Articles

House buyers are being misled by false information in Home Information Packs (HIPs) produced by some estate agents, according to an investigation by trading standards officers. The officers from Birm

A man has won a 16-year legal battle to prevent a doctor described as manipulative and calculating from inheriting £1m from his sister. The High Court was told that the doctor moved in to live w

People selling a house which has been on the market for more than a year must now ensure that they have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for the property. EPCs are an integral part of Home I

Changes to the child maintenance system allowing all parents, including those receiving benefits, to agree their own arrangements have now come into force. The changes have been introduced by the C

A pregnant woman who lost her baby after being knocked off her bicycle and run over by a lorry has received 100,000 GBP compensation. The accident happened in 2004 when the woman was aged 34. She wa

A 31-year-old woman surveyor who was seriously injured in a road accident has received 300,000 GBP compensation in an out of court settlement. The woman had stopped at traffic lights when her car w

More than three million homeowners are planning to move house in the coming year, according to research by the Alliance & Leicester. This is in spite of the slowing housing market and credit crunch

The stress and anguish that can arise from a person’s failure to make a will has been highlighted in the case of a farm labourer who worked without pay for 25 years on the understanding that he

New Public Guardian promises to improve processing of LPAs Martin John has taken up his post as the new Public Guardian and has promised to tackle the problem of delays in the processing of Lasting

The law is to be changed so that unmarried fathers and mothers must be named on their child’s birth certificate. The change will be introduced as part of the Welfare Reform Bill which is to

The Government has expanded its Homebuy programme to help more first time buyers get on to the housing ladder. The system works by providing buyers with equity loans of up to 50% of the value of th

An Appeal Court ruling means some victims of hit and run drivers may now be entitled to seek compensation from the Department for Transport even if they failed to make a claim with the Motor InsurersГ

The credit crunch is not only creating turmoil in the housing market and the wider economy, it is also having an effect on the number of equity transfers taking place. Equity transfer is where the

The Government wants to expand Home Information Packs (HIPs) to provide potential buyers with more details about the property for sale. In future they’re likely to include a Property Informa

Four out of five people aged between 25 to 34 do not have an up-to-date will, according to research carried out for the Law Society. One in five questioned who were over the age of 65 didn’t

An Appeal Court judge says there “too many calamitous neighbour disputes” in the courts and has urged people to consider using specialist mediators as a way of settling differences. Lor

A man has been a granted parental responsibility for a six-year-old boy even though he is not the biological father and in spite of strong opposition from the mother. The man, referred to in court

Woman injured in motorcycle accident receives 850,000 GBP. A woman who was only 18 when she suffered severe brain injuries in a motorcycle accident has received £850,000 in compensation. The

The Government is to raise the amount of money a husband or wife can automatically inherit if their partner dies without making a will. However, it could still leave the surviving spouse at risk.

The Government has moved to boost the housing market by raising the threshold at which stamp duty becomes payable to £175,000. The previous threshold was £125,000. The new higher limit will r

A court has ordered that two children living with their father in England must be returned to their mother in Poland. The ruling was in keeping with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of In

The new tax rules for “income in possession trusts” have now come into effect The Finance Act of 2006 changed the rules affecting the tax status of the trusts in certain circumstances.

There has been a large increase in the number of people taking steps to prepare for a time when they may no longer have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves. The annual report of th

A woman whose marriage broke down following an accident in which she suffered neck and back injuries has been awarded more than 400,000 GBP in compensation. The woman was 29 at the time of the acci

Home Information Packs (HIPs) are having a major impact on the housing market, according to figures released by the Government. HIPs are now obligatory when selling homes of all sizes in England and

Two elderly sisters have lost their battle in the European Court of Human Rights to change Britain’s inheritance tax rules. Joyce and Sybil Burden have lived together all their lives. Their hom

With summer now upon us thousands of couples intending to get married will be making the final preparations for their wedding day. Amid all the excitement, the idea of making a will may be the last

A man whose earning capacity was reduced when he fractured his wrist at work has been awarded a total of more than 44,000 GBP compensation. Paul Morgan was working as a warehouseman when he tripped a

The law changed last year making several improvements to the power of attorney system which allows people to appoint someone to act on their behalf if they lose mental capacity. Enduring Powers of At

Families have been granted an extra six months to rearrange their “income in possession trusts” without becoming subject to the new Inheritance Tax (IHT) regime. The Finance Act of 2006 c

It’s now nearly a year since Home Information Packs (HIPs) were introduced but they are still raising questions among people buying and selling homes. The Department for Communities and Local G

A father has won his appeal against a judge’s decision to place his daughter under a supervision order for three years. The case involved a three-year-old girl. The ability of her parents to pr

