Sector Focus
Legal
Sponsored by: Sydney Mitchell LLP
Making a will without legal advice stores up trouble for the future!
The validity of wills can come under challenge and, if you want peace to reign in your family after you are gone, professional drafting and advice make a real difference advises Shelley Collingbourne, Associate Solicitor at Sydney Mitchell LLP.
That was certainly so in one case in which the High Court ruled that a musician knew his own mind when he cut his son out of his £1.3 million estate. By the will he signed five
months before his death from cancer, aged 81, the man left half his estate to his daughter and the other half to his five grandchildren. There was no bequest to his son, although a non-binding letter of wishes that was attached to the document urged that he be given certain chattels. In dismissing the son’s challenge to the will, the High Court rejected arguments that the man did not have the legal capacity to execute it. He had known and understood its contents and claims that his daughter had fraudulently poisoned his mind against his son also fell on fallow ground. A critical factor in the Court’s ruling was that the will was rational on its face, properly executed and drafted by a lawyer.
For help and guidance on this or other private client matters speak to Shelley on 0808 166 8870 and make sure you have a valid legal will.
Sydney Mitchell LLP is a Top Tier Legal 500 firm with offices in Birmingham, Sheldon, Shirley and facilities in Sutton Coldfield.
66 CHAMBERLINK July/August 2018
Law firm is buzzing about teaming up with Wasps
Midlands law firm Wright Hassall has signed a deal with Coventry rugby giants Wasps ahead of the new season to be the club’s legal partner. The five-year agreement will see
Wright Hassall undertake the majority of Wasps’ legal work across a wide range of its activities, while its name will feature on next season’s first team shirt.
‘We feel there is great synergy between our two companies’
Wright Hassall, which is headquartered in Leamington Spa and is The Lawyer’s ‘Regional Law Firm of the Year’, won the right to represent the Wasps Group in a competitive pitch with other national firms. Wright Hassall partner Phil
Wilding, who led the successful bid, said the contract would see the firm work right across its various specialist areas. He said: “We have got to know
Wasps well since the club first moved to Coventry. They have made a massive impact in this area and we are delighted to have won the right to represent them.
New partnership (from left): Phil Wilding and Sarah Perry (both Wright Hassall), Nick Eastwood (Wasps), Jon Preston (Wright Hassall)
“We have a string of mutual
clients and have worked alongside them on a number of initiatives including representing the region at the MIPIM property conference. “The agreement will see us
undertake work from private client through to corporate across their business activities. We feel there is great synergy between our two companies and we have structured our agreement which will allow us to work very closely going forward.”
Wasps chief executive Nick
Eastwood said: “The first priority with selecting our legal partner is the quality of advice they can provide and we know that Wright Hassall fits the bill on that front. “They have looked at our needs
with a very fresh and flexible approach and to have that in a law firm who are also based locally is exactly what we wanted. We are certain it will be a very fruitful partnership.”
Solicitors transform petrol station
A derelict garage in Birmingham that had been an eyesore for years has been redeveloped as a new petrol station, thanks to careful legal work by Thursfields Solicitors. More than 30 jobs have been
created at the Applegreen petrol station on the Stratford Road in Hall Green following its construction by Quantor Ltd, a specialist developer based in Bewdley, Worcestershire. John McLean, a senior associate
solicitor in Thursfields’ commercial property department in Birmingham, advised Quantor on the initial purchase of the site and the lease for the development. Mr McLean said: “We were
pleased to be involved on a project that drove the regeneration of this old, unattractive brownfield site on this key A34 route into Birmingham. “It wasn’t an easy matter, but we
worked hard with the client and other parties and it’s very satisfying to now see a fresh petrol station that has brought new jobs and business to this area.”
Service area: Malcolm Proctor with Thursfields’ Shauna Halls and John McLean Malcolm Proctor, managing
director of Quantor Ltd, said: “This was a time-sensitive project involving complex legal matters that involved several large parties, and we needed someone who could act swiftly and positively. “We were impressed with
Thursfields’ immediate grasp of the intricate matters relating to this transaction, which involved a large
oil company and a local government body. There were many complications, but thanks to John McLean’s thoroughness and tenacity the deal concluded on time and in budget.” The Applegreen petrol station is
owned by Petrogas Group UK Ltd and includes a Costa Coffee shop. It is one of nearly 100 Applegreen stations across the UK.
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