Work can be stressful, but sometimes it is unduly so. Where a workload and demands placed by an employer on an employee are excessive, there is a duty upon that employer to take action to remedy the situation. If they do not do so, the employee may be entitled to...

The legal rights of the employed and the self-employed are very different. It is only employees who can bring claims for unfair dismissal, claim redundancy payments and have the protection of the various Employment Acts. Self-employed people have none of these rights....

A person who receives money as the result of a mistake made by someone else is not entitled to keep the money. The position with money paid by mistake is much the same as if you find a £20 note in the street. The money received by mistake does not belong to you as it...

What happens if you are an employer and a third-party demands that you dismiss one of your employees? This situation may well arise if you are supplying workers under a service contract and are told by your customer that you will lose the contract unless you remove...

What do you do if your employer closes down, you are made redundant, and your employer either can’t or won’t pay you the redundancy pay that you’re owed? In these circumstances you can apply to the National Insurance Fund to pay either the whole or part of the...

What happens with money or property which has been inherited by one of the parties when they divorce can give rise to uncertainty and very often bad feeling. Will it be matrimonial property falling into the part for division? The answer is that there are no clearly...

Inheritance tax is payable when a person’s estate (their property and possessions) is worth more than £325,000 when they die. Inheritance Tax of 40% is payable on anything over this amount. The rate may be reduced to 36% if more than 10% of the estate is left to...

What would happen if you became unable to understand and deal with your business and financial affairs through ill-health or incapacity? How would you know that someone could be appointed to step in and manage your affairs for you? Who is there to protect and promote...

What is a joint Will   A joint Will is a single Will made by two people which deals with the estates of both of them. Usually it will leave everything to the other on the first death and then to agreed beneficiaries on the death of the survivor.   Mutual or...

At a conservative estimate, there is around £15 billion of assets left in the estates of deceased people which remains unclaimed. There may be a number of reasons for this and why it has not been possible for money to be paid to those entitled under a Will. Amongst...