Latest Legal News

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...

The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has found that a repayment of Income Tax due to a taxpayer who had died during the relevant tax year formed part of her estate for Inheritance Tax (IHT) purposes. The taxpayer had died on 18 December 2020. Her son, who was...

A guide to issues relating to property boundaries is available on the government's website. The guide notes that, in England and Wales, there is usually no record of the exact boundary between two properties or the ownership of boundary features between...

The Family Court has rejected a husband's application to set aside a financial remedy order made in his absence after he ceased to participate in the final hearing. The husband and wife had separated in 2022 after 15 years of marriage. On the first day of...

The best way to minimise the risk of a successful challenge to your will is to have it drawn up by a qualified solicitor. Recently, a woman's challenge to her elderly father's final will was rejected by the High Court . The man had made the will in March...

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has outlined plans to reform the mortgage market, which could make it easier for first-time buyers and self-employed people to purchase properties. The reforms also aim to help homeowners access housing wealth in later...

When patients lack capacity to decide whether to undergo medical treatment, the Court of Protection is often called upon to decide what is in their best interests. Recently, the Court ruled that it was in the best interests of a young man to undergo surgery...

The High Court has refused a mother's application for her five-year-old daughter's return to Dubai , instead granting an application by the girl's father for her to remain in England. The mother and father had married in 2019 and moved to Dubai, where the...

The Upper Tribunal (UT) has granted a landowner's application to modify a restrictive covenant to allow a small bungalow to be constructed in place of a workshop. The landowner had sold land near his house to a local developer in 1999. The developer built...

The manager of a care home has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for forging the will of an elderly woman who lived in the home. The woman had moved into the home in 2020 after becoming ill. She was described by the judge as 'particularly...