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

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) have released a new set of guidelines to assist managers with providing better support to employees with disabilities. The guidance, entitled ‘Recruiting, managing and developing disabled people: a practical guide for managers’, is designed to inspire managers to adopt an active and welcoming stance towards hiring individuals with disabilities and/or long-term health conditions. The guide provides statistics based on DWP data that states out of the estimated 9.5 million working-age indivi ..read more

Leonard v Leonard [2024] 321 (ChD) Background Dr Jack Leonard (Jack) signed a Will in October 2015 at home without any professional supervision. He was 83 years of age and in July 2015 had been diagnosed with diffuse cerebrovascular disease with identified clear impairment of cognitive function and received a further diagnosis of vascular dementia in March 2016. Jack had been a successful businessman, and his estate was reported to value at £5.4m. Jack had 4 biological children (Claimants) and from his second marriage 2 stepchildren and 3 step grandchildren (Defendants, plus Margaret his secon ..read more

In a previous blog, the case being brought by the actor, Hugh Grant, against News Group Newspapers was discussed, see here. The hearing reported on in that blog decided that Mr Grant’s claim in respect of telephone hacking was statute barred but that he was permitted to proceed with the other accusations he made, which included landline tapping, obtaining information by deception, bugging his home and car, burglary and hiring private investigators. It is reported that Mr Grant has now accepted an ‘enormous amount of money’ to settle the dispute. It is however fair to say from the interviews Mr ..read more

Court of Protection proceedings revolve around a Protected Person’s best interests. Where a person lacks capacity the Court of Protection may be required to decide on a specific matter on behalf of the Protected Party and in doing so will consider all the available evidence. It is possible that the specific decision in question involves two persons lacking capacity, therefore requiring the Court of Protection to balance all Protected Party’s best interests, whilst managing any conflict arising. In this instance, the Court of Protection may be faced with a difficult decision, particularly when ..read more

Wilkinson and Others v Hicken [2023] EWHC 1983 (Ch) Background The deceased, who was a property tycoon, died in 2018 with a Will (2018 Will) dated 15 February 2018. He had three children, a stepson, and three grandchildren when he died. In 1979, the deceased was charged with and pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder his wife Mary. He was then made the subject of a Hospital Order for his mental disorder. Upon his release from the hospital, he rebuilt his career and gathered a fortune of around £6 million. He tried to reconcile with his family but was not successful. Under the 2018 Will, the de ..read more

Gohil v Gohil [2024] EWHC 213 (Ch) Background The deceased died on 23 January 2018 with a Will dated 30 March 2009. The Will: Appointed the Claimant, who is the deceased’s and the Defendant’s former daughter-in-law, to be one of the executors; Bequeathed part of the deceased’s residuary estate to the Claimant; and Excluded the estranged Defendant and the deceased’s son from inheriting the deceased’s estate. The Defendant entered a caveat to prevent the Claimant from obtaining a Grant of Probate and disputed the validity of the Will on the grounds of undue influence, fraudulent calumny, fal ..read more

There are several key stages to a conveyancing transaction, and you will be asked by your conveyancer to complete certain documents throughout the course of a conveyancing transaction that relates to those different stages. In this guide, we cover some of the documents you may be asked to sign and demystify their purpose and significance. Types of conveyancing documents: 1. Instruction forms: At the early stages of a transaction, your matter will be dealt with by our Administration Team who will prepare a fee estimate and issue you our Instruction forms with our terms of business. You will nee ..read more