A will must normally be made in writing to have legal effect, but there are exceptions to this rule. One is that a sailor can make a valid will orally when at sea. Recently, this rule was held by the court to apply in the case of a sailor who made an oral...

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have now updated their instructions on how companies which move premises should inform them of a change of company address. Commercial Property Partner, Oonagh McKinney, explains "The essential point is that HMRC will not...

Yet again the end of the tax year is nigh. With tax increases scheduled to take effect on 6 April and the chance that the budget will further restrict tax advantages, there has probably never been a time when considering your tax strategy was so important. ...

The Government has announced that it intends to levy fines of up to £500,000 (yes, £1/2 million) for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). Worrying as that may be for businesses, a recently-launched consultation could have a...

A homeless person’s locked bedroom in a hostel is subject to the same rights against trespassers as anyone else’s property. That was the conclusion of the Divisional Court in a recent case when a complaint against the police was made following...

The Court of Appeal has ruled ( Wilson v Health and Safety Executive ) on the correct approach to objective justification in equal pay claims that arise from service-related pay schemes which have a disparate impact on women compared with men. Mrs Wilson...

Until the recent publicity afforded by television shows on the subject, many people might not have realised that ‘heir tracing’ companies exist, let alone that they research ‘promising’ estates by looking at public records and then...

Following an evaluation of the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 , the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced earlier this year that it would be introducing a card alert scheme designed to give licensing authorities which choose to adopt it a new...

It is a cardinal rule in court proceedings in the UK that both parties to a disagreement must have a fair chance to state their side of the argument. This is particularly important in family cases, which are often complex and invariably emotionally charged. ...

In a recent case, the courts had to consider the legality of a commercial arrangement undertaken by a bank with a company, the effect of which was to allow the company to ‘stand in its shoes’ with regard to a commercial lease. At issue was...