The Law Society has warned that a move to electronic wills could lead to an increase in fraud. It says more research is needed before they are introduced. The concern was raised in the Society’s response to the Law Commission’s consultation on wills reform. The commission is consulting on the issue of electronic wills due
The Government has announced changes to the Renters (Reform) Bill to protect vulnerable residents and improve the safety of homes for tenants. It has tabled amendments to make it illegal for landlords and agents to have blanket bans on renting to people who receive benefits or who have children – ensuring families aren’t discriminated against
The Government has announced proposals to cut ground rents to help homeowners in leasehold properties. Housing Secretary Michael Gove has launched a consultation that will set out options including capping ground rents at a so called “peppercorn” rate for existing leaseholders, freezing ground rents at current levels and capping the ground rents at a percentage
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has rejected calls to reduce inheritance tax in his autumn statement. Instead, he has decided to leave rates and allowances at the same level as they have been for the last three years. Inheritance tax is set at 40% and becomes payable once the tax-free threshold of £325,000 has been passed. There
Local members of the family justice body Resolution have welcomed new research which shows most people back a change in the law to give cohabiting people more rights. Currently, cohabiting couples have few or no rights in the event of a relationship breakdown meaning that unlike married couples there is no mechanism for splitting assets.
With Christmas fast approaching, it is important separating parents start planning early to agree their child arrangements for the festive period in advance to avoid any uncertainty and tension into the run up to the holidays. The Christmas period can be overwhelming to separating couples and emotions can run high. Issues with child arrangements can
It can’t be put off any longer. Applying for a new job is a job in itself: updating the CV, filling out the application form, then the dreaded interview questions. If you have cancer you may be putting it off because you don’t know “what to say?” or “what you should say?” or “what you
Resolution Awareness Week and Cohabitation Reform Resolution’s ‘Awareness Week’ is taking place between 27th November and 1st December 2023. Resolution is an organisation of family justice professionals who work with families and individuals to resolve family issues taking a constructive and non-confrontational approach. All Machins Family Lawyers are committed to the Resolution Code of Conduct.
The Government is planning new measures to deal with parents who refuse to pay child maintenance. Those who fail to meet their obligations will face accelerated sanctions following the introduction of powers to speed up enforcement action and other reforms to make the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) fairer. A consultation is now taking place on
The Law Commission is seeking views on the possible introduction of electronic wills, which it says are now becoming feasible due to technological advances. It also wants to explore ways to deal with predatory marriages that exploit vulnerable people. During the Covid pandemic, several countries, including the UK, allowed paper wills to be witnessed virtually.