It is hard to believe that the first national lockdown happened one year ago today. I never imagined that we would all still be working from home.

In 2021 the High Court ruled that Evan Richard Hughes' final will was invalid as he lacked the necessary testamentary capacity when he made his will. This was decided even though both a solicitor and medical professional determined that he did have the required testamentary capacity at the time of making his will.

Getting – or being – divorced, or ending a civil partnership, is a timely reminder that your will is a living document that, without regular review, can quickly go out of date and give rise to many unintended consequences. If you have will and have left all, or even just some of, your assets to your spouse, that will remains valid throughout the process of divorcing even if you have separated and are living apart. This means that if you die, your spouse will receive whatever assets you have bequeathed them under the terms of your will.

Wright Hassall has announced a new Head of Planning who is set to lead the team at a pivotal point for the sector.

The Localism Act has created a new mechanism for mutual exchange to protect certain ‘life-time tenants’ following the introduction of fixed term tenancies.

General licences, which have been administered by Natural England and governed by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, are used by landowners to control a variety of bird species including crows, jackdaws, feral pigeons and wood pigeons.

HMRC has, this morning, published further information as to the forthcoming off-payroll rules, known as IR35, and the changes to the operation of these from 6 April 2020.

A trust is an arrangement where one party (a settlor) gives the benefit of assets to another party (a beneficiary) while control and decisions relating to those assets lie with another party (the trustee).

Our news roundup touches on a variety of topics including stricter penalties for illegal tree felling, gene editing, taxation of ecosystem services plus a reminder of the increase to the National Minimum and Living Wages which came into force on 6 April.

Martin Oliver, Partner in our Contentious Probate team breaks down the costs of contesting a will and explains the process he follows with clients.