Children want more say in what happens to them when their parents get divorced, according to research carried out for the family law group, Resolution. The survey also revealed that 82% said they would prefer that their parents separated if they were unhappy rather than stay together. Resolution quotes one young person as saying: “Don’t
Intestacy rules govern how a person’s estate is dealt with where a valid will has not been made, or if the will is not sufficient by itself. If you die without a will the people who will receive your assets will be decided from a statutory list of priority, as described below: If you die
Inheritance tax (IHT) is the tax which is payable when a person dies. IHT is not payable in all situations. Below is a brief outline of some of the basic rules in relation to IHT Standard Nil Rate Band Each person has a tax free amount (‘nil rate band’) of £325,000. This means that when
This is a basic outline of the rules relating to inheritance tax and gifts made during a person’s lifetime. The rules may differ in certain situations, such as where gifts are made into a trust. When a person’s estate is valued to calculate whether inheritance tax is due, any gifts that the deceased person made
A university has won its appeal against a decision that it discriminated against a disabled employee when calculating his pension rights. The case involved an employee at Swansea University who had to retire due to ill health at the age of 38. His hours had been reduced gradually over several years to accommodate the effects
At present the divorce process in England and Wales is lengthy, costly and unnecessarily bureaucratic. This article focuses in particular on the need for a no fault divorce. There is currently only one ground for divorce – that the marriage has broken down ‘irretrievably’. This can only be demonstrated by proving one of the facts
The Chancellor, George Osborne, announced in the autumn statement that buy-to-let investors and second home buyers will pay an additional 3% of the purchase price of properties in respect of Stamp Duty Land Tax from 1st April 2016. This means on a £250,000 property they will pay £10,000 of SDLT, rather than £2,500. The tax
A woman has been appointed as her mother’s deputy in a power of attorney arrangement despite living more than 3,000 miles away in the United States. The judge held that the arrangement could work perfectly well because of the advances in modern technology including online banking. The case involved a woman who had been admitted
Relatives of a wealthy physicist have failed in their bid to inherit hundreds of thousands pounds from his estate. The physicist had several bank accounts, including one on the Isle of Man containing £250,000, and one in Jersey containing £500,000. He made a will leaving some assets to his family but then specifying that the
A wife has lost her appeal against a divorce settlement in which she received a smaller share of the matrimonial assets than her husband. The case involved a couple who had been married for 14 years and had a 10-year-old daughter. Shortly after the birth, the wife developed mental health problems and was diagnosed with