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According to the former head of the SFO, Richard Alderman, the UK Bribery Act 2010 is already having a positive effect on global business. Speaking at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)’s Fifth Symposium in Hong Kong, …

The National Fraud Initiative was introduced sixteen years ago and is credited with saving £1bn of taxpayers’ money since then. However, only two government departments have so far signed up to the scheme, reports The Guardian.
The sy…

The government has introduced new, tougher fines for benefit fraud, reports The Independent. The increased fines, which will start at £350 and rise to a maximum of £2000, were introduced as part of the new Welfare Reform Act. Previous f…

A major shake-up in the UK’s criminal investigation and enforcement agencies was announced in the Queen’s speech. A new body, the National Crime Agency (NCA), will take over from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), reports …

David Green, newly appointed director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), has pledged to take the agency in a new direction, in what has been interpreted as a significant cost-saving exercise.
According to a report in The Guardian, the SF…

David Phillips & Partners Solicitors have announced Shahid Miah’s successful defence for appellant, Sanjay Dhar, in a High Court Money Laundering case.

Seven out of ten middle managers still believe that the UK’s new bribery laws could be detrimental to the country’s businesses, reports the Financial Times. The 2011 Bribery Act, which came into force on the 1st of July last year, out…

Former mayor of Stockport, Colin MacAlister, has spoken out about his emotional ordeal after being wrongfully accused of deliberately providing false information to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) regarding his employees.
Mr Ma…

The new director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), David Green QC, who commenced his duties on Monday (April 23), has issued a statement affirming that the agency – which deals with instances of serious fraud and corporate fraud – is…

Shahid Miah, a Partner in the Fraud, Regulatory and Extradition department, acted for Sanjay Dhar (appellant), and successfully argued against his extradition to the Netherlandsbefore the High Court. The appellant’s extradition was sought pursuant to a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) under section 2 (7) of the Act certified by the designated authority in this case, [...]

On Sunday 22 April, Colin Turner will run the London marathon. Colin, who works with Paul Greenberg and colleagues at David Phillips & Partners’ Romford office, said that ‘despite having Health problems over the past four weeks, the worst time to get problems from a training perspective, I have taken the plunge to support the [...]

Notice is hereby given that with effect from 31/3/12 Jonathan David Norman has retired from David Phillips & Partners Solicitors.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling has bitten back at attackers of the government’s controversial back-to-work scheme, reports the BBC. Some, including high-profile Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, have accused the government of endors…

The Home Office has made online services available to local authorities as part of its Fighting Fraud Locally strategy, The Guardian reports. It is estimated that fraud costs local governments £2.2billion per year, a figure the governmen…

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has admitted an error this week that may lead to the re-opening of a case that resulted in a conviction over four years ago.
According to local news site This Is Lancashire, Nasima Esa was convicted of …

Several members of Parliament have urged ministers at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to reveal the extent to which providers of “back to work” schemes have been accused and convicted of serious fraud.
According to The Teleg…

Jobs agency A4e, which is currently under investigation for fraud, is being considered for a contract with the Home Office.
The agency appears to be leading the chase for the contract to run the helpline for the Equality and Human Rights …

Richard Alderman, outgoing director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), issued an email statement last week stating that he hopes that settlements in corporate fraud cases will become more transparent in future, suggesting: “If sett…

Drastic cuts to the welfare system coupled with a reduction of the 50p tax rate have brought accusations that the recent budget was one designed for “millionaires”, and will force many legitimate claimants of benefits to face the brun…

Margaret Cole, the outgoing head of the Financial Services Authority’s enforcement division, has called on agencies, including the Crown Prosecution Service, to “step up penalties” in prosecutions for corporate fraud.
The FT reports…

Christine Garnett, Head Legal Cashier at the Bootle branch of David Phillips & Partners celebrated a special silver anniversary on 16 March 2012. Christine, pictured with colleagues from the 202 Stanley Road, Bootle branch of the nationwide firm , has now been working for us for 25 years. Prior to her employment at David Phillips [...]

