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...

A teenager who was told she was partly at fault after she was hit by a double-decker bus has had the decision reversed in the Court of Appeal. Chantelle Osei-Antwi was standing at the edge of a pedestrian area in the Crystal Palace area of London when the...

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. The essential point is that HMRC will not accept a notification of change of address until such time as...

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...

A schoolgirl who suffered severe brain damage at birth has been awarded a compensation package worth £6.5 million. Rhiannon Hayman, 15, was starved of oxygen during her birth at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend and now has severe cerebral...

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...

A police civilian worker who was shot during a firearms safety demonstration has won a six-figure sum in compensation. Keith Tilbury, 56, a 999 control room operator at the Thames Valley Police Headquarters in Oxfordshire, was attending a demonstration by a...

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...

The Government has announced that victims of thalidomide, a drug that was prescribed to pregnant women in the 1950s and ‘60s, will share a £20 million compensation package to assist with their health needs as they get older. Thalidomide was...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has handed down a far-reaching judgment in the long-running case of Coleman v Attridge Law , which concerns the interpretation of the EU Equal Treatment Framework Directive and its impact on disability legislation in the...

A man who suffered severe brain damage when he slipped and fell on an uneven public road in North London has received an interim payment of £75,000. Kyle Bullock, 33, was walking with friends down a steep and poorly maintained road when the accident...

Employers are reminded that the Government’s new ‘fit note’ regime is due to replace the current system, whereby doctors issue hand-written sick notes, from 6 April 2010. Under the new system, a doctor will provide a patient who is off...

If you enter into a business contract in good faith and it subsequently transpires that the contract was incorrectly authorised or otherwise invalid from the perspective of the other party’s internal regulations, where do you stand? Two recent cases...

Getting your tax right can sometimes be complex and it is often the case that when HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigate a taxpayer, they find that there are irregularities. When these result in an underpayment of tax, HMRC will normally levy interest...

Under the Children Act 1989 , a court may only make a care order or a supervision order if it is satisfied that the child concerned is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm. In a recent case, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision of a...

A gardener who developed a deadly asbestos-related disease has won £205,000 in compensation from his former employers. Mr Gaffney, 57, worked for the University of Liverpool during the 1980s looking after the grounds. He used to take his lunch breaks...

With many companies suffering from the effects of the recession, business owners looking for an exit are thick on the ground. One problem those in this situation face is that if their business is in a fairly weak financial position, it is difficult to take a...

Retaining records after a person has died is essential in order to be able to demonstrate the amount of Inheritance Tax (IHT) ‘nil rate band’ that is available on the death of a surviving spouse or civil partner. It might easily be thought that...

Recent allegations of bullying within 10 Downing Street have raised the profile of a subject which receives relatively little coverage outside the employment tribunals, in spite of widespread prevalence in the workplace. Workplace bullying is not only...

The parents of an independent school pupil have lost their appeal against a judge’s decision to dismiss their claim that their son’s expulsion from the school amounted to a breach of contract and warranted injunctive relief and the payment of...