The question of when wasteful spending and ‘bad behaviour’ of one party during a marriage should be reflected in how finances are divided in a divorce arose in a recent case in...
The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, which came in to force earlier this year, made a number of company law changes, some of which are highlighted below. The...
Debenhams Ottaway hosted a meeting of leading local business professionals to brainstorm the next steps for taking the very successful St Albans Dragons’ Apprentice nationwide. The session was attended by...
Most landowners will be familiar with stories in the press of squatters’ rights or adverse possession. Fewer will be aware that neighbouring landowners can acquire other rights to use or...
An ex-wife of a property tycoon has warned women in a similar position against signing post-nuptial agreements after she has been stung by her own. Mr and Mrs Hopkins married...
Getting your children into the right independent school is one of the key milestones in their life as well as your own. It is the beginning of a whole new...
Deeds of variation are coming under scrutiny as a tax-avoidance measure, so is the clock ticking for this useful retrospective estate planning tool? The Chancellor in the last budget stated...
The untimely death or critical illness of an owner-manager of a private company is a traumatic time not only for their family but also for the remaining shareholders. It is...
The St Albans International Organ Festival is back for 2015. One of the festival highlights, the Art Exhibition, sponsored by Hertfordshire law firm Debenhams Ottaway, will be held at the...
Putting in place a lasting power of attorney (LPA) is to be simplified but it is still important to receive proper legal advice before making them. Following feedback by users...
Recent years have seen an explosion in the use of social media and the growth seems set to continue. As of February 2015 Facebook had more than 1.44billion users, half...
Employers with bonus schemes linked to attendance need to ensure that there is enough flexibility within schemes to avoid withholding payments in circumstances where this is likely to be discriminatory....
The High Court recently issued judgment in the case of Fresh Trading Limited v Deepend Fresh Recovery Limited and another [2015] EWHC 52 (Ch). This case highlights the importance of obtaining a...
It is often the case that planning law does not provide the degree of protection that residents might want in the face of unwelcome development of land in the immediate neighbourhood. In such circumstances,...
A number of useful points emerged from a decision of the Court of Appeal recently in a case brought by a former employee of the University of Oxford, Dr Deer....
A school has just lost a case in the Employment Appeal Tribunal because it changed the days a part time teacher was required to work even though this did not...
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are very much in the news at present as the ramifications of the Jimmy Savile affair are considered. Some employers might be tempted to...
The Chancellor’s Autumn statement brought about a significant change to Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) on death. But how could the changes benefit you and are there any shortcomings? ISAs are...
Executorship can be an honour, or fraught with difficulty but whatever the circumstances, there are rules and good practice which need to be followed. If you agree to be an...
Cohabiting couples are the fastest growing family type in the UK according to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics. The number of cohabiting couples has doubled since...
