The Austin Lafferty Solicitors & Estate Agents Blog

Listen to Austin Lafferty's take on party litigants from his recent radio appearance on MacAulay & Co with Fred MacAulay:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010gmrt#synopsis

In the week that William and Kate tie the knot, one can only wonder if any decisions have been taken by the parties in agreement of what the financial provisions would be in the event of a future Royal divorce.

Along with your biro, Harry Potter boxed set and James Blunt CD, you can get a will or a divorce at the counter -  and pay by swiping your credit card.

The granting of powers of attorney is inevitably increasing in an ageing society. But this could just be the tip of the iceberg should a future proposed test for Alzheimer disease be introduced.

Blogging from the Law Society of Scotland AGM. Firm editor Steven Raeburn is doing his tweet reports as we speak, so I won’t do the blow-by-blow account that he is expertly carrying out. More of a rough sketch from me.

How social media can help separated parents exercise contact.

When I began in the legal profession in 1979, my first job was as an apprentice conveyancer in Glasgow. It was the very start of a revolution.

Whilst the granting of a Power of Attorney can be indispensable for a family in situations where they may have an ageing parent, it is not a power that should be granted without serious consideration.

I was asked by the Herald to comment on the attempt by former Royal Bank of Scotland chief Sir Fred Goodwin to block any newspaper making certain references to him. Whether or not you are familiar with the term super-injunction or not, most people know that anyone wanting to prevent false and scurrilous stories appearing in newspapers or on TV can go to court to get an order to prevent such publication. In England it’s called injunction, in Scotland the terms is interdict.

It is perhaps no surprise to readers of my legal blog that I am fascinated by all aspects of the law – and even more how the law affects people, whether they be clients of Austin Lafferty Solicitors or not.

Well, not always. A last will and testament may very well be put together by a solicitor, but it can in fact be prepared by anyone – the person who is planning their own succession may just handwrite and sign a statement of their wishes, or go to a stationery shop and buy a home will kit, or instruct one of the will-writing companies around.

Whether or not you are a foodie, Jamie Oliver is well-known to everyone in the British Isles – and probably beyond, such is his proclivity for sauntering around the world trying out local cuisine everywhere on the planet.

A few days ago the news was full of questions about cohabitation (living together). It used to be called biding-in, common law marriage, or even living in sin, but now is a perfectly respectable and stable way of living in a family for many couples in Britain.

Contact us for advice on all aspects of living together, cohabitation and family law in general: 0800 032 9876.

Do I need one? And why do we use an American word in a Scottish legal document?

For advice on all aspects of Power of Attorney contact our solicitors in Glasgow & East Kilbride.

On the basis that most doctors I know are scathing about Holby City, Casualty and Emergency Ward 10 ( for our more mature clients…), I don’t make a beeline to the telly to see programmes about legal matters – unless I am on them of course.

Austin’s election as Vice-President of the Law Society of Scotland has attracted the interest of the Scotsman newspaper, and in a Major interview he sets out his vision for the future of the legal profession and his own contribution to the life and work of Scottish solicitors for the next couple of years

Austin Lafferty has been elected Vice-President of the Law Society of Scotland, making him one of the office bearers for the professional body for all lawyers. To read more visit the links attached.

I am blogging, as sometime happens, in reaction and response to my esteemed co-blogger and pal Mike Dailly. I don’t know which of us is Celtic and which is Rangers, but God help the referee who tells a lie about which of us got to the ball first.

The law tends to be like ivy. It creeps unseen and unrelentingly into all crevices, wraps itself around all branches and walls, and covers everything in its range . Whether as citizens we regard this comprehensive cover as  lush green leafage, or a slow strangulation of the natural world, is a matter of opinion.

That’s us into the New Year good and proper. I hope everyone had as relaxing a break as possible, bearing in mind that the last couple of weeks of the year were even more stressful than usual with the snow and all the problems it brought along in its drifts.