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Family provision – Property available for financial provision. A woman had died from terminal illness and her husband had received a payment under the life insurance policy that they held. However, they were in the process of divorcing at the time of her death and she had had a child with another partner. The child issued proceedings under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975. A preliminary issue was determined which held that immediately before her death, the deceased had been entitled to a joint tenancy of the right under the life policy to benefit from her assumed terminal illness. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, held that although there had been a severable interest in the policy immediately prior to the deceased's death, it had had a nil value because the benefit had been dependent upon an appropriate claim having been made and, as no claim had been made, there had been no value to be treated as part of the estate.
Family provision – Property available for financial provision. A woman had died from terminal illness and her husband had received a payment under the life insurance policy that they held. However, they were in the process of divorcing at the time of her death and she had had a child with another partner. The child issued proceedings under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975. A preliminary issue was determined which held that immediately before her death, the deceased had been entitled to a joint tenancy of the right under the life policy to benefit from her assumed terminal illness. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, held that although there had been a severable interest in the policy immediately prior to the deceased's death, it had had a nil value because the benefit had been dependent upon an appropriate claim having been made and, as no claim had been made, there had been no value to be treated as part of the estate.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC
The Chief Legal Officer to the Metropolitan Police, barrister Brett Welch, tells Anthony Inglese CB about his mission and the work to turn the Met around
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Grok around and find out – or not? Mariya Peykova investigates the nudification scandal, what the law has to say about sexually explicit deepfakes, and whether stronger regulation is needed
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts