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A claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 for reasonable financial provision from a deceased person's estate must be brought within six months of the grant of probate or letters of administration being issued, unless the...
A holidaymaker who injured his leg when he tripped and fell at the hotel where he was staying has obtained compensation from the travel company that provided his package holiday. The man was staying at a resort in Jamaica. He tripped on uneven wooden...
Disputes over ownership of land all too often become protracted and lead to costs out of proportion to the value of the land involved. Recently, the Upper Tribunal (UT) ruled on a dispute over a strip of land with an area of just 2.2 square metres. The...
Compensation has been obtained for a motorcyclist who suffered life-changing injuries when he was hit by a truck. The driver of the truck merged into his lane without warning and collided with his motorbike. He suffered multiple broken bones and had to...
A marriage is generally recognised in English law if it is valid under the law of the country in which it takes place, a legal principle known as lex loci celebrationis (the law of the place of the celebration). That principle was central to a recent...
A company that operates holiday camps for children has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a three-year-old girl nearly drowned during a free-play session in a swimming pool. The girl became trapped under a float and was found...
When an injured person has ongoing medical or care needs as a result of an accident, interim payments can be secured to help meet those needs until their claim for damages is settled. Recently, a man who suffered life-changing injuries after he was run over...
When savers deposit money in a fixed-term account or an account that requires notice of withdrawals, they may well assume that, if they incur a penalty for early withdrawal, they will only have to pay tax on the net amount of interest received. However, such...
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed its compensation scheme for car buyers who were not given important information when taking out motor finance. The scheme covers motor finance loans taken out between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024....
Dependants who have not been adequately provided for in a deceased person's will may be able to make a claim for financial provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 . Recently, the High Court considered such a claim by...
A skier has obtained compensation for injuries he suffered when he was hit from behind by another skier. The man, a ski coach with decades of experience, was on holiday with his family. As he was skiing down a slope, the other skier lost control and came...
Where a mortgage lender claims possession of a property that has been let without the lender's permission, the Mortgage Repossessions (Protection of Tenants etc) Act 2010 gives tenants the right to apply to the courts to postpone the date for delivery of...
A substantial compensation settlement has been obtained for a maintenance worker who was severely injured when he was hit by a drunk driver while working at night. The driver drove around a safety barrier and hit the man, despite the area where he was...
In certain circumstances, the courts are able to grant permission for continued storage of gametes or embryos where the strict legislative requirements for consent to such storage have not been complied with. Recently, the High Court considered 15...
A woman who slipped and fell in a play area has obtained compensation from the local council. The play area would become boggy and slippery in wet weather. The woman slipped and fell, suffering a broken shoulder. She required shoulder replacement surgery. ...
The Income Tax rates and allowances for the 2026/27 tax year are largely unchanged from 2025/26. The Personal Allowance – the amount you can earn before you begin to pay Income Tax – remains at £12,570. It reduces by £1 for every...
From 1 May 2026, changes brought in by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 will provide more rights and better protection to tenants in the private rented sector. Changes introduced by the Act include: The abolition of assured shorthold tenancies. All...
Negotiations have led to a substantial settlement being obtained for a woman who developed fibromyalgia as a result of a road traffic accident. She was thrown back and forth when the car she was sitting in was hit by another car. She sprained her spine and...
A woman's family have succeeded in their challenge to a will purporting to leave her £500,000 estate to her partner after a judge ruled that the will was a forgery. The woman had made a will in 2022 leaving her estate in trust to her daughter. After...
The Family Court has ruled in financial remedy proceedings that a significant part of the value of a husband's pensions had accrued during the marriage, but rejected the argument that his pensions had become fully 'matrimonialised'. The husband and wife...
A man who suffered serious injuries in an assault in a pub has secured compensation. His injuries included a mild traumatic brain injury, a fracture to his eye socket, and nerve damage to his teeth which required ongoing dental treatment. He also...
Compensation has been secured for a man who lost part of three fingers in an accident at work. The man worked as a welder and fabricator at a shipyard. He was cutting through an aluminium sheet using a pillar drill when the accident happened. The shape of...
If you need assistance with your tax affairs, you should always ensure you deal with appropriately qualified and regulated advisors. Recently, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) upheld discovery assessments raised against a taxpayer who claimed travel and...
The government provides guidance on its website on Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs), including how to make and register an LPA, choosing an attorney and when you need to report changes. An LPA is a legal document that allows you to appoint one or more...
A couple who installed a fence around their house in place of a hedge have been ordered by the local council to remove it because it is too tall. The couple had bought the house in April 2024 and moved in four months later. While the house was being...
