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Making a Will? Court Ruling Underlines the Benefits of Professional Advice

Engaging a professional to draft your will and give advice has many advantages that may not be apparent at the time. In a case on point, a lawyer's prudence in arranging a medical assessment of an elderly client proved decisive in the Court of Appeal's...

Tenacious Hotel Owner Achieves 70 Per Cent Cut in Rateable Value

Business owners who feel that their non-domestic rates bills are unfairly high should seek professional advice without delay. The point was powerfully made by the case of a determined hotel owner who successfully argued that the valuation of his premises...

In Business With Your Life Partner? Don't Neglect the Legal Formalities

When life partners are in business together, they all too frequently pay scant regard to the legal requirements involved in running a company. As a High Court ruling showed , however, such an informal approach can have serious and unforeseen consequences in...

Businessman Pays Dearly for Delay in Lodging VAT Penalty Appeal

Those dissatisfied with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) decisions must exercise any right of appeal within tight legal time limits and should consult a solicitor as a matter of urgency. The point was powerfully made by the case of a businessman who failed to...

No Undue Pressure Involved in Divorce Deal Toasted with Champagne

It is quite common for divorcees to claim that they have been placed under undue pressure to strike an unfavourable financial deal. In a big money case, however, a judge ruled that a wife was no lamb to the slaughter but voluntarily signed up to a...

Community Football Pitch Must Make Way for Strategic Stadium Development

Community open spaces and leisure facilities are heavily protected by planning law. However, as a High Court ruling showed, even they must sometimes make way for strategic developments that are considered to serve the wider public interest. The case...

Passing Off - Injunction Refused in Battle Between Premium Vodka Brands

The owners of established brands often complain that trade rivals are mimicking the get-up of their products and trading on their hard-won reputations. As a High Court ruling in the context of the premium vodka market showed , however, proving such...

Landowner Target of Poison-Pen Letters Receives Substantial Damages

There can be few things more wounding or worrying than to be on the receiving end of a poison-pen letter campaign. However, as a High Court ruling showed , the law provides an effective means by which victims of such behaviour can achieve both public...

Cancer Sufferer's Belated Will Triggers Bitter Family Inheritance Dispute

Those who delay making a will until they are at death's door create a very real risk of conflict amongst their loved ones after they are gone. That was sadly so in the case of an elderly man who was in hospital, suffering from advanced bladder cancer, when...

Landowner Relieved of £98,000 Stamp Duty Bill in Country House Appeal

Large houses set amidst rolling acres are an abiding feature of English rural life – but should such properties necessarily be viewed as wholly residential? In answering that question in a landowner's favour, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) relieved him...
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