On our densely populated island, there is a pressing need for available land to be put to sensible use and, where restrictive covenants lurking in title deeds prevent that happening, they can be modified. In a case on point, a…
When HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) suspect serious tax evasion, they will normally launch a full-scale tax investigation into the person they suspect. They use many tools in such investigations and one of the more common ones is to compare…
If you live in a block of flats, the law is there to protect you against noise or other nuisance caused by fellow residents. In a recent case, a woman who sued her upstairs neighbours over what she described as…
The wording of even widely used insurance policies is often not as neat and elegant as it should be and that is why judges are so frequently called upon to resolve issues of interpretation. One example concerned a medical company's…
If you are owed a debt for work done, any delay in seeking legal advice could result in you being left empty handed. In one case on point, an architectural practice that claimed to be owed almost £25,000 for its…
When should a damaged vessel be considered a constructive total loss (CTL)? And how should ship owners go about giving notice of abandonment (NOA)? In a ruling of particular interest to marine insurers, the Court of Appeal considered both those…
The insolvency of one of the companies within a contractual chain can cause major difficulties for all concerned. However, as one High Court case showed, professional drafting of agreements can provide invaluable protection against such risks. A large contractor had…
One reason why it is rarely advisable to represent yourself in litigation is that you need a good lawyer to tell you when you are wrong. That point could hardly have been more clearly made than by a case in…
When a person is made bankrupt, their trustee in bankruptcy will seek to unlock any available assets they have to pay off creditors. One of the main assets people hold is their house, which is often co-owned with a spouse…
Disputes between neighbours are sadly common and can ruin lives – although a little legal advice at an early stage can often swiftly resolve matters. In one striking case, an elderly man who harassed, hectored and abused adjoining landowners was…