The benefit fraud trial of American pop singer PJ Proby has collapsed following the discovery of new evidence by benefit fraud investigators in Doncaster.
The Guardian reports that the trial collapsed after prosecutors were forced to with…

Plans to create deferred prosecution agreements in the UK are to be discussed by Parliament in its next session, with a view to including them in future serious fraud legislation.
The Times reports that the concept, widespread in the Unit…

One of the UK’s leading law firms, David Phillips & Partners, has recently been awarded the national Law Society’s management quality mark, Lexcel. Lexcel overlaps with other management quality standards, such as ISO 9001, but is unique in that it is developed specifically for the legal profession. It is an optional, recognised accreditation which demonstrates [...]

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has faced increased criticism from MPs this week, after it was revealed that BAE Systems is yet to pay a multi-million pound fine owed to the government of Tanzania.
The Financial Times reports that BAE Syst…

The Department for International Development has cast fresh doubt over the continued existence of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), after a leaked report proposed the creation of a new corporate fraud body.
The Times reports that the docume…

The number of ministries fighting over a limited pool of resources threatens to undermine the investigations of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) into corporate fraud.
According to the Financial Times, Richard Alderman, outgoing head of the…

Councils throughout the UK have spent a total of £1million over the last 5 years hiring benefit fraud investigators and other private detectives to spy on residents suspected of benefit fraud and false compensation claims.
The Telegraph …

The welfare program pursued by the Government, which has led to benefit fraud investigators deeming thousands fit to work, is in serious jeopardy following a major increase in successful court appeals against cuts to benefits.
The Mirror …

The investigation into the Tchenguiz brothers for a string of corporate fraud offences may soon collapse, following an admission by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) that critical errors were made during the investigation.
The Telegraph re…

Following a number of embarrassing months for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) involving several failed cases, the Attorney General Dominic Grieve has ordered a full-scale inquiry into the agency’s operations.
The Financial Times repo…

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has come under fire for paying out huge sums of money to fund the travel of top agency executives into London each day.
The Telegraph reports that the SFO is paying around £72,000 a year in travel expenses …

The government and benefit fraud investigators have been criticised for trying to associate the fight against benefit fraud with proposed cuts to handouts for the genuinely disabled.
The Guardian reports that charities have been inundated…

HMRC has launched a new system designed to encourage those committing corporate fraud by way of tax evasion to come forward, without facing criminal charges.
The Financial Times reports that the “Contractual Disclosure Facility” (CDF)…

The trial of Achilleas Kallakis, a property developer accused of a £750million property fraud, has collapsed after four months of delays and a series of mishaps.
The Guardian reports that the trial, already delayed by the failure of the …

A councillor, who was wrongly accused of benefit fraud, has been cleared of all charges by a court in Manchester.
The Manchester Evening News reports that Nigel Hooley, a member of Trafford Council in Manchester, was accused of wrongly cl…

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has lost yet another high profile prosecutor as confidence in the agency and its dwindling resources continues to decline.
Bloomberg reports that Glyn Powell, the former Head of Fraud at the agency, has le…

Disability campaign groups held a mass protest in London this weekend in protest of proposed changes to the benefits system.
The BBC reports that hundreds of members of campaign groups came together to protest the proposed scrapping of th…

The head of the UK Statistics Authority has been asked to investigate after an “official report” into the amount of immigrants committing benefit fraud received an overwhelming number of complaints.
The Daily Mail reported earlier thi…

Steps taken by the government in order to cut benefit fraud have been branded by health professionals as “not fit for purpose” as protests spread across the country.
The Scotsman reports that a group protesting against the examination…

More news on the recent landmark ruling by the High Court last week that has seen shareholders being urged to ask thorough and searching questions of the companies they plan to invest in.
Investors have been left stunned by the ruling, wh…

Shareholders and investors have become concerned following a recent court ruling that may allow the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to claw back dividends paid to innocent shareholders where there is evidence of corporate fraud.
The Financial …

When the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) was investigated last month by the Cabinet Office, it wasn’t just the role reversal that piqued interest in the story. Allegations by staff of improper conduct aimed at senior officers at the agen…

Government figures show that the true cost of incapacity benefit fraud to the taxpayer has been greatly exaggerated by the press, as the majority of lost money is attributable to “official error”.
According to the Huffington Post, 2.4…

One of the most high profile investigations into serious fraud has suffered a major setback following the discovery that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) used faulty search warrants in its initial investigation into property magnate Vincent…

Following an investigation from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), shares in the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) have fallen 5% – the biggest drop of any of the FTSE 100 fallers.
The allegations made against the ENRC conc…

