Drawing up a handwritten Will might sound the most straightforward way of putting your affairs in order. But is it really? Perhaps, the issues of using handwritten Wills are best explained in a recently decided case in America involving the estate of the late Aretha...
Thirteen Unions banded together to raised proceedings in the High Court in England against the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. The purpose of the proceedings was to determine the status of business who employed agency workers as cover for striking workers....
Granting a Power of Attorney is an important step to ensure future decisions taken are the kind of decision you would make should you no longer be able to make them yourself. What is a Power of Attorney? A Power of Attorney is a document appointing someone to act as...
Selling your home isn’t just about shaking hands on an offer. It’s a dance, a negotiation process that can feel a bit like passing notes in high school. In Scotland, we call these notes ‘missives.’ As these letters go back and forth between your lawyer and the buyer’s...
Life’s unpredictability is its only constant. Despite our best efforts at planning, things don’t always pan out the way we envision. Sometimes, even without any plan, things miraculously fall into place, and at other times, they seem to fall apart like a house of...
Separating from a partner can be an emotional rollercoaster, and often, the practical aspects of separation take a backseat in the chaos. However, a dramatic dash to court isn’t always the solution, nor something we usually recommend. As any solicitor will affirm,...
Blind bidding when you are buying a house can be very hit and miss. Do you go a bundle over the asking price or just a little? If it is a seller’s market, how many houses will you have to chase before you are successful? These are questions clients frequently ask us....
You can be excused for being confused if you contact us asking if we deal with certifying documents and we ask you which service you would like us to deliver. The reason for this is that there is really a choice of two things you might be asking us to do. In the first...
We need to make something abundantly clear at the very beginning: it is not possible to change someone’s Will after they have died. A Will is made by the testator and sets down their intentions for what should happen after their death. As they have died, it is no...
When a couple’s marriage or civil partnership breaks down, there is always a discussion about who gets what. There is a fundamental legal principle that matrimonial property should be divided fairly between the parties. However, Section 8 of the Family Law (Scotland)...
