Legal Resources and News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds have become the first unmarried couple to reside at Number 10.  And according to the Office of National Statistics, the number of us cohabiting has increased by 25.8% over the last decade. Cohabiting couples are officially the fastest growing family type and whilst it’s the preferred option for many, there are some legal issues cohabiting couples should consider when thinking about ownership of property.

A recent report by the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) contains a number of recommendations to deliver “a more coherent and understandable structure” to inheritance tax. These recommendations have been put to the government to consider and have not yet been acted upon but it does certainly highlight scope for change to the current rules that are complex and often misunderstood.

Purchasing a property with your husband, wife or partner is an exciting milestone for many making it easy to look no further than getting your hands on the keys. How many of us stop to consider what happens to that property in the event the relationship breaks down in the future? It is not a particularly pleasant thought but nevertheless, it is a notion of importance, especially in the event of unequal contributions towards the property purchase.

A Supreme Court decision in the case of Mr Y, ruled last month that in certain circumstances it will no longer be necessary for the family of a patient with a “prolonged disorder of consciousness” to apply to the Court of Protection to withdraw life support.

At Neves our goal is to give our client’s peace of mind that after their passing their affairs and wishes will be dealt in accordance with their faith yet valid under English Law. For example we aim to ensure that wills prepared on behalf of our Muslim clients are compliant with not only their faith but comply with the requirements of English Law.