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Residential property often represents the majority of a person's wealth and valuing it for Inheritance Tax (IHT) purposes is, par excellence, a matter for professionals. In a case on point, a son who dispensed with expert tax and valuation advice following...

Judges are experts at uncovering the truth but, in rare cases, it is simply not possible to decisively establish the cause of an accident. That was so in the case of an HGV driver who had no memory of an incident that left him with life-changing head...

Many road accident victims show enormous courage in coming to terms with their disabilities, but some are truly exceptional. That was certainly true of a young man whose great good humour never wavered in the face of catastrophic injuries that merited an...

You are perfectly entitled to write your children or other close family members out of your will, but such a course can be an invitation to dispute after you are gone. That was certainly so in a High Court case concerning a man who left everything he owned...

The emotional element involved in lending money to friends and loved ones makes it all the more necessary to first seek independent professional advice. A case on point concerned a businessman who lent a small fortune to a close friend but had to launch...

A word out of place can lead to the sacrifice of valuable legal rights and that is why it is vital to seek professional advice the moment a potential dispute looms on the horizon. The point was made by the case of a couple who faced a challenge to their...

Daredevil antics can make good television but, when things go wrong, broadcasters can expect to carry the legal can. The BBC found that out when it was ordered to pay over £1.6 million in compensation to a presenter who was badly injured whilst playing...

No amount of money can make up for the death of a parent in a road accident, but it can at least help to soften the blow for their loved ones. The High Court made that point in the case of a Cambridge University graduate who was out jogging when she was...

It may come as a surprise but, even if you have been divorced abroad, there is a great deal that an English family lawyer can do to ensure you receive a fair financial deal. In one case, the High Court came to the aid of a woman whose marriage to an...

Words are not numbers and even the most careful draftsperson cannot guarantee that the meaning of a will is always clear beyond doubt. As a High Court case showed , however, judges are adept at resolving ambiguities so that the true intentions of testators...

Judges have the power to order advance or interim payments of damages to accident victims who are in need of immediate financial support. In the context of a catastrophic building site accident, the High Court gave important guidance on the precise...

So-called DIY builders who 'construct' their own homes can reclaim VAT incurred in doing so. As one case showed, however, there is a very great difference between the ordinary English usage of that word and its meaning in VAT legislation. The case concerned...

Some sports are inherently risky and unfortunate accidents inevitably occur for which no one is to blame. The High Court resoundingly made that point in the case of a woman who was grievously injured when she fell on an indoor ski slope. The middle-aged...

Where one parent moves abroad with his or her children, leaving the other behind, the result can be an international tug of war. As a High Court ruling showed , when called upon to play the part of referee in such contests, the paramount focus of family...

Not every life is profitable, at least in financial terms, and it is important to remember that your debts do not die with you. A High Court ruling showed the serious problems that dying insolvent, without putting your affairs in order, can create for your...

Personal injury cases are often hard-fought and it is an uncomfortable fact that genuine accident victims sometimes have their honesty challenged in court. A case on point concerned an athlete whose hopes of becoming a film stuntman were dashed by serious...

When seeking investment advice, it is vital to only use the services of authorised practitioners who are highly qualified and regulated by law. As a High Court case showed , it is otherwise all too easy to fall into a fraudster's clutches. A woman was...

Cyclists are amongst the most vulnerable of road users and, if an accident happens, personal injury lawyers play a vital role in ensuring that just compensation is paid. In one case, a cyclist who was catastrophically injured when a parked motorist opened...

If you buy goods that fail to live up to a salesman's hyperbole, you may be entitled to compensation and should consult a solicitor immediately. In one case, a homeowner who had solar panels installed in the forlorn hope that they would pay for themselves...

Surnames reflect family heritage and most people view them as an essential part of their identities as human beings. A family judge made that point in choosing a new double-barrelled surname for a little girl so that she would no longer bear a nominal...

Agatha Christie would struggle to imagine the plots of some inheritance disputes that come before the courts. That was certainly so in one case in which a judge found that a son resorted to forgery in concocting a bogus will after his mother died. Prior...

Many homes or businesses are only accessible via neighbours' land and that can prove fertile ground for dispute. However, as a High Court case showed , expert lawyers are adept at ensuring their clients' unhindered use of rights of way. A couple's home and...

Accidents do happen, but if they are someone else's fault you should not delay in consulting a solicitor with a view to seeking justice. A woman who did just that after suffering an agonising fall on a pub dancefloor was awarded more than £30,000 in...

A record amount of Inheritance Tax (IHT) is being recouped from UK taxpayers by the Treasury, according to recent data published by HM Revenue and Customs. The statistics, released in late August, show that £2.1 billion was collected by the government...

Adventure sports enthusiasts have a perfect right voluntarily to place themselves in danger and, as a High Court ruling showed, the law is not in the business of discouraging organisers of challenging and high-risk events. The case concerned a very fit...

