Where people fail to make professionally drafted wills, so-called heir hunters provide a valuable service in tracking down potential beneficiaries. However, as a High Court case showed, their activities are unregulated and they cannot always be relied upon to act with the utmost care and
What is a landlord? The answer to that question may appear obvious. However, as a guideline Court of Appeal decision showed, the issue can be far from straightforward in circumstances where a great many homes are occupied under subleases. The freeholders of a block of
Negligence on the part of hospital staff can be hard to prove – but that need not stop specialist solicitors winning substantial compensation for disabled clients. In a case on point, a 10-year-old girl who was stricken by a devastating infection when just a few
If an employee goes the extra mile and works outside normal office hours, does the additional income received form part of his or her pensionable earnings? The Court of Appeal analysed that issue in boosting the redundancy compensation and pension entitlements of a civil servant
Local authorities that do not have a five-year supply of available housing land can have developments that they consider undesirable foisted upon them. Exactly that happened in one case concerning controversial plans to build 29 new homes in a green gap between two established settlements.
Many companies rely on the distinctive get-up of their vehicles as an essential part of their public-facing image. A High Court case involving a fleet of vans that sported a model of an oversized screwdriver on their roofs showed how, with the right legal advice,
Insurance policies are worthless unless you understand and abide by their terms and conditions. However, in a guideline case, the Court of Appeal ruled that a waste processing company did just that and was entitled to an indemnity against catastrophic fire damage. The cause of
Legal practices and other professional firms are obliged to keep client records by the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 (MLR) – but does that make them data-holders for the purposes of HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) powers to demand information? In an important ruling, the First-tier
Boundary disputes between neighbours have a habit of getting out of hand, but legal advice, taken at an early stage, can ultimately save a great deal of anguish and expense. In a case on point, a couple who cut back their neighbour’s hedge without permission
Building sites can be dangerous places and that makes it all the more important that health and safety rules are religiously followed. In one case where that sadly did not happen, the director of a house building company received a four-year prison sentence following a
