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
One of the EU’s leading law officials has found in favour of a woman who was sacked for wearing an Islamic headscarf at work. The findings of an EU Advocate General are not binding on the European Court of Justice (ECJ), although they are usually accepted. The case involved a French design engineer who wore
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has confirmed that an employee who is unable to take annual leave because of sickness can carry over the entitlement to a later date. The case involved a teacher in Poland who was convalescing from an illness and unable to take her annual leave. When she later came to
A doctor has won her appeal against being dismissed at a disciplinary hearing that she was unable to attend. The case involved a doctor who had been suspended from clinical practice over performance and safety concerns. The written terms of her suspension stated that she could not work as a doctor for any other NHS
Part-time judges have won their claim that they were treated less favourably than their full-time colleagues. The case involved judges employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the property chamber of the First Tier Tribunal. They claimed they were treated less favourably than full-time judges because their fees didn’t fully reflect the time spent
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 father had understood what he was doing when he left his daughters out of his will and made specific provisions for the division of his estate. That was the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of two daughters who believed their father had been subjected to undue influence shortly before his
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
The Brexit vote appears to have sent the whole country into a spin. The Prime Minister has resigned, the Tories are embarking on a leadership battle and most of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet has resigned. However, what does it mean for ordinary families who are separating on a practical basis? There have been a number