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Included in most people's wills is a clause that has the effect of revoking all their previous wills. Such straightforward provisions are usually uncontentious but, as a guideline Court of Appeal ruling showed, they can give rise to difficulties where a testator has assets both in England and abroad. A businessman had substantial assets in England and India when he died at the age of 72. He made a will in 2007 dealing with all of those assets. However, he made another will in 2016 which disposed only of his...

Homeless applicants for public housing have a right to expect more than unthinking and mechanistic responses from local authorities. In powerfully making that point, a judge described aspects of a council's handling of a young family's case as nothing short of dismal. The case concerned a refugee mother of three children, aged between 11 and three, who were well settled in a school located in a London borough. When facing eviction through no fault of her own, she applied to the council for accommodation under the Housing Act 1996. The...

It is every parent's worst nightmare to be accused of injuring their child. However, as a Family Court ruling showed, such allegations are subject to intense judicial scrutiny, which in some cases results in complete exoneration. An autistic toddler was taken to hospital with severe multiple bruises to her face and back, together with scratches and blood spots on her eyeballs. Concerns were raised that the injuries were non-accidental and, at a local authority's behest, emergency protection and interim care orders were made. She was removed from her mother's care...

When making your will, the general rule is that you are free to leave your assets to whomsoever you wish. However, as a High Court case concerning ownership of a thriving family business showed, such testamentary freedom may be restricted by agreements reached, or promises made, during your lifetime. During their marriage, a man and woman established a successful catering company in which they were equal shareholders. Following their divorce, they signed a deed by which they agreed that any shares in the company that they continued to hold when...