Blogs
Cygnet Hospital pays family £50,000 after patient’s death
A private mental health hospital has paid £50,000 in damages to the family of a 28-year-old patient who died while under its care. The patient was admitted to Cygnet Hospital Taunton in December 2020. He had a long history of paranoid schizophrenia, and was diagnosed with Autism, jumped from....
New pension inheritance rules: what does it mean for estate and tax planning
You’ve written a will, established a trust and agreed a drawdown strategy. Lifetime estate planning can be ticked off your to do list, right? Legislative changes and market shifts mean that lifetime estate planning will never be a tick in the box activity. It needs to be revisited regularly es....
Upward only rent reviews
The proposed ban of Upwards Only Rent Reviews in commercial leases has been tabled by a Bill labelled ‘English Devolution and Community Empowerment’. (If the Bill becomes an Act, not many will easily find the whereabouts of the ban provisions as the label does not obviously direct location, alt....
The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023: What landlords and business owners need to know
The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 represents one of the most significant reforms to planning and development in England in recent years. Aimed at addressing regional inequalities and streamlining local regeneration, the Act has clear and direct implications for commercial landlords, tenant....
The Building Safety Levy
The Building Safety Levy is due to be launched in the Autumn of 2026; the power to impose the levy is found in the Building Safety Act 2022. Tina Dobbs, Senior Associate in our Commercial Property team tells us what it is, and who will it affect: What is the levy? It is essentially a mandato....
Review of commercial property laws: what it means for tenants and landlords
There are billions of square feet of commercial property in the UK – and more than half of it is rented, according to figures from the Property Industry Alliance. Strict rules govern how commercial property leases are managed, but some of these date back more than 70 years. The Law Commission ....
Clarifying matrimonial and non-matrimonial assets – A case review
In the ever-evolving landscape of family law, the recent case of Standish v. Standish has brought clarity to the (often complex) distinction between ‘matrimonial’ and ‘non-matrimonial’ assets. By way of definition, matrimonial assets are financial assets acquired by either spouse during ....
Why you should plan ahead with a Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney
Planning for the future is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health and wellbeing, especially as you get older. A Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) allows you to choose someone you trust to make decisions about your care, treatment and daily life if you lo....
Maternity and neonatal care: time to learn from past mistakes
The birth of a new baby should be a time of joy. For some families, however, it ends up being a time of great distress. Failures in care during or shortly after childbirth have resulted in the death of dozens of babies and mothers and left other infants with life-changing injuries. From Leeds to....
Your guide to Islamic mortgages
For many Muslims in the UK, purchasing a property is about more than just finding the right home – it’s about finding the right financial product that aligns with their religious beliefs. Under Shariah Law, paying or receiving interest (known as riba) is not allowed. As interest is paid on conv....
A single mistake, a lifetime of heartache
Approximately one in four adults in England will experience a mental health problem each year. During these challenging times, people are often incredibly vulnerable. A single failure in their care can lead to a lifetime of heartache for their loved ones. The tragic case of Alice Figueiredo is o....
Wills – Case study
After her friend’s bad experience with a DIY Will, Annie entrusted her Will review to Attwaters. Here’s how she found the process. “Drafting a Will is a process of trust,” says Annie (62). “Unless you’re a legal expert yourself, you need to accept someone else’s word that what you....
