Dealing with Digital Assets upon Death
As more and more aspects of everyday life are moving online, the number of assets existing solely in digital format continues to rise. Consequently, the estates of a significant proportion…
As more and more aspects of everyday life are moving online, the number of assets existing solely in digital format continues to rise. Consequently, the estates of a significant proportion…
We all remember the magical excitement of Christmas from our childhood, and as adults, we strive to recreate this for our children. However, the reality can sometimes be very different,…
Sometimes as a mediator I feel I possess the Midas touch, pulling family disputes from the brink of failure, whilst at other times I seem to be overwhelmed by the…
One of the joys of my job is child consultation. We see many children throughout the year at the request of their parents and the experience for both children and…
One of our ground rules for mediation sessions reads: ‘You will not dwell on the past, but instead will focus on future arrangements’. It is useful for client’s to understand…
You may know already that if a person fails to make reasonable provision for a dependant in their Will a claim may be brought under the Inheritance (Provision for Family…
In a decision of great significance to residential landlords, the Court of Appeal has given guidance about the scope of local authority powers in relation to the licence conditions that…
When parties make an oral agreement but fail to record it in writing it can be very difficult, or even impossible, for the court to ascertain whether a meeting of…
Angel investing comes with risk but it can lucrative; the key is to do your due diligence. Laceys have established themselves as trusted advisors to local investors and to businesses…
Does time for bringing a contribution claim begin to run when the extent of the remedial works was agreed in principle or when the settlement agreement was formally executed? This…
At Laceys Mediation we acknowledge that many separated couples are facing many challenges in attempting to re-establish their lives as single individuals. Most people in this situation wish to avoid…
It is a sad truth that nothing in this world lasts forever (no matter how well some celebrities seem to age), and contractual relationships are no different. You may be…
Due to the huge interest from our previous 2 seminars, we are holding a further seminar on the up and coming GDPR changes on February 15th at the Hilton Hotel in Bournemouth, from 8 –…
“Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing but nobody else does.” Steuart Henderson Britt This may well be…
As of 22 November 2017, first-time buyers completing the purchase of their first home for the value of £300,000 or less will pay no Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). Where…
Kenneth Jordan died in August 2012. He had updated his Will in February 2012 and made his partner, Bernice Elliot, the sole beneficiary of his £2m estate. His daughter from…
Following a 10 year lengthy legal battle, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a six figure sum awarded to a woman who was left out of her estranged mother’s will after…
The Consumer Code for Home Builders is an industry-led scheme which gives protection and rights to the purchasers of new homes, ensuring that new home buyers are treated fairly and…
A new pre-action protocol for debt claims, “the Protocol”, will be in force from 1 October 2017. It will apply to any business (in limited form, partnerships, sole traders and…
The purpose of without prejudice privilege is to encourage parties to communicate openly without fear that things said in mediation will be used against them in court, however there are…
There has been a case in court (Wells v Devani (2016) EWCA Civ 1106) that highlights the importance of ensuring you have a written contract in place with the seller…
Despite the preparation of a Will being straightforward and relatively inexpensive, nearly two-thirds of the British adult population do not have a Will. Are you one of them? Here are…
Recent statistics show that there was a significant drop of 9% in the number of divorces in 2015 compared with the previous year, and a 34% decline from the last…
How times have changed! Step back into 1958 to find out how life in law used to be, and if things have changed for the better…… Lionel Fynn. 50 years…
Landlords are being warned to consider the energy efficiency rating of their rented property, as new legislation means that properties that have a low energy efficiency rating may be restricted…
On 7 April 2017 the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in Lejonvarn v Burgess and anor [2017] EWCA Civ 254. This case involved an architect whose good friends and…
I had the privilege to be invited to speak at the CMI Music Conference held at Absolute Music, Bournemouth, alongside many other influential people from the music industry including the…
Laceys, alongside Intalent, recruitment & HR specialists, are holding a breakfast seminar on Thursday 30th March at The Hallmark Hotel in Bournemouth from 8.30am, talking on how you can maximise the…
Most leases require a sum to be paid on account of service charges for costs that will be incurred in the future. These are commonly called ‘interim demands’. Unless the…
Gemma Burden, one of our partners who is charge of the Mediation Department, talking with Jonathan Hines from UK Talk Radio on Mediation. Topics she covers include; The aim of mediation in…
Watch Luke English discussing the legal aspects within music and entertainment.
Although this is an issue that has been picked up and pretty widely covered in the press it still seems to be one that catches some business owners out. You…
In considering a £2 million claim in respect of allegedly dangerous defects in the cladding of a property in Finsbury Square, London, the High Court has given important guidance on…
A revised adjudication scheme for professional negligence claims has been launched, updating the scheme that was launched in May 2015. The changes have been made with the aim of encouraging…
A challenge to the deathbed will of a father by the daughters he cut out of his £4m estate just hours before his death in hospital failed in Fitzgerald and…
Beneficiaries who challenge the validity of a will, and lose, run the risk of being ordered by the court to pay the executors’ costs. This is what happened in Breslin…
Promises that are freely made and relied upon can have the force of a contract and are capable of being enforced in court. That is what happened in Moore v…
The issue in the case of Jet2.com Limited v Blackpool Airport Limited [2012] EWCA Civ 417 was whether an airport operator’s obligation to use best endeavours to promote an airline’s…
In C&S Associates UK Ltd v Enterprise Insurance Company plc [2015] EWHC 3757 the court gave guidance on the variation of contracts by email correspondence. The claimant (“C”) handled motor…
Orders of the court which freeze the assets of an opponent – commonly regarded as one of the law’s “nuclear weapons” – are an invaluable tool in litigation but their…
The Supreme Court has handed down two important judgments in relation to penalty clauses which go some way to clarifying the law in this area and which will impact on…
It is a common misconception that contracts must be in writing, and a less common misconception that written contracts become effective only when signatures are applied. In Reveille Independent LLC…
Businesses are often under commercial pressure to grant credit to important clients but the judgment in Trafigura PTE Ltd v Taci Oil International Trading and Supply Company SH.A [2015] EWHC…
The case of Burgess and anor v Lejonvarn [2016] EWHC 40 (TCC) serves as a cautionary tale that even where a professional consultant renders services gratuitously, a tortious duty of…
Adjudication is meant to be a swift and economical way to resolve contractual disputes in the construction industry, however this isn’t always the case. Take AMD Environmental Ltd v Cumberland…
The title of this article comes from Fraser J’s judgment in Beumer Group UK Ltd v Vinci Construction UK Ltd [2016] EWHC 2283 (TCC). He was referring to adjudication being…
Like it or not, Brexit is now firmly on our horizons. Even if you forget the scaremongering headlines from the tabloids (The economy will crash! The world will no longer…
According to various consumer reports, the UK is fraught with underhand tradesmen, with the majority of the population having been the target of an “unfair commercial practice”. Research further suggests…
Allow me to describe a scenario that commercial lawyers see all too often. A business has invested considerable time and money in preparing their standard terms of business. After numerous…
Wisdom often comes from experience but (dare I say it?) our elders were not always correct. Man may have been conducting business for centuries, and we have certainly learnt a…