Medical negligence on the screen – what can you do following a misdiagnosis?
If you have been keeping up with all the drama on the cobbles you will know that the Websters have recently been through a nightmare. Little Jack Webster had a fall and sustained a graze to his knee. Unbeknown to his sister, Sophie, the graze would become infected leading to sepsis. Symptoms of this deadly disease were however, missed by the…
Entering a Contract Race when buying a property
Property is a scarce and expensive commodity. When there are many buyers after the same property, a seller can enter a contract race by accepting more than one offer. This is to filter out the best buyer. Contract Race – how it works A Contract Race occurs when a seller accepts more than one purchase offer. The vendor’s solicitor…
Mental incapacity crisis in UK
A new report from the SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) and Centre for Future Studies has recently revealed that the UK is leaving medical and care decisions to chance. The report looks at the ever-increasing number of people living with dementia. This, combined with the failure to plan ahead for mental incapacity, exposes a looming crisis. As a…
Martin House Children’s Hospice Colour Run 2018
Levi Solicitors sponsored a Colour Station at the Martin House Children’s Hospice Colour Run yesterday in Bramham Park, Wetherby. Teams of Levi Solicitors staff volunteered and took part in the 3.5k race. As well as contending with the race and the heat of the day – a sweltering 27 degrees, the Levi Solicitors runners had their ten…
How a Lasting Power of Attorney works to protect your future
We would all hope we will be able to make our own independent decisions in the future. Unfortunately for many of us that will not be the case. A Lasting Power of Attorney allows you to appoint people you trust to make decisions for you when you are no longer able to yourself. How does a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) work? A Lasting Power of…
Understanding the ‘Doctrine of Mistake’ in a contract
What is the Doctrine of Mistake? With so much time spent entering into a contract, business owners need to be sure that their efforts are not wasted. This is generally the case and when a contract is agreed both parties are bound to perform the terms of that contract. However, cases exist where both parties agree to a contract while under the…
Dealing with a loved ones estate – where do I start?
Dealing with matters when a loved one has died can be an extremely difficult and overwhelming. In terms of their estate, there can be quite a lot to organise and consider. As a result, this can seem like a very daunting experience. Many clients in such situations approach us asking what probate is and where to start when dealing with the…
Landlords, tenants and applications for planning permission
Given the fluid nature of modern businesses, there will be times when a tenant wishes to apply for planning permission. This could be for structural modifications or for a ‘change of use’ to a residential or commercial property. Tenants will need to seek consent from the landlord before applying for planning permission. Leases commonly…
Evicting tenants – Following the correct procedure and issuing notices
The landlord and tenant relationship like any other, is built on trust. The landlord relies on the tenant to look after and respect their property. In turn, the tenant expects the landlord to stick to the terms of the tenancy. However, landlords sometimes experience problems with their tenants that eventually lead to them having to issue an…
Who is liable in a fraudulent property transaction?
The recent Court of Appeal decision in Dreamvar v Mishcon de Reya [2018] concerned a fraudulent property transaction. The court looked at who should bear the loss when a purchaser loses money in such a transaction. We look at this claim against the conveyancing solicitors involved, and what it means for their clients. Background Dreamvar (UK) Ltd…
Property alterations without consent
As a property owner, there will be times when you want to carry out alterations to your property. You will usually be free to do more minor works as you see fit. However, for more major alterations you will need to seek permission from various sources. We will look at who might need to give you permission, and what could happen if you carry out…
Discretionary Trusts
Setting up a trust is a safe way of protecting your money for the future. However, there are many different types of trusts available. Which one should you choose? What are the differences between them all? Kathryn Busfield from our Wills, Probate and Trusts department explains what a Discretionary Trust is and the benefits of setting one up. For…
SAAMCO in action: Professional negligence case update
Last year I wrote about remoteness of loss and the SAAMCO principle. In summary, the SAAMCO principle affects the recovery of damages in a professional negligence case. It limits recoverable damages to losses which the relevant professional has actually assumed responsibility for. A recent interesting example of the SAAMCO principle in action is…
Challenging a will part 2: Proprietary estoppel
Following on from my recent article concerning ways of challenging a will, this article will focus on making a claim in proprietary estoppel. This is a different way for a disgruntled beneficiary to challenge a will or estate. Many proprietary estoppel cases relate to family disputes over farms, and there have been plenty of recent examples.…
Professional Negligence adjudication scheme included in the pre-action protocol
The amendment to ‘The Pre-Action Protocol for Professional Negligence’ came into force on 30 April 2018. This follows a lengthy pilot scheme offering adjudication of professional negligence claims that were not construction contracts. The Adjudication Pilot for Professional Negligence Claims was originally launched in February 2015. See our…
Employment rights and wills – what new parents need to know
As an expectant first-time mother, I have been recently doing the same as many others in my position: buying pushchairs and other paraphernalia, choosing baby names, and thinking considerably about the future. New parenthood brings with it a whole new set of considerations and issues: what rights do expectant parents have; how can you deal with…