The government’s forensic regulator has called for fresh scrutiny of drug and alcohol testing carried out for the family courts, after a scandal at a Manchester laboratory raised doubts about the quality of evidence used in thousands of child protection proceedings. Gillian Tully told the Guardian she had raised concerns about the lack of oversight of......
You must pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) if you buy a property or land over a certain price in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The current SDLT threshold is £125,000 for residential properties and £150,000 for non-residential land and properties. There are different rules if you’re buying your first home. You get a discount (relief) that......
Divorcing parents could lose custody or be denied contact with their children if they attempt to poison them against their former partner, under the rules of a new pilot scheme. The “groundbreaking” initiative, being trialled by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), is designed to tackle the problem officially known as “parental......
The supreme court has overturned a decision to increase the sum of money left to a woman by her estranged mother, who left her entire £500,000 estate to three animal charities. The protracted dispute over Melita Jackson’s will has made its way through the English courts since her death, at 70, in 2004. The final......
Conveyancing is the process of legally transferring home ownership from you, the seller, to the buyer. It starts from making an offer and finishes when the seller hands over the keys to the buyer. Understanding it will help ensure you don’t suffer any nasty surprises. This leaflet provides a brief understanding of a transaction and......
