Archive

Balva: learning the unrated lesson the hard way

The collapse of Balva will make many smaller firms weigh up the benefits of staying in business compared with the risk of potentially very significant personal liability, says Jason Nash

Building public trust

Legal comparison websites are not going to go away, 'says Steve Brooker as he urges lawyers to be more transparent about service and pricing

Behind bars | Democracy, the rule of law and secret files

For all the setbacks civil liberties lawyers have suffered, they would still rather hold a practising certificate than a lorry driver's licence, says Jeannie Mackie

Expert assessment

The only person who knows if an expert meets expected standards is usually the expert themselves, says Ruth Cabeza, 'as a drastic change in family experts is proposed

Charity Commission | Mind the pennies

The Charity Tribunal doesn't have to be expensive 'to be effective, says Kenneth Dibble

View from the bench | Enforcing charging orders

New civil practice rules could make it easier for creditors to enforce charging orders but they must still follow the correct procedure, says District Judge Paul Ayers

Workshop: Private client: tax nothings

With unremitting publicity surrounding tax avoidance, 'clients' concerns are turning towards their wealth management. Andrew Watters shares ways to make major problems into manageable ones

Update | Wealth management

Ann Stanyer reviews recent Court of Protection cases on investment duties and on gifts from a patient's estate, as well as new rules in the Budget on IHT deductibility and specialty debts, and the tax status of holiday lets