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There has been a steep rise in the number of grandparents taking legal action to secure a role in the lives of their grandchildren. Some try to acquire parental responsibility in cases where the parents are unable to cope or unwilling to take responsibility for their children. Other grandparents simply want to have contact with
A woman who was divorced but still living with her former husband when he died has won the right to claim a share of his estate, despite opposition from his sons. The case involved a man who had made a will in 1980 leaving all his estate to his two sons. In 1982, he divorced
The discovery that a grandmother had set up a trust relating to a house has saved a woman more than £1.4m. The court heard that the house had been bought by the grandmother in 1986 as a home for her son, his wife and their three children. The son and wife separated later that year
A mural by the famous but secretive artist Banksy has highlighted some interesting points about who owns what when a tenant leases a property from a landlord. The case involved the company Dreamland Leisure and a property it leased as an amusement arcade in Folkestone. Banksy painted a mural on one of the walls of
Nearly a third of small businesses expect the problem of late payment and cash flow to get worse, according to a survey conducted by Lloyds Bank. The survey reveals that late payment of invoices remains the main cause of cash flow problems facing UK firms. One in five businesses admit it’s causing them difficulties, and
The government has commissioned an independent review to find ways to encourage more people to set up successful businesses. It will be led by Michelle Mone, who founded the lingerie business Ultimo and turned it into a multi-million pound company. Nearly 70,000 new businesses have already been created through the New Enterprise Allowance scheme, which
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that if employees don’t have a fixed place of work then the time they spend travelling from home to their first job of the day should be classed as work time. The same principle applies to the time spent travelling back home after the last job of
New regulations designed to improve standards in business could lead to more directors being disqualified. The measures, which came into force on 1 October, state that the Secretary of State can seek to have a director of a limited company disqualified if they: • breach laws or regulations • have been convicted of a company
New regulations governing the use of section 21 eviction notices and specifying the information landlords must provide to tenants came into effect on 1 October. Landlords must provide tenants with the following information at the start of the tenancy or as soon as possible afterwards: • a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate for the
What are they? Lasting Powers of Attorney are forms you complete and sign, naming people you want to be able to make decisions for you which continues even if you are no longer able to make them for yourself (if, for example, you have dementia or are unable to communicate following a stroke). What type