A grieving mother whose newborn daughter died as a result of medical negligence has been awarded 20,000 GBP in damages. The High Court heard that the baby suffered from hypoxic ischemic encephalopa

A court has had to rule on the validity of a man’s will following conflicting claims from his daughter and his cohabiting partner. The man made the will while terminally ill in hospital with

Consumers who took part in the early trials of Home Information Packs (HIPs) were happy with the system, according to a survey carried out by the research organisation Ipsos MORI. HIPs have been re

The Government’s campaign to make more non-resident parents pay child maintenance takes another step forward with officials being given the right to extract more information from banks, credit r

The widow of a successful businessman who died after being knocked down by an ambulance in a road accident has been award 1.7m GBP in compensation. The man had established a successful family busines

A family court has had to decide whether a child should live with her father and attend school in England or live with her mother and attend school in Germany. As always in these cases, the needs of

Claims about compensation culture spiralling out of control have been contradicted by research carried out at Warwick University’s School of Law. The research shows that the number of claims

A prison officer who had to give up his job after being attacked by an inmate has won the right to claim damages against the Ministry of Justice. The incident happened after the prison officer had be

Many wealthy families now place strict conditions on their children’s behaviour before allowing them to inherit large sums of money, according to new research. Barclays Wealth and the Economist

The Court of Appeal has had to decide which of two conflicting wills drawn up by a grandmother was the most recent and therefore the one that should decide how her estate is divided between members of

The Government has announced new measures to deliver faster and cheaper property searches to speed up the process of buying and selling houses. Local authorities should now aim to provide access to t

The Government has issued guidelines to clear up any confusion about the need for Home Information Packs (HIPs) when selling a house. HIPs have been compulsory when selling houses of all sizes since

A woman has succeeded in overturning her mother’s will after taking legal action to revoke the grant of probate. The mother, who had five children, made a will in 1993. She appointed her two yo

A man who was subjected to harassment and racist abuse has been awarded 10,000 GBP for the injury to his feelings. The perpetrator of the abuse had also deliberately collided with the man’s car

A grandmother has won the right to attend a court hearing concerning her granddaughter. The issue was who should look after the child after her mother and father separated. The father applied for con

A man who sustained head injuries after falling from a bus when the doors closed on him has won his claim for damages. The High Court was told that the man and three friends missed the bus at the off

A man who was left disabled after suffering brain injuries in a car accident has been awarded 6.3m GBP compensation. David Dei-Ceci, from Newcastle, was going on a camping trip when the car in which

A father who had his children taken away from him because of concerns over his mental health has been reunited with his son after showing that he was willing to improve his abilities as a parent. The

“The fatal law of gravity; when you are down, everything falls down on you.”(Sylvia Townsend Warner, novelist)   “Not if I represent you!”(Iain Gould, Personal Injury So

The lover of a businessman who committed suicide has won a court battle with his family to be given a share of his £3m estate.   Cyd Negus and Henry Bahouse met in 1995 and went on to enj

The decision to extend the Home Information Pack system to homes of all sizes will be a major help to first time buyers, according to Government ministers. HIPs were first introduced for four bedroom

A man has won his legal battle to inherit the farm where he worked without pay for 25 years. David Thorner, who is 57, spent most of his adult life helping out on his cousin’s farm in Somerset.

A divorcee who may have to pay £120,000 to help clear the debts of her former husband even though they made a clean break settlement when they divorced four years ago has taken her case to the C

A self-employed decorator who suffered brain damage after falling through faulty scaffolding has been awarded a lump sum of 2.4m GBP in compensation. Alan Miah, who’s 45, was left permanently d

The rush to beat the deadline for extending Home Information Packs (HIPs) to homes of all sizes saw a surge in the number of small properties being put up for sale in November and early December. It

The owners of a Chinese restaurant have been told they can inherit 10million GBP left to them by a friend in her will. Golda Bechal died in 2004 aged 88. She made a will in 1994 leaving nearly all he

Each year thousands of well meaning people create heartache for themselves and their families at the same time as throwing away large amounts of money unnecessarily. Yet a few simple New Year resoluti

Many people had not even heard of powers of attorney until they became the theme of a powerful storyline featuring the character Mike Baldwin in Coronation Street. The family squabbles depicted may ha

A mother has won the right to change her children’s surnames to reduce the risk of them being abducted by their father. The family court was told that after the couple separated, the father wan

A woman has been awarded 6.5million GBP compensation by the High Court for injuries caused by a hit and run driver. Nikki Buckley was still a teenager when she was hit by a car which mounted the pave

A midwife who was injured by a woman who had just undergone an emergency caesarean operation has won the right to claim damages against the hospital trust involved. The midwife and an anaesthetist we