Private Client Articles

Separating couples wills soon be able to apply for £500 vouchers to pay for mediation to help them settle disputes without having to go to court. Mediation is often a quicker and cheaper way of resolving disputes, which can spare families the trauma...

The High Court has ruled that a wife had not been entitled to access her husband’s private information during divorce proceedings. In giving the ruling, the judge warned couples not to resort to unlawful practices to gain an unfair advantage. The...

The wishes of a 12-year-old boy were not enough to prevent him from being returned to his father, especially as it was likely that he had been unduly influenced by his mother. That was the decision of the Court of Appeal in a case involving a boy who was...

Two major home builders have been told to remove contract terms that mean leaseholders have to pay ground rents that double every 10 or 15 years. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched enforcement action against 4 housing developers in...

The Treasury has agreed to make changes to the administration of Inheritance Tax following complaints from the public that it is too complex, old fashioned and needs to be simplified. The announcement comes after more than 3,500 people responded to a public...

The High Court set out the principles that should apply when sharing family property in a divorce settlement. The case involved a couple who had been married for 33 years and had three adult children, who were independent. Both the wife and the husband had...

An office manager who was made to pick up dog mess and had the boss’ son throw a ball at her head has won her case of unfair dismissal and sex discrimination. Eleanor Stevenson, who had once been a contestant on the BBC’s The Apprentice, began...

The Family Court has ordered that two children who were wrongfully removed from Italy by their mother must be returned to their father in Rome. The father and mother had married in 1998 and their eldest son was born in England in 2008. The family moved to...

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a wife in divorce proceedings had been entitled to remain in the family home until it was sold as part of the financial settlement. The court heard that the couple had lived in the matrimonial home with their two children....

A court has corrected an error in a man’s will to reinstate his original intention as to how his estate should be divided among family members. The issue arose because the deceased had made a will in 1998 dividing his estate into 52 parts to be given...