There is still considerable discord between contemporary British reality and the law in England and Wales regarding the rights of cohabitees.Recently, there were some encouraging signs that MPs may have been about to give renewed consideration to the possibility of reform, with the Family Justice Bill on the agenda for consideration in parliament. It appeared to be enjoying cross-party support, but due to the calling of the snap general election, the Bill ran out of time. MPs would do well to heed the results of recent YouGov survey, which revealed that as many as 35 per cent of cohabiting partners…

There are plenty of indications to suggest that the disruption of the legal market is already taking effect. Online platforms, apps and in-house legal technologies are proliferating at an astonishing rate and, it seems, their presence is becoming tangible.Take as an example of this tangibility the latest survey by international banking and financial services holding company Wells Fargo. It reports that larger flagship firms are experiencing stagnation in demand – something that leading analysts and philosophers such as Richard Susskind and Jeremy Waldron have predicted for some time. This is a perspective supported by the most recent Thomson Reuters Peer…

Last month the Supreme Court clarified certain aspects of the Inheritance Act 1975 when it overturned a Court of Appeal ruling which had supported the reasonable financial provision claim of a woman who had been written out of her mother’s will, with the assets instead bequeathed to three animal charities: the RSPCA, the RSPB and the Blue Cross.In offering her ruling, Lady Hale restored an earlier decision made by District Judge Clive Million, which stated that the woman’s claim for financial provision had exceeded the threshold of what could be called reasonable. This came despite the claimant living in rented accommodation,…

News that the Supreme Court has granted permission to appeal the Court of Appeal decision in Mills v Mills provides a perfect opportunity to review the facts and developments of the case to this point. Mills v Mills – the complicated story so farThe 2017 Court of Appeal decision in the case of Mills v Mills sets down, subject to the outcome of the Supreme Court appeal of the case, some potentially important precedents in terms of spousal maintenance obligations.The couple, Maria and Graham Mills, were married for 13 years. In the earliest years of the marriage Mrs Mills worked…

It is becoming increasingly clear: from conveyancing to commercial law, technology is revolutionising the legal sector. But is this good news and what, precisely, does it mean for the solicitors and lawyers working across the United Kingdom, and, of course, their clients?According to Deloitte, more than 100,000 legal sector jobs are expected to become automated over the next two decades, meaning that although clients can expect some innovation in technologically sound legal solutions – including artificial intelligence and robotics – the solicitors accustomed to providing services on a human level could be forgiven for feeling nervous about the future of…

In November 1965 England abolished capital punishment for murder. As a sweeping generalisation, this was done, in part, to remove the risk of hanging the wrong person. More than 51 years later – can the same logic be applied to the new approach of hiring private law firms to tackle cybercrime?Internet fraud remains a hot topic. In the past year alone, statistics suggest a 5.8m incidence of cybercrime and fraud estimates have reached £193bn per year. Authorities are increasingly under pressure not to just solve the existing crimes, but also to prevent new ones. However, with resources being cut across…

A daughter cut out of her father’s £1 million Will because he believed grown-up children should “look after themselves” has been refused a slice of his fortune by a judge. For Danielle Ames, unemployment was “a lifestyle choice” and she was fit and able to work, said Judge David Halpern QC.Ms. Ames went to court arguing that she was dependent on her father and deserved a payout of about £300,000 as ‘reasonable provision’ from his estate, claiming that he had promised her ‘it will be all yours one day’, but was shocked when he wrote her out of his Will.…

In his 2004 book “The Paradox of Choice – Why More Is Less” American psychologist Barry Schwartz argues that elimination of choice is key to reducing anxiety in consumers.He writes, “Autonomy and freedom of choice are critical to our well being, and choice is critical to freedom and autonomy. Nonetheless, though modern Americans have more choice than any group of people ever has before, and thus, presumably, more freedom and autonomy, we don’t seem to be benefiting from it psychologically.” There was, in fact, nothing new about the idea. For several millennia philosophers have been struggling to comprehend what freedom…

Brexit as a concept has been around for a long time. But recently, and understandably, politicians have been wielding their arguments for staying or going like battering rams on the nation’s consciousness.Most of what we hear about is the likely impact on issues such as migrant’s eligibility for child benefit, holidaying abroad, and the cost of living and a string of carefully contrived barbs, delivered to the masses, are designed to move us one way or another in a ruthless ‘push me-pull me’ dance on the borders of Brexit/Bremain.But what of the impact on those in other spheres? Ones not…