A selection of our recent media coverage:-

How cheap wills can boost care home fees and IHT bills

• Where there’s a will, there’s a row. The most expensive mistakes are likely to arise from poorly-drafted wills – and ending up in court is not the only risk. Unnecessary costs for families are more likely to include Inheritance Tax (IHT) bills and care home fees that could have been avoided quite legally.
• Article with Lisa Gibbins at The Telegraph website, 11th August 2010.
• Read the article online at this link.

BBC Radio Kent : Wills

• Susan Midha appeared on BBC Radio Kent, Monday 9th August 2010. Listen to the programme at this link (1.48-1.59).

Draw on pension or face inheritance tax bill

• Though rules on purchasing annuities have been relaxed, pensioners are being warned that their beneficiaries will face Inheritance Tax bills if they do not draw down their pension fund at some time during their life.
• Article with Susan Midha at the tax-news.com international news website, 23rd July 2010.
• Read the article online at this link.

What are the risks of buying a listed property which has been altered without consent?

• Many of the properties launched in Country Life are among the estimated 680,000 listed buildings in the UK. The system was introduced after the Second World War to protect buildings of architectural merit. As a result, listed buildings may not be demolished, extended or altered without special permission from the local planning authority.
• Article with Suzanne Bowman at the Country Life website, 4th June 2010. Also appeared in Country Life magazine.
• Read the article online at this link.

Employees urged to check tax codes

• Employees are being urged to check their payslips as HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is still sending out incorrect tax codes.
• Article with Stuart Jessop at the Financial Times website, 7th May 2010. Also appeared in The Financial Times newspaper, 8th May 2010
• Read the article online at this link

Coping with World Cup fever

• It is a well known fact that sickness levels rise during key sporting events and with the World Cup and Wimbledon fast approaching, SME’s would be well advised to consider whether they might see a rise in the number of staff taking sick days in order to watch key matches.
• Article with Amy Richardson at smeweb.com, May 2010
• Read this article online at this link

Are you on the List?

• They may look adorable, but owning a house of special architectural interest can bring its fair share of headaches.
• Article with Suzanne Bowman published in the Sunday Times, 14th February 2010.
• Read this article online at this link.

The new Equality Bill and its implications

• It has been hailed as a landmark move to harmonise discrimination legislation and to strengthen the law to support progress on equality. But what will the Equality Bill mean in practice for employers and employees?
• Article by Amy Richardson published on the BBC Online website, 23rd December 2009.
• Read the article at this link.

Watch out for the new Equality Bill

• Businesses should start planning now for the Equality Bill set to become law during 2010. That's the advice from Sussex-based law firm Adams & Remers which says the Bill will have far-reaching repercussions across the business community.
• Article with Cathy Hoar published on the freshbusinessthinking.com website, 26th November 2009.
• Read the article at this link

31st October 2009: Susan Midha appeared in The Telegraph article "Who will look after cash for the vulnerable?"

Which side of the legal divide suits you best – being a solicitor or a barrister?

• To decide what type of legal eagle to become, you need to judge your own personal skills.
• Article with Amy Richardson published in the Independent 14th October 2009
• Read this article online at the Independent website.

Your Business and the Law: Intellectual Property

• If you watch BBC’s ‘Dragon’s Den’, you’ll have seen the hopeful entrepreneurs being asked whether they own the rights or have the patent for their product or invention. What is exactly is a patent or trademark, and how do you Protect your intellectual property?.
• Radio show 'Business As Usual' with Matthew Searle on Radio Reverb
• Listen to the show at this link.

Nursing Home Fees and NHS Care

• What is fully-funded continuing care from the NHS, and who is entitled to it?
• Article by Susan Midha published on the BBC website, 5th October 2009
• Read this article online at the BBC website.

Landlords Slipping Up

• Landlords could find themselves caught up in the ‘crackdown' by the Environment Agency (EA) on property owners who haven't yet applied for a licence if they own a septic tank or cesspit which drains into a watercourse.
• Article by Suzanne Bowman published on themovechannel.com, 17th September 2009.
• Read this article online at this link.

How will long-term care be funded?

• The issue of funding of social care for the elderly is firmly back on the agenda. The government's Green Paper, published earlier this month, discusses the creation of a new social care system in England. Simon Mitchell says that everyone will need to be aware of the debate.
• Article by Simon Mitchell published on the BBC website, 29th July 2009
• Read this article online at the BBC website.

Renting Your Property For Weddings

• Renting your property for weddings can generate some extra income as long as you go about it the correct way.
• Article including Katherine Haslam published in Country Life Magazine on 17th June 2009
• Read this article online at the Country Life website.

Why conditions may be perfect for haggling with your freeholder

• While property prices head swiftly south, one silver-lined cloud has formed for anyone with a short lease - the cost of extending it is also falling.
• Article including Philip Rowland published in The Observer on Sunday 1 March 2009
• Read this article online at The Guardian website

Choosing an executor for your Will

• If you die without a will - intestate, as the legal jargon puts it - the government decides, on the basis of the intestacy rules, who benefits from your estate.
• Article by Susan Midha published on the BBC website on 28 October 2008
• Read this article online at the BBC website

Share and Share Alike

• When times are tough, it can be tempting to accept financial help from backers who believe they can profit from your business when the recession lifts. But as lawyer Douglas Stewart explains, it’s important to consider a shareholders’ agreement to regulate the relationship.
• Article by Douglas Stewart, first appeared in MIM Motor Industry News March 2009
• Read this article at this link

Breach EU Chemicals Ban and feel full force of the law, warns solicitor

• Gardeners who zap bugs with banned chemicals risk fines of up to £20,000 or even a stretch in prison, a solicitor has warned. Although the impact of the European Parliament’s latest anti-pesticide vote is unlikely to be felt in the UK until 2010, Sussex-based Adams & Remers Solicitors has warned gardeners to ignore new legislation at their peril.
• Article from Albie Passmore, first appeared in Amateur Gardening February 2009.
• Read this article at this link.

Discount gift trusts boosted by falling rates

• The amount that can be invested in a discount gift trust (DGT) without incurring an inheritance tax (IHT) liability has increased 13% as interest rates have fallen.
• Article with Susan Midha published on the Citywire website on 16th February 2009
• Read this article online at the Citywire website