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Unfortunately, will disputes can sometimes be drawn out long after the passing of the person who bequeathed their assets. This was so in a contentious probate battle which progressed to the Court of Appeal after a High Court judgment was challenged. The crux of the matter was a 2015 will made by a woman prior to her death at the age of 85. In that will, the woman bequeathed her home – her largest asset – to her only daughter. The daughter and the woman's three sons were to share...

The division of matrimonial assets is often the cause of protracted legal proceedings, where parties differ on what is due to whom. In a recent Family Court case, the question of whether or not a £2 million diamond formed part of such assets was the cause of conflict. After a couple separated, a consent order was entered into which provided that equity in the matrimonial home – the sole matrimonial asset – was to be transferred to the husband. The wife's assets, which she retained, came from inheritance. The husband later...

Failing to comply with court orders to bring children back to the UK, in instances where one parent has taken them abroad without the permission of the other, can come at a heavy cost. This point was underlined in a recent contempt hearing at the High Court. In this case, a father had failed to comply with a series of orders requiring him to bring his son back to the UK from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After being granted a Child Arrangements Order under which the son was required to...

The concept of unlawful eviction may bring to mind a picture of a malign landlord changing the locks and throwing a vulnerable tenant onto the street. However, a case in which a serving prisoner's protected tenancy was wrongfully terminated during his absence behind bars showed that it more commonly arises from a landlord's muddled understanding of the law. The man had for some years held an assured tenancy of a housing association flat. After he was convicted of serious drug offences, he received a 22-year jail term. His wife remained...