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When setting up a partnership it’s essential to have a written agreement outlining how the arrangement is going to work, even when dealing with close family members. Failure to have a firm agreement from the outset can lead to problems further down the line, as illustrated in a recent case before the High Court. It
The best way to incorporate terms as binding conditions is to express them in the contract – that was the advice of the Court of Appeal in a dispute between a large estate agency and one of its franchisees. The case involved C21 London Estates and Maurice MacNeill Iona Ltd. C21 was the master franchisor
Radical reforms to provide a better deal for leaseholders who want to purchase the freehold or to extend the lease of their home have been put forward by the Law Commission. The proposals would: make the process (known as “enfranchisement”) easier, cheaper and quicker improve and enhance the rights of leaseholders to buy their freehold
The government is drawing up plans to end the ‘blame game’ for separating couples, which often sees one partner accusing the other of unreasonable behaviour to get a quick divorce. There are currently five reasons for being granted a divorce by the courts: adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion, two years separation if both agree to the
A new fund is being created to help speed up the delivery of thousands of new homes across England. Housing Secretary James Brokenshire says the government is entering into a partnership with Barclays Bank to provide £1 billion of loan finance to help support small and medium sized developers. Support, ranging between £5 million to
Most people in the UK are putting their future well-being at risk by neglecting to make legal preparations for their old age, according to a new report. The research shows that Britain is experiencing a ‘dementia crisis’, with an estimated 13 million people unprepared for the possibility that they may be suffering from some form
Working parents who lose a child will soon be entitled to claim parental leave. The new Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Act will give all employed parents the right to two weeks’ leave if they lose a child under the age of 18 or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. Employed parents will
The High Court has settled a dispute between four siblings who couldn’t agree over the sale of their parents’ house. The issue arose after the parents died having left their family home in equal shares to their four children. The parents had expressed a wish that if one the children wanted to continue living in
Two sisters have been allowed to correct an error in a family trust that would have prevented them from benefiting in the way intended when the document was drawn up. The sisters were aged 58 and 56. When their mother died in 2005, they had inherited equally her 50% share of the house that she
Directors could soon be banned from running a business and face large fines if they dissolve their companies to avoid paying employees or making required pension contributions. The crackdown is part of government plans to safeguard workers, pensions and small suppliers when a company goes bust. Under the shake-up, bosses will face investigation if they