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Many wills involve a degree of planning for Inheritance Tax (IHT) as well as just the appropriate division of the estate, but for any plan to be effective, it is essential that when the will is drafted, the solicitor has full knowledge of all the assets involved, which can include financial products or plans set up years prior to the drafting of the will. The dangers of making a will on the basis of less than full knowledge were clearly illustrated in a recent case in which a will was...

Social workers can wield immense power over people's lives – but one case clearly shows how carefully their activities are regulated by the courts. A local authority was ordered to pay damages of £45,000 to a mother and two young children after an inordinate delay in launching care proceedings violated their human rights. The children were born in Britain but had spent much of their early lives being cared for abroad by their aunt. Their mother remained in England and social workers became involved after they were delivered back to...

The dangers of 'letting fly' on the Internet are legion and not sufficiently appreciated by some. Freedom of expression is not an absolute right, as one Internet blogger discovered to his cost. The High Court ordered him to pay £10,000 in libel damages to a film maker whom he falsely vilified as a fascist with right-wing and racist views. The blogger had maliciously targeted the film maker in a prolonged online campaign which blackened his reputation and which was said to have resulted in the loss of lucrative business opportunities....

The dangers of 'letting fly' on the Internet are legion and not sufficiently appreciated by some. Freedom of expression is not an absolute right, as one Internet blogger discovered to his cost. The High Court ordered him to pay £10,000 in libel damages to a film maker whom he falsely vilified as a fascist with right-wing and racist views. The blogger had maliciously targeted the film maker in a prolonged online campaign which blackened his reputation and which was said to have resulted in the loss of lucrative business opportunities....