A motorcyclist who was hit by another vehicle has obtained compensation for the injuries he suffered. The accident happened when the driver of the other vehicle failed to give way at a junction. The motorcyclist sustained fractures to his elbow, pelvic ring...
The High Court has ruled that two girls, aged 10 and six, whose mother brought them to the UK without their father's consent should return to Zimbabwe . The girls and their parents were Zimbabwean nationals. The parents had married in 2014 but never lived...
Under Section 71(3) of the Solicitors Act 1974 , where a trustee, executor or administrator is liable to pay a solicitor's bill, any person with an interest in the property out of which it may be paid can apply to the court for an assessment of it. A High...
A woman has succeeded in obtaining the right to continue living in an annexe next to her son's house. The annexe was situated on a farm the woman owned and had originally been a stable block. When planning permission to convert it into an annexe was granted...
The Family Court has ruled in financial remedy proceedings that a departure from an equal division of assets was appropriate in view of the fact that riskier and less liquid business assets would be retained by the husband. The husband and wife had met in...
An 83-year-old woman has obtained compensation for injuries she suffered when she was hit by a large sign outside a supermarket. The sign was caught by a gust of wind and hit her legs as she was leaving the supermarket. She suffered lacerations to her...
In a case concerning a taxpayer who was not domiciled in the UK, the Upper Tribunal (UT) has upheld a decision that transfers from his overseas bank accounts to UK bank accounts of non-relevant persons amounted to taxable remittances under Section 809L of...
The High Court has ruled that a will made by a man who was suffering from delusions caused by late-onset schizophrenia was invalid for want of testamentary capacity. In late 2013, the man had become concerned that someone was trying to break into his home...
Compensation has been obtained for a concierge who was seriously injured when a heavy parcel tipped over and fell onto her leg. The woman worked in a block of apartments. She was organising residents' parcels in the building's store room when the accident...
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) provides guidance for the public on data protection and information rights on its website. Guidance is available on the following topics: making a Subject Access Request to find out if an organisation is...
A man who was injured while using a table saw has secured compensation from the online retailer he bought it from. After sustaining the injury, which resulted in part of his index finger being amputated, he warned the retailer about the issue, but the...
When disagreements arise between neighbours about the ownership of land, it is invariably best to try to reach an amicable solution rather than engage in litigation. In an unusual case concerning the ownership of a driveway , the Upper Tribunal (UT)...
A compensation settlement has been obtained for a 10-year-old boy who was injured in a road accident. He was riding his e-scooter along the road when a car came round the corner at high speed and collided with him. He suffered a broken leg, which required...
In a recent ruling on a wife's application for a financial remedy order , the Family Court accepted that her caring responsibilities for the couple's son justified a departure from the sharing principle. The Court handed down its judgment as an indication...
The government has announced that the allowance for Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR) will be £2.5 million when it is introduced on 6 April 2026, rather than £1 million as originally proposed. The government...
A man has obtained compensation for injuries he sustained on a package holiday in Cape Verde when a member of staff at the hotel where he was staying kneed him in the back of the leg. The incident, which was described by the hotel operator as 'a misguided...
The law affords testators a high degree of freedom to pass on their estates to whomever they wish, and the fact that the terms of a will may seem unfair to relatives is not enough to successfully challenge it. This point was illustrated by a recent case in...
A woman whose health was significantly affected by damp and mould in her home has obtained damages. Her local authority landlord failed to keep the property in good repair, and as a result she was exposed to damp and mould for a number of years. The...
The courts are alert to the risk of divorcing couples being less than honest about their assets and liabilities in financial remedy proceedings. Recently, the Family Court rejected a husband's assertion that he owed £1.6 million to a company owned by...
Under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 , landlords may evict tenants who have an assured shorthold tenancy which is a periodic tenancy or a fixed-term tenancy that has expired by giving at least two months' notice. However, a Section 21 notice cannot be...
A pensioner who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a car has received substantial compensation. She was out walking her dog when the car suddenly mounted the pavement and hit her. Her dog was killed and she was left unconscious. She...
A woman who was subjected to defamatory posts on Facebook has succeeded in having them removed after taking legal advice. The woman and her husband had started to feed and look after a cat that had been coming into her garden. The cat subsequently...
A retired personal assistant who was seriously injured while attending an eye examination has obtained compensation. As she got up from the bench after the initial tests had been completed, she caught her foot on a table leg. She hit her head on the wall...
The Family Court recently granted a local authority permission to withdraw an application for a care order in respect of a two-year-old girl, after the local authority concluded that, in the light of the medical evidence, it would not be able to meet the...
People have a great level of freedom to leave their estates as they choose and disappointed relatives must overcome a high hurdle to successfully challenge a will. Recently, the daughter of a woman who made a will leaving her entire estate to one of her sons...
