The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA), represents a significant overhaul of building safety regulations in the UK, particularly in response to the Grenfell Tower fire disaster in 2017, which highlighted...
From 1 October 2024, there have been changes to the rules which govern how civil claims are dealt with. The latest round of Civil Procedure Rules (“CPR”) changes have sought...
October is the month I started at Pearson Hards 11 years ago. It is now also the month I become an equity partner. I know it’s a tad corny to...
This year, the Kingston Hospital Charity set out to raise awareness and funds for their Mental Health Department and specifically for families who had suffered an infant bereavement. With such...
The thrill of zooming around the track in a go-kart, feeling the wind in your hair as adrenaline pumps through your veins. Now picture this with some of the team...
On 5 July 2024, the Labour Party secured a historic landslide victory at the United Kingdom’s General Election. The Labour Party, under Sir Keir Starmer, won 412 seats which has...
On 24 May this year, Royal Assent was given to the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (LFRA 2024) in what is likely to be one of the last bills...
On 29 April 2024, changes were introduced to Family Law procedure which encourages parties to engage in more constructive and less litigious action. This article sets out some of the...
Creating a will is a fundamental aspect of estate planning. Many people assume that their husband or wife will inherit the whole estate should a Will not have been made....
To celebrate Alex Copson finishing his Training Contract with us and joining the Commercial Property team as a newly qualified solicitor in March 2024, we have asked him some deep...
As the purchase of a home is most likely going to be the largest and most valuable transaction we will make in our lifetime, buyers are increasingly looking to solicitors...
When the Renters (Reform) Bill was first announced in 2022, the Conservative Government were seeking to follow through with their manifesto promise to finally remove the right of Landlords to...
Monday 22 January 2024 starts the beginning of Family Mediation Week. So, what is family mediation week? The Family Mediation Council uses this week each year to raise awareness of...
Buying a home for the first time can be an exciting and nerve-wracking experience. I recently bought my first property and can totally appreciate the feeling. As a first-time buyer...
Within our modern world, our online presence is stronger than ever. It is becoming increasingly apparent that we must consider how our digital assets are dealt with after we pass...
If your property is unusual, it requires a lot of renovation work, is of a mixed quality, requires planning consent for its use, or simply you wish to avoid the...
Whilst mediums of media from film and television to newspapers and novels tend to glorify Court proceedings as the definitive method of obtaining justice, the whole story is not being...
A Night to Remember… it certainly was! On the 9th September I took part in a 13 mile night charity walk to raise money for Kingston Hospital. It was also...
There are many misunderstandings and misconceptions about Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA), therefore we hope this provides a useful overview of what an LPA does, how it works and how...
Claire-Louise Smith – Blog I had always wanted to pursue a career in law ever since I was a child. I always had a perception of fairness and making sure...
Today the Government announced that the long-promised “no fault” evictions will finally be placed before Parliament as part of an overhaul of the private rental sector in England. They had...
Often everyone is in a hurry to agree and complete a lease but Donald Morrison, Partner of the Commercial Property team says, proceed in haste, repent at leisure. Some things...
On 6 April 2022, the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 finally revised the divorce process and introduced a ‘no fault’ divorce regime. These changes have received a lot of...
We certainly live in interesting and challenging times, and you would be forgiven for wondering what we will be hit with next. From the cost of living crisis to public...
By Claire Darby, Partner in Dispute Resolution In the summer of 2022, I attended 4 mediations for clients. Two of them were for contested probate matters and two others were...
Most adults know that they should have a Will in place, however the thought is often put off when life gets in the way. Will Aid conducted a research revealing...
The housing market, including estate agents and conveyancers have long been wondering how long the recent housing bubble could last. In 2020 when the Chancellor at the time, Rishi Sunak,...
When people reach a certain age, many will start to evaluate their personal finances and how they should use the money they have accumulated during their lifetime. This may be...
You may have heard about “Family Asset Protection Trusts” and think they sound promising for protecting your home and hard-earned savings from various evils. At least, that is what the...
When a sub-tenant wants to leave but they do not want to help get vacant possession, what do I do as a landlord? As a landlord, you may have rented...