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House buyers often regard any inspection of a property beyond that undertaken by the surveyor acting for their mortgage provider as unnecessary. A recent case shows why this is a risky approach to take. Under British law, the purchaser of a property takes it 'as it is' once they have contracted to buy it. Therefore, as well as satisfying oneself of the condition of the property, it is also sensible to ensure that you are aware of the exact boundaries of the land and whether any rights have been granted...

Arguments over the division of estates are unfortunately common where the value of the assets they contain is substantial, especially if family relationships are fractious. In such circumstances, the distribution of an estate can be delayed by legal wrangling and relationships can sour further. However, a professionally drafted will is the best way there is to ensure that your assets pass to whomsoever you wish to receive them and that challenges by aggrieved people who think they have been unfairly left out of the reckoning are unsuccessful. In addition, it...

Press releases circulated by public authorities enjoy a high level of credence and are widely published across the media. However, their accuracy is not guaranteed and, in one case, a man who was wrongly accused of causing the death of rare breed cattle in his care secured £9,000 in libel damages from a local authority. After the council mounted a successful prosecution, the man was convicted of five counts of neglecting the welfare of his cattle. Amongst other things, he failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that they received...

An essential role of government is to ensure that companies do not operate against the public interest and tight regulatory regimes exist to prevent this, particularly where investments are concerned as the opportunity for fraud is very clear. The fact that such regulation has teeth is borne out by a recent case in which the High Court compulsorily wound up two companies that had mis-sold objectionable investments to the public. The companies were alleged to have used misleading marketing material to sell investments in carbon credits, rare earth metals, coloured...