Lost in translation? Spring clean your cross‑channel documents

It may feel like an administrative burden to keep personal affairs in order, be that your Will, financial or estate planning.  That burden can be even greater when the rules of two (or more) countries are relevant.  We regularly help French nationals living in the UK to take steps to plan their personal affairs, given that the legal and administrative rules of two countries will be relevant to their legal documents. 

The 2026 Spring Statement, delivered on 3 March 2026, was intentionally modest in ambition and delivery. Reflecting the government’s stated preference for a single major fiscal event each year, the Spring Statement was used primarily to set out the economic context and respond to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s latest forecasts, rather than to announce wide ranging tax reform. Stability and predictability were clearly prioritised over new policy intervention.

In an increasingly mobile world, many individuals now hold assets across multiple jurisdictions while living somewhere entirely different from where they were born or began their careers. Despite growing awareness of international estate planning, it is still surprisingly common for expatriates and former UAE residents to assume that their English Will will automatically govern succession of everything they own worldwide. In practice, that assumption can lead to delay, uncertainty and unintended outcomes—particularly where assets are located in countries with very different succession frameworks.

It has been just over a decade since the offence of controlling or coercive behaviour came into force with the Serious Crime Act 2015. With this offence, the criminal law formally recognised that prolonged emotional, psychological and financial abuse can be just as damaging to a victim as physical abuse. The impact of such behaviour has also been recognised by the family courts, particularly in the context of children and applications for non-molestation and occupation orders.

For a number of years, research has shown that children and young people want information about what is happening to their family when their parents decide to separate. Many want the opportunity to be heard when decisions are being made about them.

Family dynamics are complex at the best of times. When one family member is unwell, stress and worry can quickly lead to friction and mistrust among siblings and parents alike.

Hi, I’m Olivia, a family lawyer and mediator at Kingsley Napley LLP working alongside four other brilliant mediators in our team. In this short blog, I set out what you can expect from your first meeting with a family mediator.

The UK government’s new “earned settlement” proposals reveal a stark divide in how people can secure their right to live permanently in the UK. For EU, EEA nationals and Swiss nationals and their families who were living in the UK before Brexit, the EU Settlement Scheme increasingly seems a beacon of fairness. For everyone else, the future looks far less certain—and much harder.

As 2026 begins, the UK is entering a period of the most substantial reform of employment rights in a generation. The Employment Rights Act 2025 (“ERA 2025”) became law in December 2025 following extensive Parliamentary debate and marks a decisive shift in the balance between employers and workers. Overall, ERA 2025 represents a material strengthening of workers’ rights in the UK, bringing employment protections closer to European standards in several key respects. 

For separated or divorced families, Christmas time is often an emotionally charged time of year, fraught with practical challenges as parents try to agree contact time and arrangements for Christmas events. Claire Wood shares some tips on how best to prepare for the issues which may arise at Christmas.

According to the PDSA’s 2024 report on pet populations, over 51% of UK adults currently own a pet.  To many their pets are not “just pets”, but beloved family members and a core part of their family unit.  If something unforeseen should happen in the future, most would want the best for their pets.  Often, however, when an unplanned major live event happens, such as a divorce or the death of a pet owner, thought has not been given to what should happen to the pets.

While the Autumn Budget brought tax rises and gloom for some, it delivered relief and comfort to the victims and families of the Infected Blood Scandal, as the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that she would “exempt all payments from the Infected Blood scheme from inheritance tax (‘IHT’) regardless of the circumstances in which those payments are passed down”. This decision finally resolves a longstanding technical ‘secondary transfer’ flaw that had created a secondary injustice for affected families. The changes ensure that compensation awarded for a public failure will no longer be diminished by unfair taxation.

The valuation of personal assets—such as artwork, antiques, and jewellery—is a critical consideration in a range of legal, financial, and estate planning contexts. Whether prompted by divorce, inheritance, insurance, or general curiosity, an accurate and defensible valuation is essential. The process, however, is nuanced and requires careful attention to both methodology and documentation to ensure that valuations withstand scrutiny by courts, auction houses, or tax authorities.

It is 16 May 2022. Sotherby’s, New York. A collection is being auctioned, achieving the highest total from a single sale in the auction house’s 277-year history. $922.2 million. The culmination of a bitter divorce between Harry Macklowe (property mogul) and Linda Macklowe (prominent art curator).

When a party sits down to prepare their financial disclosure on divorce, thoughts can turn to the valuable or sentimental items which may have been gifted between spouses or received from family members during the marriage. The idea of having to share or relinquish such items to a soon-to-be-ex-spouse can leave some people clutching their pearls (quite literally), but is this ever actually required in financial proceedings on divorce?

Making gifts on behalf of a protected party (“P”) can be seen as carrying out their wishes and feelings and/or helping a person closely connected or related to them. However, an attorney/deputy has specific powers which do not extend to making all types of gifts unless authorised by the Court of Protection. If an unauthorised gift is made, the attorney/deputy may face severe penalties including removal of their role, order to immediately return the funds/gift or referral to the police. It is important therefore that the correct procedure is followed before making a gift. The Office of the Public Guardian (“OPG”) recently issued updated guidance about making gifts, which we consider in this blog. The guidance applies to both attorneys and deputies. Reference to deputies in this blog also includes attorneys.

The festive season is a time for joy, connection, and celebration. Yet for employers, it also brings heightened risks. Work social events, whether Christmas parties, drinks after work, or team dinners, are legally considered an extension of the workplace. That means employers can be held liable for misconduct that occurs at these gatherings, even when no harm was intended.

Is your camel’s back broken yet?  Or will this year’s Autumn Budget be the proverbial last straw?

Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget in 2024 not only brought in an immediate increase to capital gains tax (CGT) rates, but also announced a swathe of changes to the taxation of international individuals which mostly took effect on the 6th April this year. 

Assets are typically placed in a trust for legitimate purposes, such as safeguarding wealth for future generations. However, arguments that a trust is in fact a “sham” created to hide the true ownership of assets often arise in the context of divorce litigation, bankruptcy/insolvency where a creditor seeks to argue that a trust is a pretence seeking to shield assets from creditors, or in estate disputes, where beneficiaries look to bring assets of the deceased back into an estate.

It is National Fertility Awareness Week and, this year, the campaign is “Every Voice, Every Journey”.