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The prevalence of potentially lethal psychoactive drugs in the UK prison system is sadly well known. In the context of a mother's claim that the circumstances of her son's death in custody amounted to a violation of human rights, the High Court considered...

Taking legal advice when making your will is more than likely to reap dividends after you are gone. In one case, a solicitor's wholly reliable evidence proved decisive in resolving an extraordinarily bitter family inheritance dispute . By his final will, a...

Whenever you pull out of a minor road onto a major one, the driving teacher's classic instruction to look right, left and right again should come to mind. However, what is safe depends on all the circumstances and, in one case, the Court of Appeal has ruled...

Delays in surrogacy treatment in England may be long but, as a High Court ruling showed , those who look abroad to fulfil their desire for parenthood may well be placing their own and their children's legal status at risk. The case concerned a same-sex...

When it comes to tax matters, there is a tendency for fiscally inexperienced people to simply sign whatever documents their accountants put in front of them. That can be a risky approach but, as a First-tier Tribunal (FTT) ruling showed, there is often an...

Landowners whose properties adjoin public highways are under a duty to ensure that passers-by are not put at risk by rickety walls or fencing. The extent of that obligation came under analysis in a case concerning a 150-year-old garden wall that collapsed in...

If the tranquillity of your home is blighted by noise or any other form of nuisance, you don't have to just grin and bear it. In a case on point, the High Court came to the aid of residents who said that their lives were rendered a sleepless purgatory by...

Some couples have second thoughts in the midst of divorce proceedings and get back together. However, in a unique decision, the High Court has ruled that the resumption of a toxic relationship does not amount to marital reconciliation . The case concerned...

Road traffic accident victims can encounter very real difficulties in proving the extent of their long-term disabilities. As one case showed, however, personal injury lawyers are adept at cutting through such contentious issues and achieving very substantial...

Any ambiguity in your will creates a risk of strife amongst your loved ones after you are gone and that is one good reason why professional drafting is so important. As a High Court case showed , however, judges are adept at resolving uncertainty and...

When buying anything, from a toothbrush to a luxury car, consumers are entitled to expect that their purchases are of satisfactory quality. The point was made by the case of a woman whose high-end sports car sprang a catastrophic leak . About 15 months...

In a ground-breaking case, a disabled young man has been awarded £36,000 in compensation against a police force that breached his human rights by taking the disproportionate step of retaining certain information and data about him. The man suffers...

When UK citizens suffer accidents abroad, the question of whether they can pursue compensation claims in this country comes down to where they are domiciled. An important Court of Appeal ruling on point concerned an RAF officer who was stationed in Cyprus...

To what extent are mortgage brokers required to consider the security or otherwise of underlying investments that their clients hope will, in due course, repay a loan? The High Court considered that burning issue in the case of a couple whose foray into...

The outcome of international child abduction disputes very often depends on a single issue – where is the child concerned habitually resident? That was certainly so in the case of a toddler with an English-born mother and an Israeli father . The...

Delay is a common cause of injustice, and anyone involved in litigation should know that judges take a firm line against foot-dragging. In one case, a road accident victim whose case was allowed to go to seed for a prolonged period came within an ace of...

Prolific will writing is very often symptomatic of a complicated life. That was certainly so in the case of a wealthy businessman who wrote four wills, benefiting different members of his family, during the final 40 years of his life. The man had a large...

Judges are well aware that litigation is stressful and that those involved may become angry or frustrated – however, there is a point at which abusive behaviour crosses the line. In a case on point , a man whose foul-mouthed tirade left a family judge...

In order to establish that you have become a non-UK resident for tax purposes, you need to show a change in the pattern of your life amounting to a real loosening of your ties to this country. A wealthy businessman who failed to pass that test had reason to...

In many big money divorce cases, disputes concerning the validity and enforceability of pre- and post-nuptial agreements take centre stage. However, as a Family Court ruling showed , such agreements do not displace the judicial obligation to achieve a fair...

When making your will, there are very good reasons why it makes sense to appoint a professional to administer your estate. A High Court ruling showed why the modest cost of doing so is very nearly always well worth it . After some relatively small...

The concepts of blame and responsibility obviously cannot be applied to animals and it is their owners who are most at risk of legal liability if they cause injury to humans. A case concerning a loose horse that triggered a catastrophic road collision,...

Many frail and vulnerable people have an antipathy to institutional care and wish for nothing more than to stay in their own homes. That may not always be feasible but, as a Court of Protection ruling showed, judges pay the greatest respect to their freedom...

If noise arising from major infrastructure projects disturbs your peace and diminishes the value of your home, you have a legal right to fair compensation. In a case on point, a householder living a mile away from an extended airport runway was awarded...

The wrench of a child leaving home is a tough experience for many parents and that can be particularly so when the child is disabled. However, as a Court of Protection case showed , not even parents are entitled to stand in the way of their offspring...

