An executor is responsible for administering a deceased’s estate. This includes realising the assets of the deceased’s estate, settling any liabilities of the estate, and distributing the estate in accordance with the terms of the Will. Depending on the complexity of the estate, the time this will take can vary with more complex estates taking notably longer due to the potential assets involved and more involving tax calculations. Due to the administration of an estate taking a number of months as a minimum, it is not unheard of for an executor to die during this time. Where a sole executor pr ..read more

Our previous blog discussed the use of caveats when there is a dispute over the validity of a Will. Once registered at the probate registry and the caveat is in place, this prevents the issuing of a grant and the administration of the estate. This process holds up any progress being made in respect of the deceased’s estate. How can I remove a caveat? Once a caveat has been registered it can only be removed in the following ways: The person that lodged the caveat failing to respond to a warning served on them; The withdrawal of the caveat by the caveator; An order of a district judge, registr ..read more

A hot topic at the moment with the relatively new launch of platforms such as Chat GPT is the use of Artificial Intelligence. There is no doubt that when used properly and responsibly it can provide many benefits for businesses and charities, such as assisting with bid writing, writing of promotional material, etc. Risks involved in utilising AI It is, however, important to realise that this technology is in its infancy and is far from perfect. There are very few safeguards in place in respect of ensuring that the content produced does not infringe any third-party intellectual property, is not ..read more

Budapest Főváros IV Kerület Újpest Önkormányzat Polgármesteri Hivatala v Nemzeti Adatvédelmi és Információszabadság Hatóság, Case C-46/23 Case background In 2020, the Budapest-district Újpest launched a social scheme to financially support people who had been made vulnerable by the Covid-19 pandemic. To verify who would be eligible for the scheme, the Újpest obtained personal data from the Hungarian State Treasury and the district office. The Újpest collated the data received in a database and created a unique identifier and barcode for each set of data. In September 2020, the Hungarian s ..read more

Evidence in business disputes Facts in issue A fact in issue are those facts that either party must prove or disprove to establish their claim. Any fact in issue must be supported by evidence, which can be documentary or oral. Oral evidence is provided by witnesses whose evidence the parties intend to rely on. Disclosure Parties involved in the proceedings are under a duty to disclose documents within their power, custody and/or control relevant to the dispute. This includes any document which may support but also which can adversely affect their own case. Documents include all hard copy docum ..read more

Leicestershire Live reports that the Chief Operating Officer at University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) NHS Trust has apologised to patients over care delays. He said that progress was made last year compared to 2022 performance, however, added that local health bosses “absolutely don’t accept where [they] are.” Data shows thousands of patients waiting for care The reports come shortly after new data revealed that thousands of patients had been left waiting in Leicester Royal Infirmary’s Emergency Department for more than 24 hours last year. UHL was shown to have failed to meet targets for pat ..read more

Significant changes to the Family Procedure Rules (FPR) took effect on 29th April 2024. These rules, established in 2010, underwent revisions to encourage Courts, family practitioners, and families navigating breakdowns to prioritise non-Court-based solutions for resolving financial and children-related disputes. What are the FPR? The Family Procedure Rules serve as the guiding principles for processes and procedures within the Family Court system of England and Wales. Governed by the Family Procedure Rule Committee, these rules outline practice directions, allocate judicial powers, prescribe ..read more

Is the global economic backdrop positive or negative? The long-anticipated recessions caused by markedly tighter monetary policy materialised at the end of 2023, with the UK being one of a number of countries around the world to officially record a technical recession – although some pundits may deem it a meer rounding error. The US economy, on the other hand, continued to defy the odds, in spite of higher interest rates, growing at a 3% annualised rate to the end of Q1. Off the back of this, global growth is expected to be positive for 2024. Related to this was the continued reduction in infl ..read more

The ever increasing delays to the Court process is taking its toll on people who now have the desire to take greater control over the length of financial proceedings, many couples are now turning to Financial Dispute Resolution hearings (FDRs) in order to come to an agreement regarding their financial disputes. What is an FDR hearing? The FDR Hearing is a key stage of financial proceedings in the Family Court and at that Hearing the Judge will give an indication as to the likely outcome if the case were to progress to a Final Hearing. Following that indication the parties then negotiate to rea ..read more

Asthma charity, Asthma and Lung UK, has told the BBC this week that urgent Government action is needed to stop preventable asthma deaths in the UK. Failures to make necessary changes Around 5.4 million people in the UK have asthma, which is a lung condition that can cause breathing difficulties. Asthma and Lung UK pointed to statistics that show that more than 12,000 people have died in the UK from asthma attacks since 2014. The charity said the figures meant that “shockingly little” had changed since a major report was released a decade ago which found that two thirds of asthma deaths could h ..read more