Costs in inheritance litigation
Several interesting costs cases have been reported so far in 2020. Claims Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975 The case of Re H (Deceased) [2020] EWHC...
Job Support Scheme: What we know so far
On 24 September 2020, the Government announced the Job Support Scheme, which will follow on from the expiration of the Job Retention Scheme. The Job Support Scheme is designed to...
Farming inheritance disputes
Inheritance disputes can unfortunately arise where farming and agricultural assets and businesses are involved. Broken promises; family feuds; a lack of succession planning; complex business structures; there are so many...
Video-witnessed Wills to be made legal during coronavirus pandemic
On 28 September 2020 the Statutory Instrument making temporary amendments to the Wills Act 1837 is due to come into force. The catalyst for the amendment has of course been...
Are trusts trustworthy?
Trusts are a way of protecting or sheltering assets for others. They can take various forms and often get a bad press as vehicles for the super-rich, but in fact...
Sharing assets acquired following separation but before divorce
Many couples do not divorce for some considerable time following their separation. A common reason for this is that they want to avoid attributing blame in the divorce paperwork. In...
What considerations should you be aware of when separating
We are all still coming to terms with the way our world has been turned upside down this year by the coronavirus. Adjusting to working from home, home-schooling and being...
Have you issued an invoice that has been disputed? What should you do now?
Your customer is refusing to pay your invoice- what do you do next? Late payment of invoices is often considered part and parcel of running a business but are you...
The importance of having a shareholders’ agreement
Numerous professional healthcare businesses, such as care home operators, are structured as limited companies. In many circumstances, such companies have a number of shareholders, and regulating their relationship can be...
Do I need a business lasting power of attorney?
Most people these days are aware of Lasting powers of attorney (LPAs), either having written one for themselves or having dealt with their parents’. They fall into two categories ‘health...
How has the rule against reflective loss been varied following the supreme court’s judgment in Sevilleja v Marex financial limited?
The principle of reflective loss was established in the case of Prudential Assurance Co Limited v Newman Industries Limited (No. 2) [1982] Ch 204. The rule states that a shareholder...
Penalties for misuse of the job retention scheme
Figures released by HMRC show that it had received 6,749 reports about fraudulent claims under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“CJRS”). On 28 July HMRC published two new guidance documents...
Debenhams Ottaway celebrates latest promotion in dispute resolution team
Debenhams Ottaway, award-winning law firm in St Albans and Radlett, promotes one of its rising stars, Robyn Adams. Robyn, a lawyer in the dispute resolution team, joined in 2016 as...
Sleep in shifts update
The most recent update can be found here. We continue to monitor the case of Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson- Blake, otherwise known as “the Mencap case” following our series...
Debenhams Ottaway raise over £4,500 for You Okay, Doc?
Award-winning law firm, Debenhams Ottaway, based in St Albans and Radlett raises over £4,500 for, You Okay, Doc?, a charity supporting doctors’ mental health. As we all got to grips...
Antecedent transactions and breach of duty – factors to consider
In these unprecedented last few months, the insolvency industry has faced some dramatic changes in a very short space of time. Following various conversations with insolvency practitioners and insolvency lawyers,...
Stamp duty changes that could benefit you
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a significant amount of tax that must be paid if you buy property or land over a certain price in England. In July 2020,...
Redundancy – can employers use furlough money towards notice pay?
With the lockdown restrictions easing, and the economy beginning to return to some form of normality, many companies are planning for the recovery of affected business. Unfortunately, for some this...
COVID-19: The importance of checking the break clause in a commercial lease
The Government has issued guidance for commercial landlords and tenants to cooperate and work flexibly to ensure that businesses are supported and protected from the effects of the pandemic. At...
Trecarrell House Ltd v Rouncefield [2020] effect on S.21 Notice & gas safety certificates
There has been a breakthrough for residential landlords of assured shorthold tenancies following the judgment of Trecarrell House Limited v Rouncefield, which was handed down on 18 June 2020. The...