Not every accident is someone else's fault. The High Court powerfully made that point in the case of an elderly man who sustained devastating injuries when he tripped over a kerb in a car park adjacent to a Waitrose supermarket. The man, in his 80s, was on...

It is perhaps inevitable that British motorists who are involved in road accidents on the continent often face claims that they were driving on the wrong side of the road. A case concerning a motorcyclist who was gravely injured in Germany showed, however,...

When making your will, it is vital to bear in mind the responsibilities you owe to those who depend on you financially. In a case on point, the High Court came to the aid of a 12-year-old boy whose aunt treated him as if he were her own child throughout...

Conducting your trade through the medium of a limited company can bring tax and other benefits. However, as a case concerning the clawback of COVID-19 support grants paid to a fitness coach showed , it can also have disadvantages, not all of which can be...

The courage of many accident victims is deserving of great admiration, but judges are required to put sympathy aside when considering issues of liability. The High Court staunchly observed that principle in the case of a motorcycle racer who sustained...

If you are a council tenant and are anxious to ensure that a loved one succeeds to your tenancy after your death, you should seek legal advice straight away. A High Court case powerfully illustrated the potentially dire consequences of failing to do so. The...

Divorcees who are unwilling to give ground and negotiate responsibly with a view to achieving a financial settlement with their ex-spouses are highly likely to pay a stiff price for their lack of flexibility. The High Court emphasised the point in a...

Are so called 'smart' motorways, which lack hard shoulders, safe? An answer to that question was implicitly begged by a High Court case concerning a catastrophic accident involving a minibus filled with university students, one of whom died. The...

The trouble with wills that have not been professionally drafted is that they very often signally fail either to accurately reflect the testator's wishes or to achieve fairness. That was certainly so in the case of a man who, by his home-made will, all but...

It is not uncommon for abuse victims to claim that their lives have been wrecked by a local authority's failure to properly protect them during their childhood. A landmark Court of Appeal ruling has gone some way to easing their path to justice. The case...

Sporting and other community facilities are obviously desirable but, as a guideline High Court ruling showed , there are effective legal steps you can take if they become a magnet for anti-social behaviour that amounts to a statutory nuisance. Three...

Motorway collisions commonly involve multiple vehicles and it can be a very difficult forensic task to discern where responsibility for them lies. The High Court, however, rose to the challenge in ruling that a bakery van driver was solely to blame for one...

Family judges are often called upon to make agonising decisions concerning medical treatment of those who have lost the ability to express their own choices. However, as one case showed, they bend every sinew to discern what their wishes might be and to...

Employers are required to perform risk assessments and to have policies in place to ensure the reasonable safety of their staff. As a Court of Appeal ruling concerning a pupil's assault on a teacher showed, however, it can be very difficult to prove that...

It is commonplace for parents to put their hands in their pockets to help their children set up in business. As a High Court ruling in a bitterly contested inheritance case showed , however, a failure to formally document the precise legal basis on which...

Few would quarrel with the principle that, where personal injury claims are tainted by fundamental dishonesty, they should be dismissed in their entirety. As a High Court ruling showed, however, there must always be a fair opportunity to answer such grave...

No one should be surprised to hear that, when a same-sex couple have a child following lawful IVF treatment, each of them has a right to be registered as the child's legal parent. However, as a High Court case showed , whilst the law has generally kept pace...

It is an established fact that certain foreign powers resort to violence and the use of surveillance software to target dissidents in the UK. In a ground-breaking ruling, the High Court considered whether the principle of state immunity precludes them from...

When interpreting wills, judges focus on the actual words used and that is one good reason why professional drafting really matters. As a guideline case showed , only in the event that the wording of a will is meaningless or ambiguous will extraneous...

The debate over whether there should be 'no-fault' damages awards for injuries caused in road accidents has been raging for decades. The law, however, currently requires proof of negligence and – as a Court of Appeal ruling showed – that means...

There are few things more concerning than a proposal by your neighbours to extend their property in a way that may threaten the structural integrity of your home. As one case showed, however, voicing your opposition to such a proposal via the planning system...

Some divorcees drag their feet in a misguided attempt to put off the hour when they must divide their assets with their ex-partners. However, a case involving a husband who caused costly delay when he asserted that he had COVID-19 showed that family judges...

The acrimonious end of intimate relationships is sadly often marked by the making of wounding accusations. However, as a High Court case made plain , anyone involved in such personal disputes should think long and hard before resorting to defamation...

The vast majority of accident victims are entirely honest, but there are sadly always a few who exaggerate their suffering with a view to upping their compensation. A High Court ruling served as a stern warning that those whose claims are infected by...

The majority of personal injury and clinical negligence claims culminate in an agreed financial settlement. However, as one case showed, such deals do not mark the end of the supervisory role played by judges in ensuring that often very large sums in...