EU member states have agreed to introduce two new wide-ranging programs as part of an international effort to crack down on serious fraud affecting national budgets.
NDWP Press Centre reports that the two programs (Hercule III and Pericle…

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been forced to admit fault after it came to light that it had illegally searched the offices of property tycoon Vincent Tchenguiz.
It was revealed on Friday that there were errors in the search warrant t…

A former leading barrister and chief prosecutor for HMRC has been named as the new chief of the Serious Fraud Office in the midst of daunting budget cuts and mounting criticism.
The Financial Times reports that David Green will be sworn i…

The formula for means tested benefits has come under fire after a woman claiming incapacity benefits was forced to pay back over £28,000, leaving her penniless and convicted of benefit fraud.
The Daily Mail reports that Pauline Ford, 58,…

MPs and legal experts have criticised the Serious Fraud office (SFO), calling for agreements to be more tightly drawn in the wake of the serious fraud case settled between the SFO and BAE Systems last year.
The SFO settled the case with B…

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has backed MPs’ proposals to adopt a US-style plea bargaining system for businesses accused of fraud in the UK, with the aim of decreasing criminal sanctions for offenders and streamlining the SFO’s oper…

Royal Mail has issued a warning to its postmen that their acceptance of the traditional Christmas tip may see them fall foul of the new Bribery Act.
The management of the postal service has posted official guidance on its website advising…

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) faces criticism after a Parliamentary report, released on the 30th November, questioned the organisation’s settlement practices following an investigation into serious fraud and corruption at BAE Systems.
…

A recent report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) suggests that cybercrime is now considered to rest in the higher echelons of the serious fraud spectrum. Contained within the survey is the startling statistic that a quarter of vi…

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has announced that it will not take any further action against a Staffordshire developer who was allegedly involved in a multi-million pound overseas property scam.
The SFO investigated Colin Thomas, of Town…

The controversy over the future of the Olympic Stadium has taken a new twist this week as West Ham’s vice-chairman, Karren Brady, won her first stage of a legal action taken against corporate investigators hired by Tottenham Hotspur, ac…

The government department that deals with serious cases of corruption and corporate fraud, the Serious Fraud Office, was hit by heavy budget cuts of 26 percent back in 2007-8 and now is facing further financial hardship as it could see an…

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been dealt a blow to its investigation of the British arm of French manufacturer, Alstom.
The company has been forced to pay a €31 million fine by Switzerland’s attorney-general for failing …

The Director General of the CBI, John Cridland, has warned that the Bribery Act could have significant negative effects on British business, suggesting that the ‘over zealous’ policing by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of co…

The launch of the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) whistleblower service, SFO Confidential, caused stirs in many circles when it was announced. Applauded for its fundamental principles – dealing with corporate fraud in the UK …

Former Olympus officials could face a substantial prison sentence if they are found guilty of corporate fraud, Bloomberg News Service reports.
Investigations are currently underway following a number of serious fraud allegations levelled …

Following the violent riots that swept the UK in August, the government will reduce benefits for criminals. According to a recent BBC report, courts will have the right to recover up to £25 per week from law breaking claimants by 2013,…

Conrad Black, the media tycoon convicted of corporate fraud and obstructing justice, will find out today if he must return to jail in the US to serve some or all of the remaining four years of his prison term, the Independent reports. Black lost his media empire when outside investors accused him of running a [...]

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is launching a new taskforce of benefit fraud investigators, in a bid to cut down on the number of fraudulent claims from couples who falsely declare they are living apart. Under the new scheme, benefit fraud investigators will be interviewing every claimant in postcode areas that are thought [...]

In the “biggest case of identity theft” in City of London Police history, an Edgware man who used 128 identities to steal £650,000 has been jailed, the Edgware Times reports. The man reportedly targeted rural post offices to apply for driving licences with forged papers and used them to open bank accounts, claim housing benefits [...]

More than £310,000 in fraudulent benefit claims has been recovered by two Oxfordshire councils, BBC News reports. Benefit fraud investigators working for the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils found that 87 people were making fraudulent claims. Of these, in the financial year 2010-11, 15 people were prosecuted, 57 were cautioned and [...]

Disputes over legal aid in the Northern Ireland justice system have left almost 400 suspects without legal representation as criminal defence solicitors continue to refuse to take their cases. The new legal aid pay rates, which have brought about pay cuts as significant as 50 per cent in some cases, have resulted in just five [...]

