Legal Precedents

1 Revocation I annul every earlier testamentary document and direct their destruction, excluding my [ insert details of Will to covering foreign assets ]......

1 Legacy to Charity I direct that a gift of ten per cent of the baseline value of my estate, as set out in Schedule 1A of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 or any statutory successor, be paid to [ insert charity details ]; and I state that this gift will not be less than [ minimum donation ] nor exceed [ maximum donation ], even if this cap means the reduced rate of Inheritance Tax will not apply......

1 Legacy of House I leave to [ insert full name ], of [ insert full address ], my share and interest in the dwelling at [ insert main residence address ], or in any substitute that serves as my principal home, the determination of which shall rest solely with my trustees, free from heritable liabilities and costs of conveyance, along with contents, embracing all my items for personal, domestic, household, garage, garden or leisure use, ornament or consumption, save for those separately left by me elsewhere. Should I not own the subject of this bequest at the time of my death, I leave to the said [ insert legatee details ], a pecuniary legacy in a sum equal to the net sale proceeds for which I will have disposed of my said interest, the amount of such sum being determined...

This survey aims to gauge knowledge and comprehension of our [ insert, eg fraud risk management or financial crime compliance ] policies and procedures, helping us evaluate the overall effectiveness of our controls in this area. Kindly respond honestly, as we [ will OR may ] rely on the survey outcomes to shape a review of our policies and training arrangements. Please tick your chosen answer, and add explanations where suitable. Once you have finished this survey, in full, please return it to [ insert name ]......

Property: [ insert name of property ] (‘ Property’) Landlord: [ insert name of landlord ] (‘ Landlord’) Tenant: [ insert name of tenant ] (‘ Tenant’) Guarantor: [ insert name of guarantor ] (‘ Guarantor’) Transaction: [ insert brief details eg grant of lease of office premises at [ address ] ] Executive summary Scope of report This report is addressed to you, [ insert name of tenant ], and is produced solely for your benefit in connection with the grant of a lease (‘ Lease’) of the Property by the Landlord to you. It is provided exclusively for your use and must not be disclosed to, or relied upon by, any other person without our prior written consent. We have not: carried out any physical inspection of the Property; save where expressly stated, undertaken searches, enquiries, or...

Property: [ insert name and/or address of the Property ] (‘ Property’) Landlord: [ insert name, address and (if applicable) the landlord’s company registration number ] (‘ Landlord’) Tenant: [ insert name, address and (if applicable) the tenant’s company registration number ] (‘ Tenant’) [ Guarantor: [ insert name, address and (if applicable) the guarantor’s company registration number ] (‘ Guarantor’) ] 1 Executive summary 1.1 Scope of report This report is directed to you, [ insert tenant’s name ], and is produced solely for your benefit in relation to the Landlord’s proposed grant of a lease (‘ Lease’) of the Property to you. You have advised that your intended occupation is as [ insert tenant’s proposed use ], and that you do not propose to redevelop or undertake any alterations to the Property [ (save as identified in this report) ]. This...

FAO: Company Secretary [ enter company name ] [ enter address ] Dear Company Secretary The late [ name of deceased ] Address: [ enter address of deceased ] Shareholding: [ enter the class and number of shares, along with the company name and registration number if known ] We are sorry to advise of the death of the late [ name of deceased ] [ otherwise known as [ enter other name(s) by which the deceased was known ] ], who passed away on the [ enter date of death ]......

Insert the following definitions as new definitions into clause 1 of Precedent: Asset purchase agreement—pro-buyer—corporate seller—conditional—long form: 1 Definitions and interpretation Sanctioned Activity means any conduct that falls within the scope of sanctions imposed by a Sanctioning Body; Sanctioning Body means the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the European Union and any other relevant local, national or multinational governmental agency, department, official parliament, public or statutory person, or any governmental or professional body, regulatory or supervisory authority, board or other body tasked with imposing and/or administering sanctions; Sanctioned Entity means any person or entity that is, or that is owned or controlled, whether directly or indirectly, by a person or entity that is, the subject of sanctions imposed by, or appears on a designated sanctions list maintained by, a Sanctioning Body, and in this clause 1, the...

