Just because someone is old, frail and vulnerable does not mean that they are incapable of understanding the contents of their will. However, as a High Court ruling in the context of a bitter inheritance dispute showed, the benefits of professional advice become all the greater as the inevitable effects of old age begin to bite. Continue reading →

Can a dismissal ever be fair if formal disciplinary procedures are dispensed with? A tribunal addressed that issue in the case of a senior railway company employee who was sacked on the spot following a breakdown in relations with her line manager (Gallacher v Abellio Scotrail Ltd). Continue reading →

Personal details are like gold dust to direct marketing organisations, but those who fail to take steps to ensure the lawfulness and integrity of their data supply chains risk being hit hard in the pocket. Exactly that happened to a company whose cold-calling campaigns generated scores of angry public complaints.… Continue reading →

Investing in property is very far from being risk free but usually has the advantage that monies advanced are secured against real ‘bricks and mortar’ assets. The crucial importance of ensuring that enforceable security is in place before parting with your money was underlined by a High Court ruling. Continue reading →

Secret commissions – otherwise known as bribes – leave the taint of illegality on any transaction of which they form part and can have consequences far into the future. The High Court powerfully made that point in castigating mortgage brokers who violated the duty of loyalty they owed to a farmer client. Continue reading →

Repairing an asset is one thing, replacing it another, and distinguishing between the two is of critical importance when it comes to calculating Corporation Tax (CT) liabilities.

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