed his self-assessment...
A woman who suffered serious injuries when she tripped and fell at a racecourse has obtained compensation. The heel of the woman's shoe became caught in a hole in the ground and she tripped, suffering injuries to her ankle and face. Despite going to...
The Upper Tribunal (UT) has ruled that the terms of a woman's leases did not permit her landlord to demand contributions to a 'reserve fund' by way of her service charges. The woman held a long lease of her flat and a further lease granting easements over...
The Court of Protection has granted declarations sought by two NHS trusts that a pregnant woman lacked capacity and that a care plan which provided for the possibility of her undergoing a caesarean section was in her best interests. The woman was pregnant...
A company that recycles fire extinguishers has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an employee sustained fatal injuries in a workplace accident. The 37-year-old man was processing powder fire extinguishers that were at the end of...
A poll recently commissioned by the charity will-writing campaign Will Aid has revealed that two thirds of people either have not made a will or have a will which is out of date. The survey of more than 2,000 adults in the UK found that 57 per cent of them...
The Family Court has dismissed a woman's application to stay divorce and financial remedy proceedings , finding that she had not demonstrated that it would be more appropriate to litigate the issues in Florida. She had met another woman in Switzerland in...
The Upper Tribunal (UT) has upheld a decision refusing a taxpayer permission to bring a late appeal against closure notices issued by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). After HMRC issued closure notices determining an increase in the taxpayer's Income Tax...
A man has obtained a six-figure sum in compensation after he sustained a serious foot injury in a road collision. He initially believed that he had suffered a soft tissue injury in the accident, but was eventually diagnosed with a Lisfranc fracture. Despite...
A husband and wife who abused their positions as attorneys of the husband's elderly parents have been sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to return the money they stole. The couple had made over 100 transfers from the husband's parents' bank...
Compensation has been secured for a passenger on a cruise ship who suffered a serious ankle injury when she slipped on a puddle of water in her cabin. She had previously reported that the toilet in her cabin was leaking, and believed that it had been...
The Upper Tribunal (UT) has modified a restrictive covenant to allow a couple to run a bed and breakfast business from their home. The couple owned a two-storey, four-bedroom house. In 2023 they had started running a B&B, having created two en-suite...
The Court of Appeal has allowed a mother's appeal against the High Court's refusal to set aside or stay an order for the return of her son to Texas. The boy's father was an Indian national who lived in the USA. He and the boy's mother had met in 2023 and...
A compensation settlement has been secured for a young man who suffered a life-changing brain injury in a workplace accident. The man worked as an apprentice electrician. He was working on a building site in windy weather when some flat-pack furniture fell...
The value of obtaining legal representation when seeking to challenge decisions made by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) was illustrated by a recent case in which the Upper Tribunal (UT) granted a taxpayer permission to appeal against a decision upholding a...
A young woman who suffered a serious leg injury when she slipped and fell onto some broken glass in a nightclub has obtained compensation. She sustained a deep cut to her leg, which required stitches. She experienced significant pain for several weeks after...
Compensation has been secured for a woman who was seriously injured while visiting a café during a holiday in the UK. The woman was sitting outside the café when a vehicle suddenly mounted the pavement and collided with her table. She was...
The High Court has rejected a claim by a clothing designer's partner for financial provision from his estate , finding that it had not been demonstrated that they had lived together as a married couple for the required period of two years before the...
Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) were introduced in 2007 by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 , replacing Enduring Powers of Attorney. A power of attorney allows someone else to make decisions on your behalf or help you make decisions if you lack the capacity...
The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has granted a couple's application to register a right of way over a small triangle of land belonging to a neighbouring property owner, finding that they and their tenants had crossed it as of right for at least 20 years. The...
Compensation has been secured for a woman who suffered a crushed finger in an accident involving a faulty machine. The woman, who worked for a food company, had been told to use the machine by her manager. Her finger was crushed when the lid of the machine...
