Dentons’ private client team in Scotland is decamping to Shepherd and Wedderburn, with a team of 20 making the move. The group is led by partners Eleanor Kerr and Alexis Graham in Glasgow, and includes seven other lawyers. Both Kerr and Graham are legacy Maclay Murray & Spens, which merged with Dentons in 2017. Kerr […]
Capitalising on the hire of three partners last year, Taylor Wessing has recruited 11 further lawyers from BCLP’s private wealth team. The firm has hired the team following the arrival in November of BCLP’s co-leader of the private client team Damian Bloom and partner Simon Phelps. The team includes 11 lawyers comprising consultants, senior counsel, associates […]
Taylor Wessing has hired a two-partner private wealth team from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. The team includes the co-leader of the private client team Damian Bloom and partner Simon Phelps. Bloom has been a partner at BCLP since 2005. As part of his practice, he advises individuals and high net worth families on tax and […]
KPMG Legal has hired a two-lawyer team from rival accountancy firm PwC to spearhead the debut of a new private client practice. The legal arm of KPMG has taken on Alice Killingbeck and Harriet Kwarteng, who have been tasked with building the group’s first family office and private client legal service. As part of their […]
Stephenson Harwood is pushing for major changes in its Hong Kong office following the recent announcement to shut down its Beijing office. The firm is cutting back on partners and associates in Hong Kong under the new leadership of Greater China managing partner Jamie Stranger. It is understood that around six partners and 20 associates […]
Taylor Wessing has hired a new partner from BCLP to boost its private wealth practice. The firm has taken on private client partner Murray North, who starts today and will be based in the firm’s London office. A BCLP partner since 2009, Murray advises high net worth individuals on tax and trusts issues, helping them […]
Artists, galleries and agents find innovative new ways of working and pose new challenges for the lawyers who work with them
A focused leadership has created a claimant powerhouse – but how much more can Stewarts diversify its business?
With Harry and Meghan announcing they will step back as senior royals and work to become financially independent, The Lawyer looks back at the royal family’s legal representation. Farrer & Co Farrer & Co has been the royal’s established advisers since the 1930s – Sir Leslie Farrer was the personal adviser to George VI and […]
In the recent English judgment in Tatiana Akhmedova v Farkhad Teimur Ogly Akhmedov & others [2021] EWHC 545 (Fam), a high-profile and long-running divorce case, the English court examined the requirements for relief to be granted under section 423 of the English Insolvency Act 1986.
It is common practice when a trust is established for the economic settlor to provide a letter of wishes, addressed to the trustees of the trust, setting out their wishes with respect to the administration of the trust. For the trustees, such letters are often a valuable insight into the rationale for the establishment of the trust, how the trust assets are to be utilised and other background information about the family of the settlor and/or beneficiaries.
July brought the long-awaited conclusion to the latest high profile case in which offshore trusts came under attack from the Family Division in England and Wales. Mr and Mrs Akhmedova endured eight years of litigation before reaching their settlement, during which Mr Akhmedova placed assets in numerous offshore trusts and company structures and sought to benefit from the most robust firewall provisions available.
The considerable challenges and pressure that individuals are exposed to in the current global crisis is undoubtedly a contributing factor to the rising levels of divorce. Couples with connections to both the UK and another EU country may still have the opportunity of choosing the jurisdiction in which to divorce.
Earlier this month the High Court dismissed a claim from a spectator who was struck by a golf ball while attending the West of Ireland Championship at Rosses Point Golf Club in 2016. It was an important decision for sports clubs, tournament organisers and event spectators. The High Court held that the duty of care owed to spectators is not to act in “wanton disregard” for their safety. The decision matters because that is a lesser duty than the duty to act with reasonable care.
The question sometimes arises in a divorce as to whether one or both parties have mental capacity to litigate. If a party lacks that mental capacity, they will need someone to make decisions for them during the divorce process. This person is called a ‘litigation friend’.
Legislative amendments to the British Virgin Islands trust legislation took effect on 9 July 2021 under the Trustee (Amendment) Act, 2021. The reforms introduce welcome improvements to the BVI’s Trustee Act and ensure that the BVI remains a leading offshore jurisdiction for the establishment, administration, and maintenance of trusts.
The deadline for applying to the European Settlement Scheme to obtain pre-settled or settled status passed on 30 June 2021. However, the Home Office has made it clear that there is flexibility and late applications will be considered. This provision may not last forever and anyone who has missed the deadline should take action immediately to apply.
On 9 July 2021, a number of important pieces of legislation were brought into force in the BVI on the same day. Those enactments have made significant changes to the law in their respective areas, namely trusts, probate, data protection and consumer protection.
Increasing regulation of the private rented sector means that landlords of residential property in England need to be aware of their extensive obligations towards tenants.
Zoe Leventhal and Emma Foubister have contributed two case notes for the Discrimination Law Association’s Briefings.
Howard Ricklow comments on the dispute between the members of the Sex Pistols regarding Danny Boyle’s new TV series.
