The very latest news and views from Ashley James Solicitors
The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 (the Act) received royal assent on 26 July 2007. The aim of the Act is to provide protection to those at risk of a forced marriage and to provide recourse for those who have already been forced into marriage. The Act also sends out a strong signal that […]
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Arrangements for children have historically been referred to as Custody or Residence for the primary carer and Visitation or Contact for the other parent. There was a shift in the law and this terminology was considered not to be in the best interests of the children and now the Courts will make what is known […]
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You must pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) if you buy a property or land over a certain price in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The current SDLT threshold is £125,000 for residential properties and £150,000 for non-residential land and properties. You pay the tax when you: buy a freehold property buy a new or […]
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Could the victory of a woman who wins supreme Court battle change the rules for cohabitees on partner’s pension payments? In this case, Ms Bexter’s partner predeceased her and she was told that she would not be automatically entitled to a ‘survivor’s pension’ as she would have been if she had been married to her […]
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The BBC article below describes and important difference between Freehold and Leasehold houses. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38827661 With Leasehold houses you will pay a ground rent to the freeholder (normally once or twice a year). In some cases you may also pay a rent charge or service charge which is a payment used for the upkeep of common […]
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All clients should be extra vigilant when transferring funds to the bank account of their solicitors. A recent case which is linked below shows how things can go badly wrong. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jan/14/lost-67000-conveyancing-scam-friday-afternoon-fraud-legal-sector-email-hacker In this case emails were hacked and this led to the deposit funds being sent to the wrong account. Our guidance is to ensure […]
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Property Fraud continues to be in the headlines. This is an area which can have a huge impact on people’s lives. Below is the Land Registry updated guidance on this very important issue. Here is the Land Registry Guidance Leaflet Here is the Land Registry Property Fraud Webpage Here is the Land Registry Property Alert […]
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The majority of family cases are initially listed before a Bench of Magistrates and since changes to legal aid rules in April 2013, the lay public have found themselves having to act as Litigants in Person. It is important to bring awareness to the fact that Magistrates are not legally trained and are led by […]
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The most worrying process of a divorce is the children of the family. Have you separated and are you worried about what will happen to the children? Are you a homemaker and you don’t really have an earning capacity? You are not confident that you will find a job and feel you have no real […]
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It seems that front line police officers are being trained to spot signs of domestic abuse. How do you know whether or not you are suffering from abuse. IDAS state that everyone who is living in an abusive relationship experiences this in different ways. However, there are often patterns to abusive behaviours. This includes controlling, […]
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