Blogs
‘Safe Harbour’ status in conveyancing
Property fraud has skyrocketed in recent years, reaching record levels in 2022. Since the pandemic especially, it has become easier for scammers to trick people out of their money with entire property transactions taking place without any of the parties – buyers, sellers mortgage brokers, surveyo....
Wealth in the age of social media
The ways in which people can accumulate and grow their wealth are forever expanding and evolving. In our Private Wealth Guide for 2022-23, for example, we featured a number of social media stars across Hertfordshire and Essex who had risen to fame – and fortune – on social media websites such a....
A lawyer’s top tips for avoiding fraud
In an ideal world, every individual and business would be honest and offer a quality service in exchange for the money we pay. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world and fraudsters are developing ever more sophisticated methods to part innocent people with their cash – with many victims ....
How to stay on the right side of IHT
Inheritance Tax (IHT) – the British public’s most hated tax – is levied on the value of a deceased person’s estate. From April 2022 to December 2022, the amount raised by IHT was £5.3 billion, £700 million higher than a year previously. As the frozen threshold forces more and more people ....
How to win (or even avoid litigation) – Part 3
The story so far We saw in Parts 1 and 2 how you can win any trial that you have to go through by having the systems in place within your business to make sure all the evidence you might later need is generated and gathered on an ongoing basis. When you get in front of a judge, it’s all ab....
How to win litigation, how to win it quickly- and how to avoid it altogether – Part 2
Introduction In Part 1 of our series, we showed you the steps you could take that’d help you win any court trial that your business had to go through. In this Part 2 we show how, if you do those things, you might never get to trial. Ending the case early When a dispute “goes....
How to win litigation, how to win it quickly- and how to avoid it altogether – Part 1
Introduction If you have never been involved in a court case, well done! If you have, you’ll know of the cost in terms of time and money, and you’ll be familiar with the uncertainty and worry it brings. You’ll also know how long it can take to reach a conclusion – often years. ....
Who are the South East’s richest people?
In our Private Wealth Guide for 2022/23, we featured celebrities hailing from Hertfordshire and Essex who have used their fame to amass significant fortunes. In this article, we decided to go one step further and focus on the wealthy heirs and businesspeople who have reached the very highest echelo....
Calling all landlords – Renters Reform Bill to be introduced in 2023
In the final months of 2022, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, announced that the highly anticipated Renters Reform Bill (RRB) would be introduced in 2023. This means that landlords in the private rented sector should be acting now to prepare themselves....
Does a Conditional Order mean you are divorced?
Going through a divorce is undoubtedly a difficult experience. On top of the emotional and practical stresses, the paperwork involved in the divorce application can be frustrating and time consuming. When you apply for a divorce, there are four key stages you need to navigate; the divorce is onl....
How long does an online divorce take?
Submitting a divorce application is not many people’s idea of a good time; it is, though, a necessary road to travel to arrive at your new life. Thankfully, you can improve the journey by enlisting an experienced Family Law specialist to act as your guide. Time for a change Since April ....
Quirky – the name of 2022’s property game
In our Private Wealth Guide for 2022/23, we talked about a new property trend revealed by a survey conducted by TalkTalk. Many more British people appear to be searching for ‘quirky’ homes, with 37% saying they were on the lookout for unique features and unusual shaped spaces. Even more respond....
