The guidance from HMRC confirms that each person can make as many ‘small gifts’ at Christmas as they like. HMRC defines small gifts as those where the value is £250 or less per person.
A divorce is difficult for a family to navigate through, but it can be especially hard when there is a child that has been diagnosed with a neurodivergent condition.
It is human nature to think “it will never happen to me”, but it is a sad fact of life that an increasing number of us may, at some point, have a loved one that may go into a residential care home or require care and support in their own home. This may be due to illness, old age or perhaps as the result of personal injury or an accident, and it often happens at the most inconvenient of times.
The headlines around inheritance tax following the budget were noisy on how farmers will be affected, on pension pots and on the fact that there is no rise on the nil rate band in the near future. However, in the small print there is an important change: that is the amount of interest charged on unpaid tax liabilities.
Our Managing Partner Melinda Giles helps younger listeners understand the law around someone passing away in her appearance on the Kids Law podcast.
There is definitely speculation about potential changes to IHT. We have not seen major change since 2017. But what could happen now?
Capital Gains tax does not just apply to properties, but also to shares not held in ISAs, parcels of land, holiday homes, works of art, jewellery and digital assets (ie cryptocurrency etc).
Have you thought that one day, when the time comes, you would like to keep your parents’ home in the family? Perhaps live there yourself? Even bring up a family there? You may even have had conversations with your siblings about how one of you would buy out the others. If this is something you are thinking about – you need to start planning now.
The Act brought in a form of protection to the leasehold flat by a Certificate Scheme but unless these certificates are granted at the right time, and in the right way, the protection can be lost. It is crucial that the correct Certificates are in place if you want to sell your leasehold flat, or if you wish to buy one.
A progressive firm must be just that i.e. developing and looking towards the future. In GW’s view this must factor in considering our environmental impact (particularly with the vision to support future generations of clients!)
The Giles Wilson Moot As a leading local law firm, we seek to encourage and nurture legal potential in the region from a young age. Therefore, we are delighted to announce that Giles Wilson will be holding a Mooting competition this year. What is the Giles Wilson Moot? The Giles Wilson Moot is a competition structured as a series of mock legal hearings, leading to a grand final. Students are invited to act as legal counsel, preparing and delivering compelling arguments based on various legal scenarios to a panel of esteemed solicitors, barristers and judges. Additionally, each team of students must respond to a series of questions posed to them by the panel and be prepared to think on their feet. A unique opportunity for an insight into legal practice Recognised by the Law Society, our Moot offers a rare opportunity for local students to experience the law in practice; something that is not commonly found outside of university level study. We are very proud of the fact that is it the only competition of its kind in the Southeast. We believe that our Moot enables the participants to develop key skills that will set them in good stead for any future career, such as; confidence in public speaking, critical thinking and analytical ability. The winners will receive prizes, including the prestigious Giles Wilson Moot cup, work experience with Giles Wilson and barristers’ chambers. Getting involved We have contacted schools within a 5-mile radius of our head office in Leigh-on-Sea to be involved. The schools that participate will have the opportunity to attend ‘Moot evenings’ whereby students will receive further information on the competition, be able to ask questions and network with legal professionals within Giles Wilson. The Moot competition itself will start with the quarterfinals, taking place in October 2024, with semi-finals planned for November, and the final in December. The Moot competition is part of our calendar of events for 2024 and will be in support of our 2024 chosen charities. Therefore, anyone is welcome to come along to watch the Moot rounds and support the students and charities if they wish to. If you require any further information, please send an email to: [email protected], with the subject “Giles Wilson Moot 2024”.
When communicating with someone new, it is always a good idea to make sure you are using inclusive language. Terms such as they/them to avoid an incorrect assumption being made. Pronouns are not a suggestion; they are fundamental and vital to someone’s identity and should be respected.
If you visit us at Giles Wilson looking for advice about potential inheritance tax (IHT) we will balance the options between the good advice to spend your money on yourself now whilst you are fit and well (after all you earned it) and ‘you can’t take it with you’, against the reality that many people do want to help their own beneficiaries as much as they can.
After years of promise and debate and to much anticipation, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act finally received Royal Assent on 24 May 2024 and in doing so became the last piece of legislation passed by this Conservative government.
The expertise of our solicitors is regularly recognised by some of the profession’s most distinguished organisations. As well as being a member of a number of Law Society schemes, we have won awards at the Law Society Excellence Awards, the Halsbury Legal Awards and the Modern Law Awards.
We have also received recognition in the form of the Lexcel mark of quality, a Legal 500 listing and a place on the shortlist of The Lawyer’s Boutique Firm of the Year.
Our accolades
If you have a legal issue you are worrying about, it’s important to remember you are not alone.
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We hope that you do not have cause to complain about us but we do take any complaints very seriously and urge you to speak to a partner initially and if you are not satisfied then to follow our Complaints Procedure.
When to report a solicitor to the SRA
If you have complained to your solicitor about breaching the SRA Code of Conduct and are not satisfied with their response, you can report them to the SRA. Examples of a breach include:
When to contact the Legal Ombudsman
If you have complained to your solicitor about poor service and you are not satisfied with their response, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman who deal with poor service, such as:
