This is a brief guide on the law on surrogacy. It does not cover all aspects of surrogacy law and does not cover the situation if the child is born outside of the UK. Surrogacy is legal within the UK, but parties cannot generally rely on a surrogacy agreement as this is not binding on…
As part of any divorce, and when advising clients, we will always look at whether the particular circumstances of that case would enable them to agree a clean break. A “clean break” is in effect where, as part of their settlement, there are no ongoing financial obligations between the parties, which will therefore be linked…
We are continuing to see long delays at the Probate Registry. When we submit an application for probate, the usual turnaround time has usually been around 2 weeks. The recent delays, however, have seen applications taking up to 12 or 13 weeks. We have been told that the delays have come about due to an unusually…
We all know about and are familiar with the importance of advice from accountants in the context of business sales. They can advise to ensure that the transaction is put together in a tax efficient way – that maximum use is made of the various reliefs available (including, in particular, entrepreneur’s relief). This will have…
In a famous operatic piece from the Barber of Seville, written in 1813, Gioacchino Rossini warns of the power of defamatory rumour (“la calunnia”) to grow from a gentle breeze (“venticello”) into an earthquake, leaving the unfortunate subject of the rumour (“il meschino calunniato”) trampled and degraded. Little, it would seem, has been learned since…
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…
Charlotte, who has been a Trainee Solicitor in the Firm since September 2018, ran the London Marathon on Sunday 28th April 2019 in aid of raising money for a charity close to her heart – CLIC Sargent. In the months and weeks leading up to the event, Charlotte persuaded a lot of members of the…
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…