The Family Court recently made a parental order in the names of both parents of twins born via surrogacy, despite their father having died before their birth. The mother and father had been in a relationship for several years before marrying. Their first...
A woman who was injured when she tripped in her local town hall has secured a compensation settlement. As she entered the building, she tripped over a bar that had not been put away when the doors were opened that morning. She fell to the ground, sustaining...
Compensation has been secured for a man who was left with permanent disability after being injured in a road accident. The man developed chronic back pain in the years following the accident, and will have to use crutches for the rest of his life. He tried...
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has obtained a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 against a convicted fraudster. As a result, victims of his crimes are expected to recover most of the money they invested. The fraudster offered...
On 13 July 2026, the fee charged when applying for probate increased significantly, from £300 to £526. The fee applies where the value of the estate is more than £5,000. There is no fee for estates of £5,000 or less. If probate has...
Compensation has been secured for a woman who was seriously injured in an accident on a boat during a package holiday. She was travelling between two islands in the Maldives when there was an explosion on the boat. It took some time for help to arrive, and...
Under Paragraph 5(a) of Schedule 4 to the Land Registration Act 2002 , the Land Register may be altered for the purpose of correcting a mistake. Recently, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) granted an application for alteration of the Register by a woman who...
A woman who was seriously injured when one of her work colleagues fell against her has obtained substantial compensation. She was providing manual handling training when the accident happened. She fell to the ground and suffered a serious back injury. She...
The Family Court has concluded that it had no jurisdiction to hear a man's application for an order for sale of the former matrimonial home following his ex-wife's death, finding that personal rights and obligations arising under the Matrimonial Causes Act...
The High Court has found that a car driver was liable for an accident in which he hit a nine-year-old girl on a crossing. The girl and her family were approaching the crossing when they spotted the oncoming car. The rest of her family slowed down, but the...
Seeking redress for defamatory statements can often be complex, but it is certainly not impossible. Recently, a woman succeeded in obtaining damages from a journalist who had misrepresented what she had said in an interview with him, as well as from an...
A construction company and its sole director have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a mobile tower scaffold fell onto a busy high street, seriously injuring two members of the public. The scaffold had been put up during...
Imprecise drafting in a will is a recipe for litigation and dispute later on. A recent High Court decision on the interpretation of an ambiguous clause in a man's will illustrates the kinds of issues that can arise. The man had made a will in 2007 leaving...
Failures by a taxpayer's agent are generally treated as failures by the taxpayer for the purposes of whether there is a good reason for failing to bring an appeal in time. A recent case in which a taxpayer was refused permission to appeal more than three...
Under Section 58(5) of the Family Law Act 1986 , the courts cannot make a declaration that a marriage was void at its inception. That recently proved fatal to an application for a declaration as to marital status by a husband who had undergone a marriage...
A compensation settlement has been agreed in the case of a woman who was hit by a motorbike on a pedestrian crossing. She suffered fractures to her rib and pelvis and soft tissue injuries. She was unable to leave her bedroom for four months after the...
When applying for a boundary determination, it is crucial to gather as much evidence as you can in support of your application. Recently, a couple's application for a determination of part of the boundary between their home and neighbouring land was...
Compensation has been awarded to a five-year-old boy who injured his leg while on a package holiday abroad. The boy and his family were using the pool at their hotel when he slipped near the edge of the pool, catching his leg on the brickwork surrounding...
When deciding what is in the best interests of a patient who lacks capacity, the courts will take into account any wishes and feelings the patient has previously expressed but will consider them in the context of all the evidence. Recently, the Court of...
A farm worker who was seriously injured by falling bales of hay has obtained a substantial compensation settlement. He was stacking bales of hay when one of the towers of bales fell onto him. He was working alone when the accident occurred and was trapped...
The law affords people a high degree of testamentary freedom, and those seeking reasonable financial provision from an estate must satisfy the courts that it was unreasonable that adequate provision was not made for them. Recently, the High Court ruled that...
