In a bid to fight the credit crunch, many employers will be considering cutting staffing levels to save on costs. However, expecting the remaining workforce to work longer hours can have serious consequences. A social worker has been...

On 1 October 2007, Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) replaced Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs). Since that date, it has no longer been possible to create a new EPA, although those already in existence remain valid. According to the Office of...

When a person is fatally injured, it may be possible to make a claim for compensation under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 (FAA). When the accident is the fault of another person, it is also normally possible to claim damages from them. In these cases the...

Divorce can be a messy business at the best of times but following a recent ruling looks set to become yet even more complex. A couple from Gloucestershire divorced after 11 years of marriage. They had no children. The ex-wife...

A rambler who was injured while crossing a bridge on a public footpath has won compensation from the local council. Birgit Green, 63, was crossing the bridge in a nature reserve in East Sussex when part of the wooden planking collapsed....

Many legal actions involving wills are based on the claim that the person making the will (the ‘testator’ or ‘testatrix’ in legal terminology) was not competent to execute it or on the allegation that that they were under...

To most people, ‘dwelling’ is just a fancy term for ‘home’ or possibly ‘house’. However, the difference in the meaning of words is a common source of legal dispute, as was illustrated in a recent case that also has...

The widow of a highly-regarded documentary film maker has won a High Court battle against three doctors who failed to diagnose and treat her husband's hypertension. Nick Rossiter, who was 43 when he died, had been a patient at the...

If you are buying or selling property, having an 'understanding' of what covenants are meant to mean is no substitute for making sure the covenant is correctly worded  - as a recent case illustrates. The case concerned a property was...

A member of a cycling club has won £11,000 in compensation after a badly designed cycle path caused him to fall off his bicycle. Stuart Bullen, 57, was travelling along the path when it suddenly ended, with no warning, in a raised...

A police mechanic who was exposed to high levels of noise from testing police sirens has been awarded compensation for occupational deafness. The mechanic’s job was to repair police vehicles and as part of this work he was...

In divorce proceedings, it is usual to make a full disclosure of assets and future financial prospects when agreeing the financial settlement. Failing to do so can cause a legal battle, as a recent case illustrates. It involved a couple...

The family of a Polish man, who died of botulinum poisoning that doctors failed to diagnose, has been awarded more than £200,000 in compensation. The man came to the UK in 2002 to help support his wife and daughter back in Poland....

The Inheritance Tax (IHT) implications of owning a second property should never be forgotten, especially when that property is abroad, when the IHT regime of the other country will also be a consideration. The harshness of the IHT...

A care assistant who injured her back while helping an elderly woman from her bed has been awarded £8,000 in compensation. Mrs Margaret Yates, now 58, worked in a residential care home and was helping to dress the woman when the...

Robert Gaines-Cooper, a Seychelles-based businessman, has lost his appeal against a decision of the Commissioners of Tax that his  connection to the Uk and numerous visits here were frequent enough for him to be resident here, based on the...

HMRC have issued new guidance on nil-rate transfers (transfers of the unused Inheritance Tax (IHT) nil-band to the surviving spouse or civil partner) - which will come as a relief to those caught up in the complexities of the process, which is by...

A tree surgeon who was badly injured in a chainsaw accident has been awarded an undisclosed amount of compensation. The man was using a large, powerful chainsaw to cut a sizeable tree into sections. Although he had received some...

Motorists who kill while avoidably distracted at the wheel will face prison under new road safety laws which came into force on 18 August 2008. Section 20 of the Road Safety Act 2006 (RSA) creates a new offence of causing death by...

The family of a man who died of a deadly lung cancer has been awarded £205,000 in compensation. The man had been exposed to asbestos as a teenager while laying telephone cables when he worked for a company that was later bought by...

Thousands of organisations, such as residents’ associations, car-sharing groups and many others, are set up as informal unincorporated associations and many people might consider it an honour to be invited to join, or accept a place on the committee of...

From 1 October, all estate agents dealing with residential property in the UK have been required to belong to a recognised redress scheme . Estate agents in England and Wales who offer Home Information Packs (HIPs) are already required...

A nursery nurse who was injured when she tripped over in the car park at her workplace has been awarded £3,750 in damages. Fiona Denial was walking to her car after work when she fell over a pothole and injured her ankle. She...

The law takes different positions on the responsibility of owners for damage caused by their animals, depending on the type of animal and the circumstances under which the damage occurred. A recent case illustrating this dealt with a road traffic accident...

Eight former pupils of a Welsh school, who were victims of sexual abuse by a teacher, have been awarded out of court settlements. The former pupils were assaulted by drama teacher, John Owen, who had worked at the school for 17 years....