Death is a very difficult time not only in terms of grieving but in knowing what steps need to be taken from registering the death to dealing with the person’s assets.   Many questions are raised and it can be difficult to know where to begin.   How is the funeral paid for? What happens if there is a post mortem? Can joint accounts still be used? How are bills paid for? Who do we need to inform of the

Everyone likes a bargain and there is no better bargain than absolutely free …   However remember the old adage, “if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is”.   You may find that free will-writing services come with more than a little price to pay.   It is believed that up to 1.5 million customers used free will writing services in the late 1990s and early 2000s largely because a free Will was offered as a “perk” for

The Court of Appeal has decided that solicitors acting for sellers of property should share responsibility with solicitors acting for buyers in cases where clients lose money because of fraudulent ‘sellers’.   In both cases decided by the Court recently, a scam artist had pretended to be the owner of a high value London property.  Each fraudster found a genuine buyer and instructed solicitors.   Everything appeared normal – except that the sellers were not the genuine owners.  The transactions went

An employment dispute can get complicated in the best of circumstances, and even more so when the question ‘are you even an employee?’ arises.   The recent Supreme Court case of Pimlico Plumbers has highlighted the continual issues surrounding the ever expanding gig economy. The gig economy focuses on the flexible use of labour – people working on an ‘as and when’ basis – and can be extremely beneficial for both the employer and the worker if used correctly, particularly

Appointing an attorney can be an easy task if you have close family or friends in whom you have complete trust and confidence.  However, as the press readily tell us, investigations into the actions of attorneys and deputies appointed under the lasting power of attorney (LPA) procedure are increasing.  It is a sad fact of life that dishonest attorneys have caused an increase of investigations by more than 40% in the past year (1,729 investigations into the actions of attorneys

It is easy to see how being a grandparent who is prevented from being able to see their grandchild would be a very upsetting situation to be in. Unfortunately after a breakdown of a relationship, this situation is a real possibility, and one that we encounter often.   Luckily, if a grandparent finds themselves in this situation they are able to apply to the court to get to see their grandchild. In each application the court will look at the

The worst break-up excuse? No. Just an amicable divorce.   The current law, which dates back to 1973, makes it virtually impossible for couples to divorce without blame, unless they have been separated for at least two years. Apportioning blame often leads to animosity and further heartache at a time of conflict. Research shows that couples lie about adultery, as well as exaggerate behaviour allegations, to ‘secure’ a divorce.   Why should couples, who have mutually agreed to separate through

In NPV v QEL and another, a recent High Court case regarding the misuse of private information and harassment, the court granted an interim injunction against 2 defendants. The order allowed the injunction application and order to be served on the second defendant by text message.   The rules for service are contained within Part 6 of the Civil Procedure Rules and the accompanying Practice Directions. Ordinarily either the court or the claimant or their solicitor will serve the claim

The majority of individuals who pursue personal injury claims are entirely genuine and deserve to be compensated for their injuries and the impact they have had on their lives (see my colleague Melanie Rowe’s recent article about the myth of the so called ‘Compensation Culture’ on this point).  However, there are still a handful of individuals who attempt to exaggerate the extent of their injuries in order to recover damages that they are not entitled to.   I am therefore pleased

Join us for our last minute cramming session on the GDPR.  As everyone with an email inbox can attest to, there are huge changes underway for the data protection regime in the UK with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) now on our doorstep.   Many of the GDPR’s main concepts and principles are not new—they are familiar from the Data Protection Act 1998.  However there are some new entirely elements and significant enhancements, meaning you will have to do