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If you feel that your neighbours' building plans will impact on your views or otherwise harm your enjoyment of your home, you should not hesitate to consult a solicitor. In one case, a couple who did just that succeeded in blocking construction of a strikingly modern house on land adjoining their garden. The couple's neighbours had obtained planning permission for the new house in the garden of their existing home. However, the title deeds of their property contained a restrictive covenant dating back to 1874. It dictated, amongst other things,...

Many businesses and individuals who are owed money sadly become accustomed to hearing explanations and excuses for non-payment. However, as one case showed, specialist lawyers do not give up and are adept at bringing relentless pressure to bear on debtors to meet their obligations. The case concerned a judgment debt of about £230,000 owed by a financial adviser – the debtor – to a former client – the creditor. With a view to enforcement, the creditor obtained an order directing the debtor to submit to an oral examination before a...

Some relationships sadly do not survive the prospect of impending parenthood and that can result in children being born into the teeth of a legal storm. In one case, a little girl was only one day old when she became the subject of child maintenance proceedings on both sides of the Atlantic. The girl's British mother met her American father whilst she was living in New York. He was a remarkably wealthy man with assets valued at about $130 million and an income of about $900,000 a month. They lived...

Many businesspeople lead peripatetic lives of constant international travel and the crucial question of whether they are settled in the UK for tax purposes can be very difficult to answer. A First-tier Tribunal (FTT) ruling, however, revealed the lengths to which HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will go to establish that a taxpayer is ordinarily resident in this country. The case concerned the tax treatment of £578,400 received by an overseas national on the severance of an employment contract. He claimed that, by virtue of Section 414 of the Income...