Opinions

Post death arrangements for digital assets

Digital assets play an increasingly important role in our daily lives – whether through social networking, reading eBooks, using cloud storage for emails, music and photographs or making transfers using our online bank accounts.  Many of us cannot imagine a life before the internet.

When is a variation caught by procurement law?

Hannah Kramer reports on a case that has highlighted the risk of a new public procurement exercise having to be carried out in the event of a 'material' variation to an agreement.

This article was first published in the May 2015 issue of Property Law Journal and is also available at www.lawjournals.co.uk

To sign in not to assign

Nikolas Ireland considers the importance of execution formalities on assignment in the context of a recent case.

First published in Solicitors Journal, April 2015.

The inside track on family law

With Spring in the air, change is afoot in family law. 

A new equality

In what could herald a new era for equality, judicial attitudes towards ongoing spousal maintenance are hardening.  Until recently, the financially stronger party was often ordered to support his or her former spouse and often for life.  This is slowly changing. 

A Trustee's dilemma - involvement in divorce proceedings

In divorce proceedings, where one of the parties is a beneficiary of a trust, there has long been confusion about the extent to which trustees should be involved. Some recent cases have provided greater clarity, which are dealt with below.

Sale of Charity land

Introduction

The end of generous pay-outs to ex spouses? Judge tells ex wife of equine surgeon to get a job

In a decision in February 2015 that was widely reported by the media as being a 'game-changer' in terms of the English court's attitude to financial provision on divorce (particularly amongst the wealthy), an Appeal Court judge upheld a judgment that there should be a staged cut-off of ex-spousal maintenance that a millionaire equine surgeon had previously been paying his former wife.

Overview of partnership and marriage for same sex couples in England and Wales

First delivered at NYSBA/STEP 10th Annual International Estate Planning Institute, March 2014. Updated to April 2015.

All change in health and safety: The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 will, subject to parlimentary approval, be replaced on 6 April 2015 by the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.

View the article to read about key amendments.

Beware the ghost in the machine

Ben Brayford and Hannah Kramer consider a recent case involving Gordon Ramsay's personal liability under a guarantee executed by a 'signature machine'.

First published in Solicitors Journal, 10 March 2015.