Research undertaken regarding AI usefulness in drafting legal documents Today, I put into a popular AI chat site the request for it to draft me a consent order which was legally sound. It contains the basic information regarding the parties and facts. However, the majority of the legal parts are not included. I requested to…
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If you are about to get a divorce or are getting a divorce and are worried about how your pensions might be affected, then this is for you. What will happen to my pension if I get divorced? Any private pension you hold (not state pension) will usually count as part of the assets you…
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When divorcing, there are two paths to go down. The first path is to issue the divorce petition which will end the relationship between both parties. The second path is the financial order, this will end the financial ties between the parties. The financial order is often made ‘by consent’ and therefore known as a…
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Clarkson Hirst have successfully renewed the law society quality mark Lexcel. The assessor made the following comment: ‘After another successful annual review the firm continue to demonstrate effective practice processes and continue to deliver proactive client engagement. They utilise investment in IT and systems to make the delivery of legal services more effective and thus streamlined…
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When considering making a Will, many clients are often concerned with the rising cost of care fees. It is possible for a couple to plan your affairs to help minimise the cost of residential care fees by adopting a will structure called a ‘ Life Interest Trust’. Any assets held in the trust would be…
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You will often ask your solicitor where are we up to. Your solicitor will reply ‘we await replies to enquiries’ What does this mean? Questions we put to the sellers solicitors before we exchange contracts are known as pre-contract enquiries .There may be issues not covered by the Sellers Property Information Form, the Sellers Leasehold…
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This guide looks at rights of way obtained through a period of long use. These rights are known as prescriptive easements. The guide will consider: What is a prescriptive right of way? A prescriptive right of way is a property right known as an easement that has been acquired over someone else’s property through long…
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It is a form of home ownership where a purchaser who cannot afford to buy 100% premium of a lease purchases a percentage of the premium, typically 25% or 50%, and they then ‘own’ that share. The landlord retains the remaining share and leaseholder pays rent to the landlord for the same and then also…
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Charlotte Bamber has been awarded the Law Society Children Law Accreditation, a recognised quality standard for practitioners representing children in children law proceedings. The accreditation covers all types of children law work and is recognised by the Legal Aid Agency. It’s a way for clients and professionals (such as guardians) to choose a qualified practitioner when…
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I am pleased that Cath Steele has joined our firm after a lengthy career with a solicitors firm in Salisbury. Catherine Steele is our Licensed Conveyancer, she has over 16 years conveyancing experience and has been a full-time fee earner for 5 years. Catherine is a member of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers which regulates…
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The Government has today published its consultation seeking views on capping ground rents in long residential leases in England and Wales. The consultation is entitled “Modern leasehold: restricting ground rent for existing leases”. The consultation period is 6 weeks and the consultation period will close on 21 December 2023. In June 2023, the Leasehold Reform…
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For Wills and Conveyancing quotes only. In November, we are offering 10% off our fees net of vat. To claim this, please contact our solicitors.

King Charles III set out the measures that his government intends to bring forward in this session of parliament. Amongst those measures, it was announced that the government was to embark on further leasehold reform designed to make enfranchisement claims simpler and cheaper. Whilst the draft Bill has yet to be published (at the time…
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Investigation of title and contract The seller’s solicitor needs to examine the title to be able to draft a contract for the sale of the property. The draft contract should clearly explain the terms and conditions of the sale, the land agreed to be sold by the seller, and so on. Without a thorough investigation,…
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Purchase first steps On a purchase, the buyer’s solicitor will start to instruct property searches early in the transaction. These searches are an important part of the conveyancing process as they allow the solicitor to build a complete picture of the property and the area around it. The searches are carried out by specialist firms…
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There are different stages of conveyancing, but the end goal is transferring legal ownership of the land or property – known as the title – into the buyer’s name. The new ownership will then be registered with the Land Registry. There are key moments in all property transactions and to help you understand what happens…
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The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 reforms the divorce process. The act was passed in June 2020 and came into force on 6 April 2022. From 6 April, the new legislation: These changes also apply to the dissolution of civil partnerships.

The principle of caveat emptor (“buyer beware”) makes site inspections an essential part of the due diligence process for acquisitions of development sites. Not only are site inspections the only way to find out certain types of information about a property, more often than not they also reveal information that should be discoverable through other…
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The Renters (Reform) Bill received its first reading in the House of Commons last week, on Wednesday 17 May  Key reforms in the Bill As part of the reforms, the government also intends to work on end-to-end digitisation of the court possession process, aligned with the abolition of s.21 and new possession grounds. It is…
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Importance of EWS1 Following the Grenfell disaster, the media brought to the public’s attention the catastrophic implications of cladding on high rise properties. When buying, selling or remortgaging a property, primarily leasehold, if the property is over 18 metres high, which generally equates to six storeys there is a requirement for an EWS1. This form…
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At the end of a lease, landlords will be keen to ensure that their tenants hand the property back in a good condition so they can re-let the property with minimal delay. As a result commercial leases will usually include a number of covenants that require the tenant to keep the property in repair, to…
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Within the “A Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper”, published in June 2022, the Government intends to introduce a legally binding Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector. The White Paper sets out that 21% of privately rented homes are currently “non-decent” and 12% have serious hazards, which the Government has described as “unacceptable”.…
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We are pleased to announce that our accreditation for Lexcel has been renewed following another successful audit on 8th March 2023. The assessor commented that: “Having been accredited since 2012 now, this was another successful outcome for the firm from the assessment this year.  They are continuing to demonstrate excellent risk management, client care and…
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A recent case was settled at the Central London County Court where a purchaser successfully sued their seller for failing to disclose that a property was affected by Japanese knotweed.Japanese knotweed is a plant that is non-native to the U.K. It was initially introduced as an ornamental plant, but it is now classified as an…
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On 23 January 2023 the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (Regulations) come into force in England. The Regulations impose a range of new duties on Responsible Persons (RP) for all existing multi-occupied buildings in England (devolved nations are implementing their own regulations). The extent of the new duties depends on the type of building including…
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The Building Safety Bill finally received its Royal Assent on 28 April. It is now known as the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA). A great deal is going to be written about the provisions of the BSA but in many cases the detail has yet to be produced. In the meantime, and as a quick…
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The Government has announced that the temporary Stamp Duty £500,000 nil rate band exemption in England and Northern Ireland will be extended until 30th June 2021. This will be followed by a further tapering to a £250,000 nil rate band through to 30th September 2021. Where this extension and/or further tapering means Stamp Duty will…
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