Legal News

It is legally possible for couples to make mutual wills by which each binds the other not to alter their bequests at any point in the future, save by mutual agreement. As a High Court ruling showed , however, the inherent inflexibility of such arrangements...

One of the social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the creation of a fashion for householders to operate businesses from outhouses in their gardens. However, an important tribunal ruling underlined the legal hazards of such a course . In response to...

The nation's high streets are changing and moves are afoot to demolish many once thriving department stores and replace them with new homes. As a High Court ruling showed , however, such developments are often highly controversial. A developer wished to...

Tensions simmer within many families and, when making your will, you may wish to keep its contents secret from your loved ones so as to avoid feeding the fire. As a High Court case showed , however, that makes it all the more vital to engage a solicitor to...

Commercial property occupiers who are dissatisfied with the valuation put on their premises for business rates purposes can do a great deal more than just grin and bear it. In a case on point, the tenant of a waste transfer station succeeded in slashing its...

Failing to make reasonable provision for your dependants in your will is to positively invite discord between your loved ones after you are gone. That was certainly so in the case of a man who bequeathed not a penny to his elderly widow . The man wanted...

Landowners should sit up and take notice of the Court of Appeal's ground-breaking decision to award thousands of pounds in compensation to a property investor, the value of whose land was blighted by notoriously invasive Japanese knotweed. The case...

A commercial property owner who for years shelled out for drainage bills that it was never obliged to pay must be reimbursed every penny. That was the effect of an important High Court ruling in which utility companies were found to have been unjustly...

To make a valid will, you need a certain level of mental capacity. However, as a High Court ruling showed, a flawless memory is not required and those suffering from mild cognitive impairment may not be disqualified from expressing their wishes. The case...

So-called 'cowboy' builders who demand overpayment for delayed and shoddy work are a curse on householders. However, as a Court of Appeal ruling showed , the law takes a tough line with dishonest tradespeople. The case concerned a builder's work for four...

Official decision-makers are often accused of acting with closed minds. However, as a Court of Appeal ruling in a planning case made plain , there is a great difference between unlawful predetermination and a legitimate pause for thought. The case...

If you feel that you have been unjustly denied an inheritance, you should get in touch with a solicitor straight away. The dangers of delay were made plain by a case in which foot-dragging led to the sacrifice of a possible six-figure legacy. The case...

If a neighbour has been granted planning permission for a development to which you object, you may feel that there is little or nothing you can do about it. As a tribunal ruling showed, however, you may well be wrong about that. The case concerned a...

Many commercial leases appear to confer on landlords a wide and unilateral power to calculate and demand payment of service charges. An important Supreme Court ruling , however, indicates that they may not enjoy quite such a whip hand in future. A...

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...