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The law governing the writing of wills needs to be updated to reflect modern understanding of dementia and mental capacity. The government should also consider the introduction of electronic wills and reduce the age for making a will from 18 to 16. Those are some of the recommendations from the Law Commission in a public
More than 30 of the government’s biggest suppliers have voluntarily committed to pay 95% of invoices within 60 days – and to work towards adopting 30 days as the norm. The commitments are part of the Prompt Payment Code (PPC) initiative, which aims to ensure that small businesses are paid on time. The PPC sets
A developer who failed to co-operate in seeking additional planning permission for a proposed tower block has been ordered to pay damages to the company selling the site. The seller had obtained planning permission to construct a 34-storey tower on a large site. The grant was subject to a s.106 agreement, under which the seller
The High Court has enabled a family to take over the ownership and running of a company after the owner died. The case involved a cleaning services company in Lancashire. The owner had left the business in his will to his family. After his death, the company continued as a going concern under instructions from
The government has published guidance on the future of intellectual property laws after Britain leaves the European Union. These are some of the key points: Trade marks While the UK remains a full member of the EU then EU Trade Marks (EUTM) continue to be valid in the UK. When the UK leaves the EU,
A company director has won his appeal against penalties imposed by HMRC for failing to submit a self-assessment tax return on time. The tribunal held that it was not the responsibility of a director to register for self-assessment and send a personal self-assessment tax return each year unless there was a prompt or reminder from
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is to refund nearly £90m to thousands of people who’ve been overcharged when taking out lasting powers of attorney (LPA) in the last four years. The errors occurred between April 2013 and March 2017. In its annual report, the MoJ said: “More people have been registering for lasting powers of
A mother with a troubled background has won the right to oppose adoption proceedings involving her youngest child. The Court of Appeal was told that the mother had depression and problems with alcohol that had led to aggression and chaotic parenting. Her son had been removed to foster care in June 2015. His two older
The government has announced plans to clampdown on unfair practices involving leasehold homes. The measures include a ban on new build houses being sold as leaseholds as well as restricting ground rents to as low as zero. Leaseholds generally apply to flats with shared spaces, but increasingly, developers have been selling houses on these terms.
Campaigners from the civil rights group Liberty are urging the government to ensure that equal pension rights for same-sex couples will be enshrined in UK law after Brexit. It follows the landmark ruling in which ex-cavalry officer John Walker won a landmark ruling to secure the same pension rights for his husband that a wife