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The whole point of engaging a professional to draft your will is to make your wishes clear in precise and unambiguous terms. If your will falls below that high standard the result, as a High Court ruling showed, can be family stalemate after you are gone. The case concerned a widower who died without children, leaving an estate worth over £600,000. By his will, he made some modest charitable gifts and bequeathed the remainder to 'such all of my nephew's and niece's children'. It was agreed that the apostrophes in...

When long-term relationships between unmarried couples break down, disentangling their property and financial affairs can be challenging, particularly where children are involved. As one case showed, however, a clean break is often the best option for all concerned. The case involved a middle-aged couple who had continued to live uncomfortably under the same roof for more than three years after their relationship ended. Their oldest child had grown up and gone to university but their 14-year-old son still lived in the house with them amidst an increasingly fraught atmosphere. The...

If you object to a planning decision, an expert lawyer will ensure that your voice is heard loud and clear. In one case, a woman succeeded in overturning planning permission for the construction of 18 holiday lodges close to her rural home. The local authority enabled the development by granting consent for the change of use of a greenfield site. It did so on the recommendation of planning officers, who pointed to the project's economic benefits. They also stated that the lodges would not be visually obtrusive or significantly harm...

Amidst ever-rising property prices, it can make good sense for friends or relatives to club together to buy a home where they can all live together. As a High Court ruling showed, however, the continuing harmony in human relationships upon which such arrangements rely can sadly never be guaranteed. The case concerned a 14-bedroom urban property, worth about £1.9 million, which was acquired by five brothers. The house, which was at one point occupied by no fewer than 23 members of the family, was owned by the brothers in equal...