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Gift – Donatio mortis causa. The claimant commenced proceedings seeking a declaration that his aunt had left him her house following a donatio mortis causa. Two of the charities which had been named beneficiaries in her will, unsuccessfully defended that claim and appealed. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, clarified the requirements of a donatio mortis causa and warned against any extension of the doctrine towards other situations. The charities' appeal was allowed as two of the three requirements for a donatio mortis causa had not been met. The judge's hypothetical award for reasonable financial provision for the claimant under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975 was upheld as there had been no error of law and the figure arrived at had not been outside the permissible bracket.
Gift – Donatio mortis causa. The claimant commenced proceedings seeking a declaration that his aunt had left him her house following a donatio mortis causa. Two of the charities which had been named beneficiaries in her will, unsuccessfully defended that claim and appealed. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, clarified the requirements of a donatio mortis causa and warned against any extension of the doctrine towards other situations. The charities' appeal was allowed as two of the three requirements for a donatio mortis causa had not been met. The judge's hypothetical award for reasonable financial provision for the claimant under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975 was upheld as there had been no error of law and the figure arrived at had not been outside the permissible bracket.
Chair of the Bar reports back
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, outlines the drug and alcohol testing options available for family law professionals, and how a new, free guide can help identify the most appropriate testing method for each specific case
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the latest ONS data on drug misuse and its implications for toxicology testing in family law cases
A career shaped by advocacy beyond her practice, and the realities of living with an invisible disability – Dr Natasha Shotunde, Black Barristers’ Network Co-Founder and its Chair for seven years, reflects on a decade at the Bar
Responding to criticism on the narrow profile of government-instructed counsel, Mel Nebhrajani CB describes the system-wide change at GLD to drive fairer distribution of work and broader development of talent
The odds of success are as unforgiving as ever, but ambition clearly isn’t in short supply. David Wurtzel’s annual deep‑dive into the competition cohort shows who’s entering, who’s thriving and the trends that will define the next wave
Where to start and where to find help? Monisha Shah, Chair of the King’s Counsel Selection Panel, provides an overview of the silk selection process, debunking some myths along the way
Do chatbot providers owe a duty of care for negligent misstatements? Jasper Wong suggests that the principles applicable to humans should apply equally to machines
