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Four siblings have succeeded in overturing their mother’s will after the court agreed that she had not fully understood its consequences when she signed it. The case pitted the mother’s first four children against her youngest child, the defendant. In 2004, the mother and her husband had executed mirror wills, which meant that if the
A husband has successfully challenged a divorce settlement arrived at through arbitration and has been allowed to have the issues reconsidered in court. The wife had applied for financial relief following the marriage breakdown. After an unsuccessful financial dispute resolution hearing, the case was listed for trial. However, no district judge was available, so the
The government has launched an £11.5 billion programme to build 180,000 new homes across the country over the next five years. It’s hoped that the move will unlock a further £38 billion in public and private investment in affordable housing. New homes will be made available from next year. Around half of the new homes
The government is planning changes to the shared ownership scheme to make it easier for people to buy more of their own home, including allowing them to buy in 1% increments. At present, they have to buy an increased share in 10% chunks, which can be as much as £45,000 each time. This process of
A grandmother who failed to get permission to have her grandson live with her can now apply again because she’s moved to a bigger house. The case involved a two-year-old who was referred to in court as J. He had three siblings. The local authority became involved with the family before his birth due to
An administrator of a deceased person’s estate was granted a freezing injunction for a property that had been transferred into a family member’s name to avoid tax liability. The deceased had died without making a will. The administrator of his estate contended that a few years before his death, the deceased had put a property
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a child should be returned to her father in France rather than remain with her mother in England. It said that even though she had only lived in the country for a few weeks, it had become her habitual place of residence. The case involved a family that
In the recent case of Kathryn Hopkins v The Commissioners for her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) [2020], an employee was arrested by the police for serious criminal offences including a serious sexual offence. She disclosed the fact to her employer and was immediately suspended on full pay pending disciplinary proceedings for possible gross misconduct, with
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement about a further national lockdown beginning on Thursday 5th November, we wanted to reassure you about how we will continue to provide you with the advice and support you need during this time. Throughout the pandemic our top priority has always been the health and safety of our staff, clients
The government is considering new powers to give businesses more protection against late payment of invoices. Figures provided by Pay UK show that £23.4 billion worth of late invoices are owed to small firms across Britain, impacting on their cash flow and ultimate survival. Small Business Minister Paul Scully has announced a new set of