Conveyancers often talk about “completion” to their clients as if they should have an idea of what it actually means! Although it is fairly easy to guess what this term may refer to, understanding the legal significance of this term, and its practical implications, is useful when buying or selling a property. Completion is sometimes…
Sections 24 to 28 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (“LTA 1954”) provide that, at the end of the term of a business tenancy, a commercial tenant has the right to remain in the premises and an automatic right to a new lease. There are very limited grounds on which a landlord may refuse…
As a Private Client Solicitor, I am often asked by clients, usually within a Will meeting, “what is Probate?” Probate is defined as a judicial process whereby a Will is proved through the Courts; this, as one might expect, is not an overly helpful or clear explanation to give to clients! Generally speaking, Probate is…
The fundamental thing to understand is that, whilst they may be run in a way very similar to “old-style” partnerships (which have no legal identity separate from that of the various people making up the partnership – the partners), legally speaking limited liability partnerships (“LLPs”) are more similar to limited companies. LLPs exist as a…
How can the reality of a tradesman providing mobile repair services to the public from a van be reconciled with the right to cancel provided for in the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (“the Regulations”) (the so called “cooling off period”)? Whilst I am not aware of case-law definitively deciding the…
An often-overlooked aspect of a County Court claim is that obtaining a judgment against a debtor does not automatically guarantee payment. Quite often Creditors will find that they are in possession of a Judgment, but the Debtor simply does not pay. In these circumstances, the Creditor must consider further enforcement action, which can often be…
Legislation is due to come into force on 1 June 2019 introducing new protections for most residential tenants in the private rented sector in England under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 (“TFA”). The new legislation will apply to all new tenancies with a grace period for compliance of 1 year for existing tenancies. The purpose…
On 9th April, the Government announced plans to reform current divorce law with the aim of reducing family conflict. Currently when applying for a divorce, only one party can make the application (the Petitioner). In the application, the Petitioner will need to state that the marriage has broken down irretrievably and rely on one of…
The estate and family of the author J.R.R. Tolkien are opposed to the film entitled “Tolkien”, due for release in May 2019, about the author’s early life. They issued a brusque statement on 16 April 2019 declaring their opposition to Dome Karukoski’s film, which stars Nicholas Hoult in the title role and Lily Collins playing…
Nowadays many people have second marriages where their new partner already has children, some of whom are adults. If you have a step-child and you have not formally adopted the child, then they will not automatically inherit your estate when you pass away. This is particularly important where the step-child is of adult age and…
