Latest News

Council Orders Couple to Remove Garden Fence

A couple who installed a fence around their house in place of a hedge have been ordered by the local council to remove it because it is too tall. The couple had bought the house in April 2024 and moved in four months later. While the house was being...

Oat-Based Milk Trade Mark Invalid, Supreme Court Rules

The Supreme Court has ruled that a trade mark registered by a company that manufactured oat-based food and drink products was invalid in relation to such products. In April 2021, the company had registered the trade mark 'POST MILK GENERATION' for use in...

High Court Grants Father's Application for Girls' Return to Zimbabwe

The High Court has ruled that two girls, aged 10 and six, whose mother brought them to the UK without their father's consent should return to Zimbabwe . The girls and their parents were Zimbabwean nationals. The parents had married in 2014 but never lived...

Personalised Ghostwritten Books Zero-Rated for VAT Purposes

The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has ruled that a company which used ghostwriters to turn people's life stories into books was making zero-rated supplies of books, not standard-rated supplies of ghostwriting services. Customers would contact the company via...

Beneficiaries Must Pay Costs of Administration Bill Assessment

Under Section 71(3) of the Solicitors Act 1974 , where a trustee, executor or administrator is liable to pay a solicitor's bill, any person with an interest in the property out of which it may be paid can apply to the court for an assessment of it. A High...

ET Did Not Err in Not Identifying Disability Discrimination Claim

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that, when rejecting an employee's complaint of unfair dismissal, the Employment Tribunal (ET) did not err in law in not identifying an additional complaint of disability discrimination under Section 15 of the ...

Certificate of Lawful Development Granted for Annexe

A woman has succeeded in obtaining the right to continue living in an annexe next to her son's house. The annexe was situated on a farm the woman owned and had originally been a stable block. When planning permission to convert it into an annexe was granted...

Film Company's Unjust Enrichment Claim Struck Out

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a film company's claim for unjust enrichment against two companies involved in making Rogue One: A Star Wars Story should be struck out, overturning earlier rulings that the claim should proceed to trial. The actor Peter...

Farmer Entitled to Buy Out Brother's Share in Partnership

A recent case in which the Court of Appeal confirmed that a farmer was entitled to buy out his brother's interest in a family farming partnership illustrates the wisdom of having a partnership agreement in place which specifically details the rights and...

Family Court Departs from Equality in Big-Money Divorce Case

The Family Court has ruled in financial remedy proceedings that a departure from an equal division of assets was appropriate in view of the fact that riskier and less liquid business assets would be retained by the husband. The husband and wife had met in...

Employment Rights Act 2025 - Timetable for Implementation

The government has updated the timetable for implementing key changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025 . A number of measures relating to trade unions and industrial action, including protections against dismissal for taking industrial action, came into...

Mixed-use Premises is a Dwelling, Court of Appeal Rules

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a mixed-use premises was a 'dwelling' , as defined in Section 38 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 , and the tenants therefore benefited from the controls over the levying of service charges in the Act. The tenants...

Bank Transfers to UK Accounts Were Remittances, UT Rules

In a case concerning a taxpayer who was not domiciled in the UK, the Upper Tribunal (UT) has upheld a decision that transfers from his overseas bank accounts to UK bank accounts of non-relevant persons amounted to taxable remittances under Section 809L of...

Delusions Rendered Man's Will Invalid, High Court Rules

The High Court has ruled that a will made by a man who was suffering from delusions caused by late-onset schizophrenia was invalid for want of testamentary capacity. In late 2013, the man had become concerned that someone was trying to break into his home...

ICO Guidance on Data Protection and Information Rights

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) provides guidance for the public on data protection and information rights on its website. Guidance is available on the following topics: making a Subject Access Request to find out if an organisation is...

VAT on Share Sale Fees Not Deductible, Supreme Court Rules

The Supreme Court has ruled that a hotel company could not deduct input VAT on professional fees relating to the sale of a subsidiary company. The company received management fees from a wholly owned subsidiary which operated a luxury hotel in Birmingham....

EAT Allows Unfair Dismissal and Disability Discrimination Appeal

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has allowed a woman's appeal against a decision of the Employment Tribunal (ET) that she was not entitled to compensation for unfair dismissal because, had the employer followed a fair procedure, she would have been...

Ruling that Driveway Included in Conveyance Overturned

When disagreements arise between neighbours about the ownership of land, it is invariably best to try to reach an amicable solution rather than engage in litigation. In an unusual case concerning the ownership of a driveway , the Upper Tribunal (UT)...

ICO Reprimands Post Office Over Data Breach

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a reprimand to the Post Office following a data breach in which it published the personal data of postmasters involved in group litigation relating to the Horizon IT scandal. In April 2024, it was...

Court Gives Indication of Outcome in Financial Remedy Proceedings

In a recent ruling on a wife's application for a financial remedy order , the Family Court accepted that her caring responsibilities for the couple's son justified a departure from the sharing principle. The Court handed down its judgment as an indication...
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