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For every headline-grabbing 'big money' divorce case there are hundreds of others where a former couple's assets are simply insufficient to meet their reasonable needs. As a High Court ruling showed, judges take a gender-neutral approach to such cases, striving to achieve the fairest possible outcome. The case concerned a couple whose marriage, at least on paper, lasted for about 18 years. For all but six of those years, however, they were married in name only. The marriage had, in effect, been over for well over a decade by the...

To state that location is the only important factor when it comes to valuing a home is a cliché and something of a generalisation. However, as an Upper Tribunal (UT) ruling showed, if public infrastructure works render the location of your property less desirable you may well be entitled to compensation. The case concerned a detached property the back garden of which formerly looked out over an area of open land that had at one time been used as allotments. That was before a 40-metre spur road was constructed to...

Couples who run businesses together are often tempted to dispense with paperwork and rely solely on trust. As a High Court ruling showed, however, any relationship may come to an end, leaving both sides wishing they had taken a more formal approach at the outset. The case concerned a couple whose relationship lasted for about 18 years before ending unhappily. Whilst they were together, they established a company through which a buy-to-let property was purchased. She provided finance and administrative services whilst he was responsible for refurbishing the property. They each...

If you have not been reasonably provided for in a loved one's will, the law may come to your aid. However, as a High Court ruling made plain, your ability to seek legal redress cannot itself be inherited and will expire on your death. Following the deaths of his adoptive parents, a son launched proceedings under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 asserting that they had not made reasonable provision for him in their wills. The son sadly died before his case could come to court and...