Disputes over legal aid in the Northern Ireland justice system have left almost 400 suspects without legal representation as criminal defence solicitors continue to refuse to take their cases. The new legal aid pay rates, which have brought about pay cuts as significant as 50 per cent in some cases, have resulted in just five [...]

By Rebecca Blain, solicitor Over 1500 arrests have been made and more than 500 charged. The riots in London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and Liverpool have seen arrests, charges and sentences for a variety of offences. At the most serious end of the spectrum are those arrested for murder in the face of the 5 fatalities [...]

The audit also identified losses of a further £1.2billion to customer error and an additional £800million to official error. In his announcement on the statement of financial position, the head of the NAO, Amyas Morse, explained that recent changes to the way in which the government administers benefits could help to address the department’s losses. [...]

The Serious Fraud Office has successfully prosecuted one of the men involved in a scam which duped 300 Americans and Canadians out of £30 million. Richard Gunter received a five year sentence after he admitted ?dishonestly obtaining money? by luring investors into his fraudulent high-end whiskies and champagnes business. The jury were unable to reach [...]

Benefit fraud solicitors in Swansea could have as many as 350 cases to defend, following news that the city council is clamping down on suspected offenders. Since April this year, benefit fraud investigators in the city have identified 57 people who were subsequently successfully prosecuted, many of whom received prison sentences or community service for [...]

The world of wills and will writing is becoming such a contentious issue, as some non-lawyer will writers are seeing a gap in the market, which is not currently regulated, and exploiting consumers naiveness and lack of understanding, that the Scottish government announced plans to regulate all non-lawyer will writers. Fergus Ewing, the community safety [...]

The son of the famous broadcaster, Humphrey Lyttelton has been sentenced for committing benefit fraud. David Lyttleton, was discovered by benefit fraud investigators to have been claiming more than £4,000 in income support and council tax benefit. He had also failed to declare a large sum of money he inherited from his father. Humphrey Lyttelton, [...]

The decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to drop charges against the majority of protesters arrested following the Fortnum and Mason occupation during the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has raised a debate about what the legal position is on prosecuting protesters. Criminal defence solicitors will no doubt be able to refer to that decision [...]

The decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to drop charges against the majority of protesters arrested following the Fortnum and Mason occupation during the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has raised a debate about what the legal position is on prosecuting protesters. Criminal defence solicitors will no doubt be able to refer to that decision [...]

Five high profile corporate fraud convictions have been thrown out by the US Federal Appeal court, striking a blow to the Justice Department. Following one of the biggest corporate accounting scandals in recent history, five former insurance executives had all been convicted for their alleged involvement in fraudulently manipulating the financial figures for insurance firm [...]

Director of the Serious Fraud Office, Richard Alderman, has announced his intentions to take a tough stance on the newly introduced Bribery Act, which came into force at the beginning of July. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Mr Alderman expressed a much stricter approach, with the new law, and in particular its enforcement [...]

The City of London Police and the Serious Fraud Office are currently working on plans that could see them sharing office space and resources, the Telegraph reports. The SFO?s lease on its current Farringdon building expires next year and the two crime-fighting agencies have held talks about relocating to shared offices. City of London Police [...]

Over half a million pounds of benefit fraud has been uncovered in Peterborough this year, reports Peterborough Today. A new report reveals that benefit fraud investigators working for Peterborough City Council uncovered fraud worth £594,562 during the last financial year. The figure delivered by benefit fraud investigators includes £410,749 fraudulently claimed in housing and council [...]

Conrad Black, the media tycoon convicted of corporate fraud and obstructing justice, will find out today if he must return to jail in the US to serve some or all of the remaining four years of his prison term, the Independent reports. Black lost his media empire when outside investors accused him of running a [...]

The UK Bribery Act has come into force as the coalition government attempts to clamp down on corporate fraud and business corruption, BBC News reports. The government has said it wants the UK to lead the global fight against bribery and serious fraud. The Act applies to both individuals and companies, including foreign companies that [...]

In the ?biggest case of identity theft? in City of London Police history, an Edgware man who used 128 identities to steal £650,000 has been jailed, the Edgware Times reports. The man reportedly targeted rural post offices to apply for driving licences with forged papers and used them to open bank accounts, claim housing benefits [...]

