Q&A Buying or renting business premises - who can advise me?
I run a small manufacturing business that started in my garden workshop with one 3D printer. Now there are four of us in two garden workshops. My dilemma is that I don’t know whether to buy or rent some commercial premises, or whether I should speak to an accountant or a solicitor to help me decide. From a legal perspective, what are the pros and cons?
Read moreQ&A How will the new rules on releasing prisoners early affect my partner
I have seen a lot on the news about the Prison Capacity Crisis and various things the Government are planning to do to ease it. However, there is so much different stuff being bandied about in the papers and other media that I’m really confused about whether my partner stands a chance of being released early.
Read moreQ&A Rejecting my boss’s advances seems to have lost me 4 chances of promotion
I have worked for my current employer for almost twelve years and believe I have done my job well. However, I have just been overlooked for promotion for the fourth time in two years and I believe it is because my director made personal advances towards me that I rejected. At the time I was very upset as the advances were tantamount to sexual harassment, but I didn’t tell anyone as I found it embarrassing and believed a complaint might be held against me.
Read moreQ&A Should we make a Joint Will?
My current husband and I have recently married. We each have two grown-up children from previous marriages and sold our homes to pool resources and buy a new home together. Now we need to make new Wills. We want to ensure our surviving spouse has a lifetime interest in our home if one of us dies and that all our children get an equal share of our estate. To keep costs down, should we make a joint Will?
Read moreQ&A Are prenuptial agreements a good idea?
I trust my fiancé implicitly, but my family are more sceptical and think I should set up a pre-nuptial agreement before we get married in October, to protect the sizeable inheritance I got from my grandparents. It is worth mentioning that my girlfriend comes from a less privileged background than I do and earns only a fraction of what I earn as a director of my family’s business. What is your view on prenups?
Read moreQ&A As executor of cousin’s Will, how can I ensure I have paid all his estate debts?
I rarely saw my cousin in later years but am sole executor of his Will. He now has terminal cancer, so I will soon need to execute my duties. Because I know so little of his affairs, I am worried about knowing what, if any, debts he has that need paying, and how I can ensure I am not held personally liable if I miss any. It seems insensitive to ask him. What can I do?
Read moreQ&A Can park home site owner dictate who we sell to?
Q: We have lived in a park home since retiring, but now want to move nearer our son. The site we are on is small and changed hands two years ago. The new owners insist they must approve any newcomers. This is making it very difficult for anyone to sell. We think they hope to eventually clear the site and then sell the land off for development. Do they really have the right to dictate to us who we sell to?
Read moreQ&A What happens if an Executor makes a mistake in the administration of a Will?
A friend has asked me to be an executor of her Will. I don’t want to upset her by refusing, but as I have no idea what is involved in the administration of an estate, I am concerned about making a mistake and what my liabilities might be if I got something wrong.
Read moreQ&A Is reaching a 'fair' financial settlement in divorce as complicated as it looks
I want to go for a no-fault divorce for speed and cost reasons. A friend advised me I should sort out our finances at the same time as he said there could be implications further down the road if we don’t.
Read moreQ&A Flooding in my garden caused by developers has cost me thousands. Can I get compensation?
My lawns and flower beds have literally been under water for two months and I believe it is due to a housing development behind my property. During construction the developers have piled up earth at least 4m high behind my garden fence, presumably to be ultimately spread around the site.
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