High divorce rates and the increasing number of people entering into second relationships is leading to more and more disputes over wills and family inheritance. Conflicts due to second marriages have now become one of the main reasons for families taking legal action following the death of a relative. A typical problem arises when a
The late Duke of Westminster saved his family billions of pounds by using a trust that allows wealth to pass through the generations without attracting a large inheritance tax liability. The Duke died in August leaving an estate valued at £9bn. It’s thought nearly all of that wealth will pass to his son Hugh without
A 91-year-old man has been granted the right to buy the home he shared with his partner because her will had not made reasonable provision for him. The court heard that the man had lived in the home with his partner for 20 years. She had made a will leaving all her estate to her
Employers may wish to reconsider their strategies for avoiding workplace bullying and abuse following the referendum vote to leave the EU. There have several examples across the country of workers being subjected to name calling and harassment because of the way they voted, and there have been separate incidents of ethnic minorities being abused for
An amusement arcade has won the right to compensation after a local authority closed a seaside pier because of safety concerns. The arcade leased premises on the pier. The freeholder was responsible for the repair and renewal of the pier’s structure. In 2004, the arcade obtained an engineering survey that revealed serious structural problems requiring
A company has been granted an injunction preventing a neighbouring firm going ahead with a development that infringed its right to light. The neighbour’s high handed attitude during the dispute was a major factor in the judge’s decision. The case involved two companies with adjoining premises. The claimant company objected as soon as it became
More than half a million people in the UK have opened Help to Buy ISAs within a period of only six months, according to the latest government figures. The saving-friendly ISAs became available in December 2015 and are very attractive to first time buyers because the government has agreed to add a 25% bonus to
A landed family have amended a trust to ensure that if any of their descendants are gay, their partners will have the same rights as heterosexual spouses. The Pembertons have lived at Trumpington Hall in Cambridgeshire for three centuries. The hall has often been used for as a location for films and TV programmes such
A wife has been awarded more than £1.5m in a divorce settlement that acknowledges her contribution to the marriage but protects the wealth her husband had accrued before they met. The case involved a husband and wife, currently aged 83 and 67, who began cohabiting in 1998 and married in 2000. At the time of
A court has ordered that a nine-year-old girl who was abducted by her father should be returned to her mother. The case involved an English father and a Polish mother who had separated after a long relationship. Following a dispute over their daughter’s residence, the English court declared that the child had become habitually resident