New statistics about wills in the UK
Wills by nature are not something people think a lot about and are often associated with the elderly. Recent research carried out by Royal London, YouGov, IRN Research and Orchard has revealed some interesting statistics about wills. Here are some of the most striking statistics: 5.4 million adults do not know where to begin when it comes to…
New Year Renovations
The new year can be a great time to spruce up your property. Many owners are often looking to carry out minor or major alterations to their property. However before rolling up your sleeves or instructing a builder – it is important to consider what planning permission you may need. Types of Permission You may need planning permission for…
National Christmas Jumper Day 2018
Levi Solicitors staff got into the Christmas spirit by taking part in National Christmas Jumper Day on Friday 14th December and fundraising for DKMS. DKMS works in the areas of blood cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. It raises awareness for the need for donors for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation which people with blood…
Dealing with Social Media Estates and Digital Assets
Dealing with a social media estates and digital assets Dealing with a deceased person’s estate involves gathering in their assets and distributing them in accordance with their will. If there is no will the ‘rules of intestacy’ apply. Finding out what assets a person had used to be a fairly simple task. The process involved…
Professional negligence FAQ’s
What is professional negligence? Professional negligence occurs where a professional fails to perform his responsibilities to the required standard – i.e. the level required of a reasonably competent person in their profession) and their failing has caused you loss. What type of professionals can I claim against? A professional negligence…
Probate Fee Increases – are they really just a sneaky stealth tax?
The government’s recent announcement to increased probate fees has drawn significant criticism from many parties. Andrew Milburn, Head of our Probate and Estate Administration department discusses why. What are Probate Fees? Probate Fees are fees payable to the Probate Registry when an application is made for a ‘Grant of Representation’ following…
The ten steps to buying a home
Unless you are lucky enough to have won or been given money to buy a house outright. You will need to save for a deposit and borrow money. Saving for a deposit Buyers are usually required to provide a deposit of 5% of the price of the property being purchased. If you are saving for a deposit it is often worth considering the Government’s Help to…
How can you plan to make things easier for your family and loved ones
If you are no longer able to make life decisions for yourself a Lasting Power of Attorney makes life easier for your family or loved ones. There are two types of Lasting Powers of Attorney: Lasting Power of Attorney – Property and financial affairs This type of Lasting Power of Attorney deals with your property and finances such as; your…
Sepsis – the dangers
There have been many recent stories in the press about death and injury from Sepsis. Sepsis – formerly known as septicaemia or blood poisoning is a dangerous condition. It should always be treated as a medical emergency. Once diagnosed, time is of the essence as far as treatment is concerned. This is to ensure the best possible outcome. If…
Residential landlords
At this time of year as university life begins, landlords are often taking students on as tenants. Sometimes students can fall behind with their rent or don’t pay at all – leaving the landlord with a cash flow problem. I have set out below some tips for residential landlords: Record-keeping It is essential that landlords keep records…
Wills
Probate is a topic many of us don’t know about until we have to deal with it on a personal basis. My clients frequently ask me these common probate questions that I have put into a useful FAQ blog. Is my Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) still a valid document? Yes. Any old EPA documents are still valid. However, EPA documents only deal with…
Shareholder claims – what does unfair prejudice mean?
In previous articles I have looked at remedies available to shareholders who believe they have been prejudiced. Key to these solutions is the petition for unfair prejudice pursuant to S.944 of the Companies Act 2006. This article explores what is actually meant by unfair prejudice. What is unfair prejudice? It is important to understand that…
Damages – what can I claim for?
Assessing damages There are many different types of personal injury and medical negligence cases. Each claim will have a different outcome. One of the first things we do in assessing compensation for our personal injury clients is to work out how much their case is worth. Your solicitor may use words such as ‘quantum’, ‘heads of loss’, ‘general…
Disputes between neighbours
It’s an unfortunate reality when you own or rent property, disputes between neighbours can often arise. Wherever possible it is best to try and resolve a dispute before ending up in court. Reasons for disputes We are seeing an increase in clients contacting us about property disputes between their neighbours and themselves. These disputes…
The law of defamation in the digital age
As we settle into the digital era, an ever-increasing number of media outlets are being utilised. News stories are now travelling quicker than ever. Platforms such as Twitter are giving individuals a stage to voice their own opinions. However, an increase in the use of media has also been met with online tension, harassment and defamation claims.…
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…