A recent article published in the Sunday Times told the sadly all too familiar story of an elderly person being scammed out of significant amounts of money. And even more sadly, she could have been protected. The fraud was discovered when the octogenarian suffered a collapse at home and her daughter decided it was time […]
People often talk about putting their affairs in order but then sit on their hands until it is too late. The serious consequences of delay in seeking legal advice were underlined by a case in which a woman waited until she was resident in a hospice, terminally ill with cancer, before instructing a solicitor to […]
Advancement, as a legal principle, is a gift given during an owner’s lifetime, typically referring to real estate or large assets gifted by the transferor (title holder) to a transferee – “one day, this will all be yours” is the phrase that springs to mind. Presumption of advancement occurs within specific relationships and the principle […]
Unmarried couples should be under no illusions that they do not have legal rights equivalent to those who have tied the knot. The point could hardly have been more powerfully made than by a case concerning an unmarried former couple whose close-knit life together yielded three children and a family business. During their relationship, the […]
If you have paid good money for goods or services and feel that you have not got what you bargained for, you should see a solicitor without delay. A case on point concerned a man who paid about £4,000 for what he believed would be a surgical hair transplant but got what he viewed as […]
One good reason why sensible homebuyers engage the services of a surveyor prior to purchase is that, if things go wrong, they at least have someone to sue. In a case on point, a couple who paid £1.2 million for a seaside home which turned out to be riddled with defects won six-figure compensation from […]
Just because someone is old, frail and vulnerable does not mean that they are incapable of understanding the contents of their will. However, as a High Court ruling in the context of a bitter inheritance dispute showed, the benefits of professional advice become all the greater as the inevitable effects of old age begin to […]
The whole point of engaging a professional to draft your will is to make your wishes clear in precise and unambiguous terms. If your will falls below that high standard the result, as a High Court ruling showed, can be family stalemate after you are gone. The case concerned a widower who died without children, […]
If you object to a planning decision, an expert lawyer will ensure that your voice is heard loud and clear. In one case, a woman succeeded in overturning planning permission for the construction of 18 holiday lodges close to her rural home. The local authority enabled the development by granting consent for the change of […]
Adopting children from abroad can complete families and be of great benefit to all concerned. However, as a High Court case showed, it is fraught with legal pitfalls and should not be attempted without first taking specialist legal advice. The case concerned a British citizen who adopted a child in Iran under Iranian law. The […]
