Blog
From garage to unicorn – Employment law lessons for scaling tech teams
Catherine Bourne
23 January 2014
Supreme Court upholds the Wills in a landmark case where a married couple accidentally signed each other’s Wills
The sad case of Marley v Rawlings, where a couple accidentally signed each other’s Wills really caught the public’s imagination.
It was a simple error with catastrophic results – the Wills were invalid and so the man they had loved dearly and treated as their son received nothing, whereas their biological children, to whom they were not close, got everything.
21 January 2014
STEP’s new Code for Will writing protects clients from cowboys
In July last year, we blogged about the Law Society’s new code of practice for Will writing –the Wills and Inheritance Quality Assurance Scheme (WIQS).
We were concerned that WIQS might not be the best solution for clients because it is extremely long and prescriptive and doesn’t necessarily require lawyers drafting Wills to have particular expertise or qualifications in this area.
16 January 2014
New technology means making a Lasting Power of Attorney is easier and more affordable
Everyone, regardless of their age, should consider making a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). This is a document which appoints people to make decisions for you if you were to lose mental capacity – for example if you were to suffer brain damage in an accident or develop Alzheimer’s.
13 November 2013
Respecting our elders - Are parents being left out in Inheritance Act claims?
Although the law relating to intestacy and inheritance has been developed to complement societal changes, there still lies areas of potential unfairness, particularly in the case of parents who outlive their children. In this piece, Sarah Playforth discusses the issues.
12 November 2013
Double whammy – when medical negligence compensation awards are squandered
Sadly, the Court of Protection has again recently been in the headlines for the wrong reasons. The much publicised case of Samantha Svendsen highlights the risk of leaving the management of a substantial award of compensation in the hands of an inexperienced family lay Deputy. The recent conviction of her mother Cathy Watson and her ex-husband Robert Hills almost brings to an end a sorry series of events. Sentencing is awaited but lengthy custodial sentences are expected.
