The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (M(SSC)A 2013) came into force on 13 March 2014, making same-sex marriage legal in England and Wales from 29 March 2014. The rights of a same-sex married couple are the same as those of civil partners, including: Transfers of assets between them are exempt from inheritance tax Their […]
You may think you don’t need to make a lasting power of attorney because your money is held in a joint bank account with your partner. Most people assume that if they were to suffer a stroke or develop dementia, their partner would be able to carry on operating the account and would continue to […]
Part One: The Purchase There is a lot more to owning a care home than simply being a good Nurse or Doctor or having successfully run another type of business. The skills you will be required to acquire overnight will include selling, management, and staff selection skills, not forgetting business planning, cash flow forecasting and […]
When a person dies, someone has to take responsibility for dealing with their property, debts and distributing the estate. The person dealing with the estate administration will normally be required to provide proof that he has the legal authority to deal with the deceased’s affairs, in order to close bank accounts, sell shares and otherwise […]
Buying land free from Chancel repair liability When you buy property (whether residential or commercial property) one of the key tasks of your solicitor is to check for any potential hidden liabilities. Though the system of Land Registration is aimed at achieving transparency, there is still a little way to go and one such potential […]
Parental responsibility is a legal right held by the parents of a child. It includes the responsibility of providing a home for that child and the duty to protect and maintain the child. Parents with parental responsibility must decide on where the child is to be educated and are entitled to make decisions about any […]
We recommend that you review your Will at least every 5 years. The law (and in particular tax law) is constantly changing.Since you made your Will these legislative changes may mean that the provisions of your Will are no longer the most appropriate for your circumstances. Equally, your circumstances themselves may have changed. For example, […]
The majority of people will ensure that they have a Will to look after their personal finance but what about their business? The death of a shareholder and director, especially in a small/medium company can have a major impact on the business if they have not planned for such an event. It is also not […]
As a parent, after your child is married it may seem like a good time to give them a financial contribution to help them onto the housing ladder or start a business. However, if their relationship later ends in divorce all their assets, including your generous gift, could be subject to division by the court […]
Marrying for a second time, after divorce or bereavement, marks the start of a wonderful new chapter in life and you and your new partner will be looking forward to a long and happy future together. However, when it comes to making Wills, you may feel you are stuck between a rock and hard place […]
Jonathan Trott, who today returned home from the Ashes series in Australia, is the latest high profile casualty of stress related illness. Trott is different to many others in their own place of work due to the focus of the media and pressure of fans expectations. However, the fundamentals of the problem and the end […]
Pre and post nuptial agreements (together called ‘nuptial agreements’) are agreements made either before or after marriage, setting out how the parties to a marriage will deal with some or all of their matrimonial assets. They are particularly useful for preserving assets that were acquired before marriage (for example, shareholdings in family companies, or particular […]
As an attorney acting under a lasting (or enduring) power of attorney, you will usually be able to make day to day decisions on behalf of the donor without resort to professional advice (except perhaps in relation to suitable investments). However, there are times when professional advice and guidance should be sought. For example, you […]