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is launching a new taskforce of benefit fraud investigators, in a bid to cut down on the number of fraudulent claims from couples who falsely declare they are living apart. Under the new scheme, benefit fraud investigators will be interviewing every claimant in postcode areas that are thought [...]

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said it had identified Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) as an ?area of interest and potential concern?, although the funds are not yet part of any investigation, the Telegraph reports. Critics of ETFs argue that the ease of investing in the funds make them a potential pitfall for novice investors, who [...]

The former chief executive of Langbar International has been jailed for 12 months and banned from being a company director five years, after he was accused of committing serious fraud. Stuart Langbar was found guilty of three counts of misleading investors by falsely claiming that the investment company had assets held by Banco de Brasil, [...]

The government is employing the services of an increasing number of benefit fraud investigators in a bid to crack down on those making false claims. In response to tip-offs made on the National Benefit Fraud hotline, benefit fraud investigators will often take part in covert surveillance operations to gain evidence on the alleged offender. Earlier [...]

A publishing firm has been ordered to pay £11.3 million after the Serious fraud office began an investigation into a report made by the World Bank. Macmillan Publishers were ordered to pay the substantial fine by the High Court for its ?unlawful conduct? relating to its education division in East and West Africa. The report [...]

The Serious Fraud Office has said it will give ?full consideration? to a request by a Labour MP to investigate out-of-court settlements paid by News International, to the alleged victims of the organisation?s phone hacking scandal. The case continues to dominate the political and media landscape of the UK, following several high-profile arrests and a [...]

National firm of Solicitors, David Phillips and Partners is celebrating being named as one of the top ten providers of criminal defence solicitors in the country. This list has been published by the Ministry of Justice and only those firms who have substantial involvement in providing criminal defence services are eligible to be included. Approximately [...]

Specialists in criminal defence, David Phillips & Partners Solicitors, are advising people to make sure that they are fully aware of the new guidelines for police issuing cautions for some criminal offences. The leading criminal defence solicitors explain that in the past, suspects with few or no criminal convictions against them, could be warned with [...]

Leading nationwide law firm David Phillips & Partners has today been confirmed as a corporate accredited practice with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (‘Apil’) as five of its solicitors are also awarded ‘Senior Litigator’ status. Apil is a not-for-profit campaign organisation, comprising of 4,700 member lawyers. It is a leading and well respected organisation [...]

Criminal defence solicitor, Jemma Noble has become the latest solicitor at David Phillips and Partners to achieve Higher Rights of Audience. At 26, Jemma is one of the youngest Solicitors in the team to obtain status of Solicitor-Advocate, which enables her to represent clients in the Crown Court; a domain traditionally the preserve of Barristers. [...]

Leading Liverpool law firm, David Phillips and Partners are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Criminal Law Award 2011 at the Liverpool Law Society’s Legal Awards. The criminal defence team at DPP Law have been selected for their excellent standard of specialist work in this area and are thrilled to be nominated for the [...]

By Stephen Higham, solicitor September 11 2001 is a date Jo Moore will never forget. As Special Adviser to Stephen Byers, then the Transport, Local Government and Regions Secretary, she sensed an opportunity to use the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington to her advantage. Her e-mail to the Labour Party press office saying [...]

David Phillips and Partners, the specialist benefit fraud solicitors who are based in Liverpool, have opened their 12th Branch office in Tower Hamlets. The office, within sight of the iconic Tower Bridge in London will provide a full range of criminal defence services and the firm expects that the increasing number of people accused of [...]

The CPS look set to be the first Whitehall department to show that the implementation of George Osborne’s expected 25-40% indicative cuts will affect front line services and have a detrimental impact on the policy of criminal prosecution. Having already undergone an efficiency programme the CPS will begin a business transformation plan that will see [...]

It’s a well know fact that insurance companies and accident claim solicitors are far from being the closest of friends. Solicitors often perceive insurers as deliberately being obstructive so that they don’t have to make payouts, while insurers view solicitors as being just as obstructive and only trying to get as money as they can [...]

11 years ago Lord Woolf’s civil procedure rules came into force. ‘What would he make of the new pre-action protocol for low value road traffic accidents?’ asks Stephen Higham, solicitor. We needed him more than he needed us. In 1994 Lord Woolf took on the unenviable task of consolidating the civil court rules. They were [...]

