Money worries could drive more than one in 10 married couples to split this year, according to new research. Some 22% of people have considered ending their relationships, a survey found, with family finances cited as the main reason for break-ups. Other top causes for tension include working long hours, domestic responsibilities, not spending enough time together, and lack of sex. The results of the study of 2,093 British people were released on Monday 8 January – a date lawyers have dubbed ‘divorce day’ because of the spike in couples considering ending their marriage after the festive period. Family lawyer […]

In 2012, the former owners of the Inn on the Square sued Lander University and its foundation for what the suit says was a “breach of oral contract” to purchase the hotel. Nearly six years later, the lawsuit still hasn’t been resolved. Crystal Rookard, who was recently hired as general counsel at Lander, told the university’s board of trustees at a meeting in December that the suit stemmed from an assumption that Lander would buy the building while it was leasing it several years ago. The company that owned the hotel and property until April 2012 is IOS LLC, which […]

Imagine if you could have your opponent’s premises searched, his Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo accounts secretly monitored, his assets frozen, his passport seized, and even have him arrested and imprisoned – all before trial. The English Courts have developed powerful and innovative remedies such as these to assist victims of fraud. And while they may be familiar to English civil fraud lawyers, they are likely less familiar to lawyers in other jurisdictions. In this article, we summarize some of the different kinds of aggressive measures that are available in English civil fraud litigation, which include substantial fines, asset seizures, orders […]

4 January 2018 Litigation – art or science? Deadman: The computers are coming Posted by Chris Deadman, director of operations at Litigation Futures Associate Invicta Capital Funding If you live in my part of the world, the fireworks season starts on 1 October and concludes on 31 January. Since the New Year, my evenings have been punctuated by an unremitting barrage of cut-price pyrotechnics, only marginally more impressive than the brief night-time display given to motorists following smoking van drivers. But lately the sound I’m hearing is not that of jumping jacks but the sound of a thousand backs being […]

Thursday, January 4, 2018 The securities litigation and regulatory landscape in 2017 defies simple categorization.  Plaintiffs filed 226 new federal class actions in the first half of 2017, more than double the average rate over the last 20 years,1 and an additional 99 federal class actions in the third quarter of 2017.2  In contrast, new SEC enforcement proceedings declined.  After staying on pace with the prior two years with 45 new enforcement actions against public company-related defendants in the first half of fiscal year 2017, the SEC filed only 17 new enforcement actions against public company-related defendants in the second half […]

The renewable energy market in Scotland is in transition as projects started under the last subsidy regime are completed. The end of the Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) scheme by the UK Government has had a major impact, according to Andy Macfarlane, partner at Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie. “Lots of big onshore wind projects are coming to an end after ROC and [for] those lucky enough to get a contract for difference in the first couple of rounds,” he says. “There was a rush by developers to meet the deadline and all those involved pulled out the stops to get the […]

Millennials will enjoy the biggest ‘inheritance boom’ of any post-war generation, according to a new report. The Resolution Foundation said wealth accumulated by older people would benefit younger generations in years to come. The think-tank said inheritances would double over the next 20 years as so-called baby boomers – born between 1946 and 1965 – become older. Almost two thirds of people aged 20 to 35 have parents who own property, which they might expect to get a share of in the future, the report said. UK think tank The Resolution Foundation said inheritances would double over the next 20 […]

A RESTAURANT tycoon left nursing a £350m divorce bill is getting hitched to a property developer half his age – just one year after splitting with his wife of 45 years. Fashion mogul Caring, 69, announced his engagement to stunning Brazilian property developer Patricia Mondinni, 36, with a lavish party headlined by Latin crooner Ricky Martin. Getty – Contributor The tycoon announced his engagement to Patr with a lavish party Caring parted ways with wife Jacqui, 68, last year – and was still thrashing out the terms of a settlement that could cost half of his £700million fortune when he […]

‘Divorce Day’ – the first working day in January – is fast approaching and solicitors are expecting a rise in calls as couples make the difficult decision to separate. But why do people file for divorce so soon after the festive period ends? It’s been revealed that couples often try to ‘keep it together over Christmas’ – and there are three main reasons. Sally Powell, executive partner at law firm Tees, told the Huddersfield Daily Examiner : “While the term ‘Divorce Day’ can downplay what is an incredibly complex time in people’s lives, it is true that there is an […]