Civil partnerships were first legalised in 2004 however this was exclusively for couples of the same-sex. Therefore, prior to 31 December 2019, mixed-sex couples who objected to marriage would not be able to take advantage of beneficial legal rights.

The recent case of Mundell v Name 1, heard in the Court of Protection has ramifications for claims on divorce…

Over the years TV shows and popular culture have depicted storylines of people murdering wealthy family members in order to receive an early inheritance, or prevent it falling into the hands of someone else.

Sadly this is also true of real life, but can a person really benefit from their criminal actions like they do on the silver screen?

Most of us have some important documents like an original will or a power of attorney. If you keep these documents at home, there is a risk of loss if you are burgled, or of damage by flooding or fire.

Many people choose to store their original wills with their bank. Some banks charge for this service. Banks do not always provide a reliable service as wills can still be mislaid by them.

Many individuals include gifts in their wills that require an event to happen or an action to take place prior to a beneficiary inheriting (this is called a contingent gift). For example, a will may state that £10,000 is paid to every grandchild on attaining 21 years – which means that if a grandchild does not survive to his/her 21st birthday the gift will lapse (fail). The problem with contingent gifts is that they add complexity to wills and, sometimes, create difficult if not impossible conditions for potential beneficiaries to meet.