A report published on the Metropolitan Police’s website has highlighted the fact that Blair Peach, the anti-fascist protester, was almost certainly killed by a police officer who struck the fatal blow to Peach’s head. His family and friends have been campaigning for over thirty years to see the report which says it could be ‘”easonably [...]

As the politicians tour the country trying to win over the public ahead of the General Election, the usual onslaught of customary remarks and comments against leaders of the Parties has already begun in earnest. The decision was taken last Friday to award the three Labour MPs legal aid funded by the taxpayer after accusations [...]

Higher living standards and better health care mean that on average people are living longer than ever before. While many will enjoy extra years of active life, others unfortunately may begin to suffer from age related dementia which affects their mental capacity and prevents them from making decisions about their financial affairs and personal welfare. [...]

Nearly one in four people who are planning to make a will want to leave money to charity, according to research by Standard Life. Young people seem to be the most public spirited with 40% of 18 to 24-year-olds intending to make a charitable donation. Single people are more likely to make donations than those [...]

Lawyers representing Jake Smith have called for an inquiry into his prosecution by the police after it was made apparent that the police had withheld vital video footage for more than a year, which showed Smith being hit by police officers with batons and shields outside the Israeli embassy in January 2009. The police had [...]

Lawyers representing Jake Smith have called for an inquiry into his prosecution by the police after it was made apparent that the police had withheld vital video footage for more than a year, which showed Smith being hit by police officers with batons and shields outside the Israeli embassy in January 2009. The police had [...]

It’s time for a “shake-up” in the system of buying and selling houses in the UK, according to report by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). It has just completed a study which found that the housing market is dominated by traditional estate agents with “weak competition between them on prices”. The OFT report says [...]

The new RTA claims process has been delayed by the UK government amid fears that the IT system crucial to its success would not be up to the job. The Ministry of Justice has forced through changes to the way road traffic accident claims with injury damages worth between £1,000-£10,000 are to be dealt with. [...]

After 10 years the body responsible for the £2.1 billion legal aid budget is to be abolished. The decision has been made in an attempt to regain control of the amount the government spend on legal aid services. An executive agency will replace the existing Legal Services Commission, which has received damning reports of not [...]

The Scottish secretary, Jim Murphy, has put the idea of people who ‘snitch’ on benefit cheats being given a financial gain from the resulted savings to the state to Labour’s manifesto co-ordinator Ed Miliband. The idea has already be looked at by Downing Street as a way to reinforce its Respect agenda which is designed [...]

By Stephen Higham, solicitor Home Information Packs (or ‘HIPs’ as they are otherwise known) seem to be partially responsible for the reduction in failed property transactions, and the acceleration of the process. This is according to a HIP provider, ‘myhomemove’ who recently reported that the drop out rate for failed transactions is now only 9%. [...]

By Stephen Higham, personal injury solicitor A recent case heard in the Queens Bench Division of the High Court has clarified how people should be compensated after accidents abroad. Tim Knight, an Englishman, was knocked down in a road traffic accident with a French car while on holiday there. The car was registered and insured [...]

A ten-year-old boy who was bitten by a dog when he was out walking has been awarded nearly £6,000 compensation. The boy was walking along a narrow section of path with his father and brother when they met a woman walking her Alsatian dog. As they all passed each other, the dog jumped at the [...]

New safeguards have been introduced to protect vulnerable people from abuse in care homes and hospitals. The Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards came into effect on 1st April 2009. The legislation means that a care home or hospital must apply for permission if it believes that it needs to deprive patients of their [...]

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a judge was wrong to decide that an eight-year-old boy would be better off living with his paternal grandparents than with his natural mother. The court heard that the boy had continued living with his mother following her divorce from the father. She had subsequently remarried and had [...]

The wife of an alcoholic has inherited his estate after a court rejected claims that his mental condition meant he lacked the necessary capacity to make a valid will. The man ran a family business with his two brothers. As a result of his alcoholism he often needed hospital treatment. On one occasion he spent [...]

House sellers who get a Home Information Pack from an estate agent are being urged to ensure that the price isn’t being inflated by hidden charges or commission fees. The warning from the Law Society comes after a Channel 4 News investigation found that some estate agents were adding more than £100 to the cost [...]

One in three people in Britain admit they are relying on an inheritance to help fund their retirement. This is in spite of the fact that many of them have not discussed the issue with their parents, have no idea how much they might be left or even if their parents have made a will. [...]