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Construction works on neighbouring properties can make your life a misery but, with the right legal advice, you may be able to do something about them. In a case on point, the High Court came to the aid of a woman whose rental property was deprived of light after builders embarked on a project next door. The woman did not challenge planning permission that her neighbours had obtained for the construction of a new home on their land. However, as work began, gantries, scaffolding and covered conveyor belts were erected...

When an estate is to be administered, an application for probate must first be made if the deceased left a will. Once probate is granted, the process can begin. However, the mere granting of probate does not mean that all is said and done on the matter, as a will can be contested. Normally, wills are contested on the grounds that the person making the will was mentally incapable or under the 'undue influence' of someone else, or that the will is invalid for some other reason (such as being...

In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled that a bakery in Northern Ireland's refusal to make a cake bearing a slogan in support of same-sex marriage was not discriminatory. The legal battle began four years ago after Ashers bakery, a family-run business based in County Antrim, refused to make a cake decorated with the Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie, with the message 'Support Gay Marriage', that had been ordered by gay rights activist Gareth Lee. The branch in Belfast where Mr Lee had placed his order originally accepted...

The perceived generosity of English judges in big money divorce cases has made the UK the venue of choice for some – but anathema for others. However, as one case showed, judicial priorities have more to do with fairness than finance. The case concerned a Swiss-born billionaire businessman, much of whose wealth derived from his father. Prior to his marriage to his British wife, the couple signed a pre-marital agreement that sought to protect his family property from any future financial claims she might make if the marriage ended in...