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Setting up a simple trust relating to his mother‘s home has saved a man and his wife several thousand pounds in capital gains tax. The case involved a woman who sold her house in 1996 to her son and his wife on condition that she was allowed to continue living there for the rest of
Marital agreements including pre-nups and post-nups could become legally binding without the need for court approval under a proposed new law. At present, such agreements are not legally binding although there has been a growing trend for courts to uphold them unless they are unfair to one side or the other. Now the Law Commission,
The government has made it easier for people to build their own homes by cutting the Community Infrastructure Levy on self-built accommodation. Property developers have to pay a levy to local councils to help with the cost of the infrastructure needed to support the development. Some local councils charge £100 per square metre for residential
Several police officers have won age discrimination claims after being forced to retire early. The five police forces responsible could now have to pay out millions of pounds in compensation. Test cases were brought on behalf of 250 officers. They lost their jobs under regulation A19, which allows forces to forcibly retire any officer under
The High Court has upheld a 91-year-old woman’s will even though she was suffering from dementia at the time it was made. The law requires that when making a will, a person must have testamentary capacity – that is, they must fully understand what they are doing and the consequences of their decisions. However, in
If you have a will it is worth reviewing it on a regular basis, just reading it once a year and talking it over with your legal advisor can ensure that you keep it up to date and have in place a will that accurately reflects your wishes. It is not uncommon to see cases
The government says mediation is a cheaper, less stressful process than going through the courts, and also provides more long-term solutions that are acceptable to both parties. According to official statistics, separations involving court action take about four times longer than when mediation is used. Mediation involves couples holding discussions overseen by a trained mediator
Benjamin Price said that he had “signed his own death warrant” because he was “not prepared to put up and shut up”. The case centred on an unwritten agreement that Mr Price had with his employers. He had been employed by Morgan Stanley for 14 years, and was on a salary of £533,000. He was