The increase in the value of cryptoassets has undoubtedly contributed to the continued interest and adoption of this still relatively new asset class across organisations and individuals. The ease of purchasing, selling or transferring a cryptoasset has improved significantly over the last few years (and which has in part stemmed from the development of the regulatory environment). However, there is still a technical barrier to entry. This presents a practical problem; if your assets pass to your loved ones on your death, how do you ensure that they are able to actually access and benefit from ..read more

The High Court has provided welcome clarity in Re KRF Services (UK) Ltd [2024] EWHC 2978 (Ch), confirming that a sole director can validly make decisions on behalf of a company that has adopted the Model Articles without modification, even if the company previously had multiple directors ..read more

On 14 January 2025, the High Court struck out a claim for professional negligence and misconduct brought by a property developer against KPMG LLP and one of its partners on the grounds of abuse of process and lack of merit. The claim, valued at over £1.2 billion, was dismissed in its entirety, with the court concluding that it was an attempt to relitigate previously decided issues showing the court’s reluctance to entertain abusive litigation. In this article, we explore this decision, and set out the requirements of a professional negligence claim and how accountancy firms can successful ..read more

According to research carried out by YouGov in August 2024 on behalf of the Financial Conduct Authority, 93% of UK adults have heard of cryptoassets and 12% of UK adults own cryptoassets. We expect that this will continue to increase over the coming years, particularly with the introduction of additional regulation across Europe and the supportive position taken in the USA. Therefore, the chances of cryptoassets being included within an estate or subject to an express or implied trust are increasing ..read more

A dispute arose between a construction company, Darcliffe Homes Limited (‘Darcliffe’), and two engineering companies, Glanville Consultants (‘Glanville’) and Ground and Water Limited (‘GWL’), both of which were commissioned to produce a report on ground conditions for Darcliffe prior to its purchase of a site in Reading. All claims were settled against GWL, so the issue before the court was whether Glanville provided negligent advice on the ground conditions at the site ..read more

It was recently reported that the family of Sven-Goran Eriksson will not receive anything from his estate. The estate is said to be insolvent due to a combination of unpaid tax being owed, Mr Eriksson reportedly having fallen victim to a fraud, and his funds having potentially having been mismanaged by a financial adviser during his lifetime. While Mr Eriksson and his family appear to have been aware of these issues, often it is not until a loved one passes away that problems of this nature come to light. The beneficiaries then find themselves in a position where they have to navigate complex ..read more

When establishing a trust, it is important to remember that this is not a ‘tax free’ way of investing and/or distributing assets. Different types of trusts are taxed differently and trustees and beneficiaries must be aware of their obligations to pay taxes which are owing ..read more

Today (19 February 2025) the Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal in the case of El-Husseiny and another (Appellants) v Invest Bank PSC (Respondent ..read more

The Court of Appeal (CA) recently handed down its judgment in Norman Hay PLC v Marsh Ltd [2025] EWCA Civ 58 in which it dismissed the Defendant’s appeal concerning its application to strike out or summarily dismiss the Claimant’s claim, reaffirming that in cases of brokers’ negligence, the correct approach is to apply a loss of chance evaluation ..read more

Emotions can run high in legal disputes, particularly in cases involving succession and inheritance, as well as in a family context. In this blog we explore what happens when allegations are made about parentage (more often than not, paternity) and what can be done about it ..read more