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If you die without making a will, there is a real risk that your loved ones may be left high and dry. In one case, a man who said that he was grieving over his partner's death found himself bereft of legal rights and locked out of the flat they once shared. The deceased was the leaseholder of the flat and, when he died, the man's licence to occupy the premises came to an end automatically. Because the deceased died without making a will, his elderly father, as his next...

HMRC are scrapping cheques for the payment and repayment of Inheritance Tax (IHT) and temporarily accepting printed signatures on IHT returns, as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The introduction of new ways of processing IHT and returns is to reduce delays to its service at this time. The normal process for signing the IHT account requires all legal personal representatives or trustees physically to sign the form IHT400 and IHT100, but in response to self-isolation and social distancing measures now in place to tackle the spread of COVID-19, HMRC are...

The Channel Islands may be separated from the UK mainland by miles of water, but they are not overseas countries. In an unusual case, that simple fact was enough to defeat a woman's claim for a pension-sharing order following her divorce in Jersey. After a long marriage, the woman's husband left the matrimonial home in England and moved with his new partner to Jersey, where he swiftly launched divorce proceedings. The woman believed that he had done so because Jersey does not have provision within its family law for the...

UPDATE: 8 June 2020  Today MPs will debate a new law that will remove the need for one person to blame another in divorce. The bill has already been passed by the Lords.  It is not clear when its provisions will come into effect, if the bill is passed. New rules, forms, and procedures will be required, which will likely take several months to implement.   If you are holding out for a ‘No-Fault’ Divorce, then you may still be waiting a long time, however in some situations waiting could be the best...