Wilkinson and Others v Hicken [2023] EWHC 1983 (Ch) Background The deceased, who was a property tycoon, died in 2018 with a Will (2018 Will) dated 15 February 2018. He had three children, a stepson, and three grandchildren when he died. In 1979, the deceased was charged with and pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder his wife Mary. He was then made the subject of a Hospital Order for his mental disorder. Upon his release from the hospital, he rebuilt his career and gathered a fortune of around £6 million. He tried to reconcile with his family but was not successful. Under the 2018 Will, the de ..read more

Gohil v Gohil [2024] EWHC 213 (Ch) Background The deceased died on 23 January 2018 with a Will dated 30 March 2009. The Will: Appointed the Claimant, who is the deceased’s and the Defendant’s former daughter-in-law, to be one of the executors; Bequeathed part of the deceased’s residuary estate to the Claimant; and Excluded the estranged Defendant and the deceased’s son from inheriting the deceased’s estate. The Defendant entered a caveat to prevent the Claimant from obtaining a Grant of Probate and disputed the validity of the Will on the grounds of undue influence, fraudulent calumny, fal ..read more

There are several key stages to a conveyancing transaction, and you will be asked by your conveyancer to complete certain documents throughout the course of a conveyancing transaction that relates to those different stages. In this guide, we cover some of the documents you may be asked to sign and demystify their purpose and significance. Types of conveyancing documents: 1. Instruction forms: At the early stages of a transaction, your matter will be dealt with by our Administration Team who will prepare a fee estimate and issue you our Instruction forms with our terms of business. You will nee ..read more

All Family Mediation Council (FMC) registered mediators are trained to help parents make the transition from being a couple to being separated parents in the best way for their children and put their children at the centre of decision making. Mediators also provide information about what support children might need when parents separate and signpost parents to support they may need. What is meant by ‘child inclusive mediation’? Child inclusive mediation does not mean ascertaining the children’s views in a legal sense but it means that children can tell the professionals helping their parents w ..read more

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published new fining guidance. The guidance clarifies a number of points including the methodology used by the ICO to calculate fines. Section 155 of the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) and Article 83 of the UK GDPR gives the ICO power to impose fines for infringements of the UK GDPR and DPA 2018. The ICO can also impose fines if an organisation has failed to comply with an information notice, assessment notice, or enforcement notice. The new guidance published by the ICO confirms that when they decide to issue a penalty notice, the fine amou ..read more

Family law is a complex and sensitive area of legal practice, involving issues such as divorce, child arrangements, domestic violence and financial settlements. It can be emotionally and financially draining for both lawyers and clients who often deal with lengthy and complicated Court proceedings. However, artificial intelligence (AI) can offer some solutions to make family law more efficient, accessible, and fair. What is AI and how can it help family law? AI is frequently in the news and is predicted to impact nearly all industries and professions across the world. AI is the technology that ..read more

Professional Trustees and Deputies predominantly act as part of a firm, most often a firm of Solicitors, who will also offer other services. For example, a firm of Solicitors will not only have a Trusts Team but will also have teams specialising in Disputes, Personal Injury, Property, etc. Having other specialisms within the same firm greatly assists Trustees with their role as they are able to efficiently obtain advice on areas outside of their specialism, in turn offering clients a greater level of service. However, when formal advice is required, are Trustees able to instruct a colleague in ..read more

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), Data Subjects have the right to obtain copies of their personal data. This is known as the right of access. A data subject can request their personal data by making a data subject access request (DSAR). The data subject does not need to use a specific form, refer to legislation, or direct the request to a specific contact. For a DSAR to be valid, a data subject simply needs to ask for their personal data. You should respond to a DSAR within 1 calendar month of receipt of the request. If the request is complex or several requests have b ..read more

It is a principal consideration of the Court when considering a strike out application as to whether defective pleadings can be cured. The Court considered this issue further in the context of defamation proceedings brought by Andrew Bridgen MP against Matthew Hancock MP. Andrew Bridgen MP is the MP for North-West Leicestershire. On 11 January 2023, Mr Bridgen published a Tweet with a link to Dr Guetzkow’s article about data in relation to deaths and other adverse reactions to COVID vaccines stating: “As one consultant cardiologist said to me this is the biggest crime against humanity since t ..read more

The High Court has recently dismissed a lawsuit brought forward by a businessman against two prominent law firms. The businessman had also lodged complaints against these firms and their representatives to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Case summary The claim, which alleged negligence and breach of duty and was valued at £110m, was deemed an abuse of process by the High Court. Deputy Master Linwood noted that the plaintiff, Banner Universal Motion Pictures (BUMP), had levelled “baseless allegations” against the law firms Fox Williams and Wiggin. These accusations were also reported ..read more