A man who successfully challenged his mother's final will is likely to recover the lion's share of his legal costs after the High Court ruled that his brother, who attempted to uphold the will's validity, should pay his costs on the indemnity basis . In...

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a reprimand to a local authority in respect of a breach of Article 5(1)(f) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation. The local authority had included a spreadsheet in its response to a Freedom of...

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its annual statistics on ill health and injuries in the workplace for the year 2023/24. The number of employees who reported suffering from work-related ill health was 1.7 million. This is broadly...

The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 gives leaseholders the right, under certain conditions, to take over the management of the building they live in. When attempting to exercise this right, however, it is vital to comply with the requirements set...

A company has succeeded in reducing VAT default surcharges of more than £9,000 after the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) found that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) had not demonstrated that a notice in respect of an earlier default surcharge had been...

A deceased man's sister and executor has failed to convince the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) that no Inheritance Tax (IHT) was due on his share of a number of properties in Malta. The man and his siblings had inherited an interest in the properties from...

The Court of Appeal has upheld a man's argument that the financial remedy order made on his divorce should have been set aside because the wife had given inaccurate evidence about an important asset. The couple had met in Singapore, where the wife was...

The Upper Tribunal (UT) has upheld a challenge to a rent repayment order made against the landlord of a house in an area designated by the local authority as subject to additional licensing of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). The landlord had let the...

When disputes arise as to the validity of wills, the evidence of the deceased's solicitors can be crucial. In a recent High Court case concerning whether a woman had capacity to revoke her will , the Court attached considerable importance to the evidence of...

Under Section 111A(1) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 , evidence relating to pre-termination negotiations is inadmissible if an employee later brings a claim of unfair dismissal, subject to certain exceptions. The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) recently...

Although Multiple Dwellings Relief (MDR) from Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) was abolished earlier this year, it can be still claimed in respect of property transactions that completed before 1 June 2024, so cases dealing with its availability can be expected to...

Partners in a partnership would be well advised to keep comprehensive documentation at every stage in case disagreements arise in the future. In a recent case, whether or not a residential property was a partnership asset became the subject of extended court...

In a recent case involving an application to permit naso-gastric feeding of a 12-year-old girl, the High Court considered how to resolve an apparent conflict between the Code of Practice to the Mental Health Act 1983 and common-law authorities around...

If you believe that a competitor has made unfair use of your intellectual property, it is essential to obtain expert advice as soon as possible. Recently, a company that sold equestrian safety clothing failed in its High Court copyright infringement claim ...

When a party fails to disclose assets in divorce proceedings, the courts are entitled to draw appropriate inferences from the non-disclosure. This was demonstrated in a recent case in which the Family Court described the husband's conduct of the...

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (ECHR) has published templates for employers to help them prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 defines sexual harassment as unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, which has the purpose...

A telecoms provider has lost its appeal against a decision that, where customers were offered discounts for early payment, VAT was payable on the full amount charged if the discount was not accepted. Between 1 January and 30 April 2014, the telecoms...

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have been unsuccessful in their appeal against a decision that a dividend received by a man in the 2016/17 tax year was paid for Income Tax (IT) purposes in that year, even though another shareholder had received the dividend in...

A woman who was left just £1 when her stepfather passed away has failed in her challenge to the validity of his final will. The stepfather had formed a close friendship with a woman he had originally hired as a cleaner in 2011. They shared an interest...

Under Section 20ZA of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 , a tribunal may grant a landlord dispensation from the requirement to consult tenants about significant works if it finds it reasonable to do so. Recently, a landlord who carried out urgent repairs to...

Tenants who feel that excessive service charges are being demanded of them are not powerless and can challenge the reasonableness of their charges before the First-tier Tribunal (FTT). Recently, the tenants of two leasehold flats succeeded in achieving...

A woman has succeeded in her unfair dismissal claim after the behaviour of a director of the company she worked for led her to resign from her job ( Hanson v Interaction Recruitment Specialists Ltd ). The woman had worked for her employer, a recruitment...

When a couple who have entered into a civil union relocate to another country, legal advice is essential to deal with any issues that may arise. Recently, a couple who had moved to the UK from France and were subsequently advised to dissolve their French...

In a ruling which will have wide implications for providers of finance, the Court of Appeal has ruled that three purchasers of cars are entitled to be repaid the commission paid from the lenders to the dealers in respect of their car loans. The purchasers...

The courts are often called upon to decide whether continued treatment is in the best interests of patients. Recently, the Court of Protection rejected an NHS trust's application for a declaration that it was not in a man's best interests to have a new...