The country may be on lockdown. But we are not. Our established key worker wills team are still here to help. Whilst there are many reasons people will often delay putting their affairs in order the importance of making it a priority cannot be overstated. Wills Our will writing team are still able to take […]

Jonathan Sharp, Managing Partner, and Mandy Arkell, Chartered Legal Executive Advocate, at the local law firm Hartley & Worstenholme, based in Pontefract and Castleford have recently gained specialist qualifications respectively as a Notary and Children Panel Member. Jonathan, a commercial property solicitor, is now one of around 850 Notaries in England and Wales to be […]

The Castleford office of Hartley & Worstenholme are please to announce that they are participating in the Martin House Children’s Hospice “make a will month” in May 2016. This gives you the opportunity to have a will written at the discounted price of £60 for a basic single will or £110 for basic mirror wills. […]

As many people are aware, in 2013 the possibility of obtaining Legal Aid to help in a dispute relating to divorce or children was severely restricted by the Legal Aid,  Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. This placed a requirement that in order for a person to receive Legal Aid (public funding) they would […]

You will no longer be able to bank on your Bank to sort things out after your death HSBC, formerly known as the Midland Bank, have taken the decision to stop offering a probate service. If you have appointed HSBC or the Midland to act as your executor, they will no longer undertake this role […]

The recent budget scarcely mentioned inheritance tax,  which is hardly surprising in light of the coalition agreement not to raise the threshold until after the forthcoming election. The government did, however, resurrect the proposal to abolish deeds of variation, a plan abandoned last century in light of strong opposition from many, including the Law Society. […]

A poll conducted by the Law Society has found that the most stressful aspect of buying a new home is the time it takes to advance the matter to completion. In fact, 65% of homebuyers indicated that they were willing to pay more in legal fees in exchange for a speedier transaction. The conveyancing process […]

The European Union (‘EU’) have recently announced new mortgage rules to be introduced in all countries that are members of the EU.   England and Wales will therefore be affected by the new regime which, by March 2016, must be implemented in relation to all residential and commercial mortgages.   The new rules will mean […]

A recent case in the High Court has provided guidance on what should be considered when a spouse applies for  maintenance payments.   Spousal maintenance, put simply, amounts to payments made from one spouse (‘Payer’) to another (‘Payee’)on a regular basis so that the Payee may continue to cope financially and transition to a financially […]

The New Regime Chancellor George Osborne said that stamp duty will be cut for 98% of homebuyers in his Autumn Statement to the Commons.  These changes came into effect at midnight on the 3rd December 2014.   Before the Autumn Changes the amount of stamp duty payable jumped at certain price levels. This system has been replaced by a […]

When couples divorce, they sometimes informally agree what will happen to the matrimonial home. They might agree that the wife should live there until the youngest reaches adulthood, that the property be sold and the proceeds be divided (not necessarily equally) or for the outgoing party to be ‘bought out’ by the person who stays. […]