The confidentiality of the process by which an adopted child becomes part of a new, permanent and inviolable family unit is, for very good reasons, sacrosanct. A judge made that point in refusing a man's application for his biological parenthood of an...

One of the best things you can do for your loved ones is to sign a professionally drafted will. As a High Court case showed , failing to take that easy and cost-effective step is to risk plunging those closest to you into legal difficulties after you are...

Sexual abuse of pupils by their teachers is thankfully much less common than it used to be, in large part thanks to perpetrators being publicly brought to book in both the criminal and civil courts. In a case on point, a talented teenager who was preyed upon...

Parents who send their children to private school are entitled to expect that they will receive a reasonable standard of education – and, at the very least, that the school concerned has lawful authority to teach them. In a rare case on point , a...

Discerning where blame attaches for road accidents that occur in seconds can be a demanding task. In one case, however, a judge had little hesitation in finding that a motorist who attempted to make a U-turn on a trunk road bore sole responsibility for a...

Stepping up from the ranks to become a full partner in a limited liability partnership (LLP) involves a fundamental change in status from employment to self-employment. The tax consequences of that shift came under analysis in an important Upper Tribunal...

Judges play a crucial enforcement role in the planning process and those who fail to comply with their orders can expect stern punishment. In one case, a homeowner who breached planning control when he built a huge subterranean leisure facility under his...

If you feel that your life has been blighted by a local authority's failure to protect you during your childhood, you should consult a lawyer straight away. In a case on point, a young man who should have been removed from his mother's care and placed for...

Those who claim compensation following an accident must be prepared to have their evidence robustly challenged in court. A case on point concerned a man who was struck on the back by a heavy scaffolding pole at work. The welder and fabricator was bent over...

Even the most carefully drafted will can contain inadvertent clerical errors that leave room for doubt as to the document's true meaning. As a High Court ruling showed , however, judges happily have the power to correct such mistakes so as to ensure that...

An intransigent and dogmatic approach to divorce is an infallible way of making the process far more painful and costly. A man who insisted that his ex-wife's financial entitlements should be reduced to reflect the poor quality of their short, childless...

It often falls to judges to address the most dreadful consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. That was certainly so in a case where the Court of Protection found that keeping a much-loved husband and father on life support would merely serve to prolong his...

Those whose childhoods have been blighted by sexual or physical abuse may decide to bury the past and suffer in silence. As one case showed, however, consulting a solicitor is the best way to achieve closure, fair compensation and a sense that perpetrators...

Chance does not discriminate and many fruitful lives are wrecked by road accidents. That was certainly so in a case where the autumn years of a distinguished academic were blighted by a brain injury suffered in a collision. A long-time magistrate, the man,...

Family relationships can be red in tooth and claw and appointing relatives, rather than a professional, as executors of your will can prove a costly mistake. That was certainly so in one case, where bitter litigation between siblings resulted in legal costs...

Any inaccuracy when filling in your tax return can have severe consequences, so it really does make sense to seek professional assistance. The point was powerfully made by the case of a financier who narrowly escaped a stiff financial penalty after failing...

When children suffer unexplained injuries, few would quarrel with social workers and medical professionals taking a precautionary approach. However, as a family judge's ruling showed , the cloud of suspicion that often hangs over parents in such cases is...

The vast majority of personal injury claims are entirely genuine, but there are sadly a few dishonest people who exaggerate their symptoms with a view to boosting the amount of their compensation. That was certainly so in the case of a man who claimed...

UK Border Force officers wield a battery of powers designed to combat smuggling – but they must not be exercised unreasonably. The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) made that point in coming to the aid of a woman whose family car was loaded with over 300...

If you feel that you have been let down by your professional advisers, you need to move fast and launch proceedings as quickly as possible. The potentially grave consequences of delay were illustrated by the case of a road accident victim who claimed that...

Before embarking on any form of property development it is absolutely vital to seek a lawyer's confirmation that you are entitled to proceed. The point was underlined by the case of a couple who knocked down their home and replaced it with a block of flats...

Construction workers often do not have formal employment contracts and, in a world where contractors and subcontractors proliferate, it can be hard to tell where legal responsibility lies in the event of an accident. That was certainly so in a High Court...

Far too many people put off making a will until ill health strikes and reminds them of their mortality. In a striking case on point, the High Court ruled that a will signed by a prosperous farmer when he was in his 80s and suffering from dementia was not...

When negotiating settlements of personal injury claims, lawyers aim to meet all their clients' future care costs, however long they may live. In the case of a young man who was catastrophically injured in a road accident as a teenager, the High Court paid...

A 'couple' is defined in law as two people living as partners in an enduring family relationship – but what exactly does that mean in a world that has witnessed a metamorphosis in human relationships during the last few decades? The High Court...