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Family relationships can be red in tooth and claw and appointing relatives, rather than a professional, as executors of your will can prove a costly mistake. That was certainly so in one case, where bitter litigation between siblings resulted in legal costs bills totalling more than £200,000. The case concerned a man who passed away in his early 90s having had dementia for some years. The effect of his very simple will was that his net estate, which was worth about £450,000, was to pass in equal shares to his...

Any inaccuracy when filling in your tax return can have severe consequences, so it really does make sense to seek professional assistance. The point was powerfully made by the case of a financier who narrowly escaped a stiff financial penalty after failing to declare all of his income and benefits. After being made redundant by an investment bank, the man failed to include in his self-assessment tax return a severance payment of £176,738 he had received. He also made no reference to the bank having written off a loan to...

When children suffer unexplained injuries, few would quarrel with social workers and medical professionals taking a precautionary approach. However, as a family judge's ruling showed, the cloud of suspicion that often hangs over parents in such cases is not always justified. The case concerned a baby boy who was observed to have suffered bruising at his two-month check-up. He was referred to hospital where, according to a radiologist, a CT scan indicated a non-displaced skull fracture. After the local authority took protective measures, the boy's parents very responsibly consented to...

UK Border Force officers wield a battery of powers designed to combat smuggling – but they must not be exercised unreasonably. The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) made that point in coming to the aid of a woman whose family car was loaded with over 300 litres of wine when its driver was stopped as he prepared to cross the Channel. After the car was pulled over at Coquelles, near Calais, which lay within UK customs enforcement territory, officers took the view that it was being used for smuggling or attempted smuggling...