December 2011 newsletter

Burt Brill & Cardens Newsletter Dec 2011 newsletter

Insurance for legal disputes, commercial property tax breaks, avoiding court in divorce and other news-stories from Burt Brill & Cardens newsletter Dec 2011  - header picture
 

Dec 2011

We wish all our clients and colleagues a very Happy Christmas and a successful New Year.

Thank you for your continued support which is much appreciated.

We hope you enjoy this quarter's newsletter. If you would like to know more please talk to us.

 

Insurance cover for legal disputes

Commercial Property tax breaks

Divorce - 5 reasons to avoid court

Financial Planning - beware!

 
 

Caught up in a legal dispute?
you may have insurance

The cost of taking legal action can be expensive - but you may already have insurance to cover the cost.

Many car and household policies have a legal expenses insurance add-on to cover the cost of taking legal action.

If you have suffered an injury, been unfairly dismissed from work, or had a dispute with a tradesman, we will check your insurance policies to see if you have legal expenses insurance to bring a claim.

 
 

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Capital allowances on commercial property
Are you missing out?

 
 

Many buyers of commercial property are not claiming capital allowances on the purchase.

Although there is no tax relief for the purchase of commercial land or buildings, buyers can claim for the fixtures, fittings, plant and equipment attached to them.

Plant and machinery includes many "integral features" of commercial property ranging from electrical, heating and water systems to lifts. Most commercial premises have these assets. Pubs, restaurants, or nursing homes generally have significant assets attached to the bricks and mortar.

A purchaser's right to claim is restricted if the previous owner has already claimed capital allowances. We fully investigate the capital allowance history of a property for clients and advise them or their accountants on potential claims.

So, what if you have already purchased a property but have not made a claim? Presently, tax payers have two years to make or amend a capital allowances claim. But this is set to change in April 2012, when the Government intends to withdraw the opportunity to make late claims, even if the tax payer still owns the asset.

Buyers of commercial property within the last two years need to act now and have until April 2012 to submit any claims for capital allowances on past purchases.

For more information please contact us.

 
 

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Thinking about divorce or separation?
5 reasons not to go to Court!

 
 

Lord Wilson, the newest Supreme Court judge, spoke this month about the advantages of collaborative law for resolving divorce-related disputes rather than going to court.

Wendy Ryle is a fully trained collaborative lawyer, leads our divorce and family separation team.

As Lord Wilson said collaborative law is using properly trained lawyers to work with the parties to resolve family disputes, without going to court. The idea came to the UK from United States about eight years ago and is increasingly popular with the leading family law firms and their clients.

The five reasons given by Lord Wilson warning against taking your divorce or family dispute to court were:

1. Cost    2. Delay  3. Publicity   4. Uncertainty and  5. the Emotional burden!

Collaborative lawyers are trained to work with their clients to achieve a solution without going to court.

If you would like to know more, then please contact our Collarorative lawyer Wendy Ryle for an initial conversation.

 
 

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Never go to a bank for financial advice?

 
 

Go to your bank for financial advice and you'll end up with a product that is both overpriced and grossly unsuitable, says Merryn Somerset Webb editor-in-chief of Money Week, the best-selling financial magazine.

"Pretty much every investigation into the quality of the financial advice given by the banks - be it by Panorama or by Which? - concludes that it is almost entirely rubbish" is the unflattering conclusion she reaches.

It may also be fair to say that one of the key problems is financial advice driven by commission, rather than fees agreed in advance.

If you would like more information about fee based financial planning advice from a Chartered Financial Planning company then our associated company DKM Wealth can help. Formed as a joint venture with Square One Financial Planning, DKM Wealth is regulated by the Financial Services Authority and advises on a fee not commission basis.

Read Merryn Somerset Webb's article or click more to learn about DKM Wealth.

 
 

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