Insert the following definitions as new definitions into clause 1 of Precedent: Asset purchase agreement—pro-buyer—corporate seller—unconditional—long form: 1 Definitions and interpretation Sanctioned Activity means any activity that is subject to sanctions applied by a Sanctioning Body; Sanctioning Body means the United Kingdom, United States of America, European Union, and any other relevant local, national or multinational governmental agency, department, official parliament, public or statutory person, or any governmental or professional body, regulatory or supervisory authority, board or other body tasked with imposing and/or administering sanctions; Sanctioned Entity means any person or entity that is, or that is owned or controlled, whether directly or indirectly, by a person or entity that is, the subject of sanctions imposed by, or included on a designated sanctions list of, a Sanctioning Body, and in this clause 1, the words ‘owned or...

Add the following definitions as additional definitions in clause 1 of Precedent: Asset purchase agreement—pro-seller—corporate seller—conditional—long form: 1 Definitions and interpretation Sanctioned Activity means any conduct subject to sanctions enforced by the Sanctioning Body; Sanctioning Body means the United Kingdom, United States of America, European Union and any other relevant local, national or multinational governmental agency, department, official parliament, public or statutory person, or any governmental or professional body, regulatory or supervisory authority, board or other body tasked with imposing and/or administering sanctions; Sanctioned Entity means any person or organisation that is, or that is owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a person or organisation that is, the target of sanctions imposed by, or on a designated sanctions list by, a Sanctioning Body, and in this clause 1, the words ‘owned or controlled directly or indirectly’ bear the meaning ......

1 Definitions and interpretation Sanctioned Activity: activity subject to sanctions by a Sanctioning Body; Sanctioning Body: the UK, United States of America, EU, and any other competent authority imposing or administering sanctions; Sanctioned Entity: any person or entity sanctioned or designated by a Sanctioning Body, or owned or controlled (directly or indirectly) by one that is; Sanctions Laws: law on a Sanctioned Activity applying to either Party or this Agreement’s performance; Sanctions Policy: the Seller’s sanctions policy in Appendix [ insert Appendix number ], as updated and notified to the Buyer; 1.3 The Seller During this Agreement, the Seller and each member of the Seller’s Group [ , including their officers, employees, agents or sub-contractors, ]: is not a Sanctioned Entity; has not been notified of an investigation into a Sanctioned Activity; is unaware of...

Insert the following definitions as new definitions into clause 1 of Precedent: Asset purchase agreement—short form: 1 Definitions and interpretation Sanctioned Activity • means any act subject to sanctions imposed by the Sanctioning Body; Sanctioning Body • includes the United Kingdom, United States of America, European Union, plus any other relevant local, national or multinational governmental agency, ministry, official parliament, public or statutory person, or any governmental or professional body, regulator or supervisory authority, board or other entity charged with imposing and/or administering sanctions; Sanctioned Entity • denotes any individual or organisation that is, or that is owned or controlled ......

Variations can also push back the completion date, and may give the Claimant a right to extra time and to prolongation costs. These elements of a variation claim are commonly pursued separately, as an extension of time claim and a prolongation costs claim. By way of illustration, the principal JCT forms provide distinct procedures: one for pricing the changed work, and another for evaluating loss and expense arising from the variation’s effect on the progress of the works (see Practice Note: JCT contracts—variations — Valuing variations under JCT contracts). Accordingly, Claimants should take care not to ‘double dip’ across the separate elements of the claims. No. Description of Variation Claimant’s case Defendant’s response Judge/ Tribunal comments The Claimant intended to adopt slab foundations for block A, as depicted on the Claimant’s drawing reference XX dated XX. By email dated XX, the Defendant directed the use of...

1 General information Date of this report: [ Insert date ] Date of the previous report: [ Insert date ] Name and status of person submitting report: [ Insert name and status, eg Head of risk ] 2 Action points arising from last report Action point: [ Action point ] Person responsible: [ Identify person responsible for this action point ] Status: [ Insert status ] Action point: [ Action point ] Person responsible: [ Identify person responsible for this action point ] Status: [ Insert status ] ...

Share purchase agreement—super short form Add the following definitions as fresh definitions to clause 1 of Precedent...

This Contract consists of the finalised Constructing Excellence Contract 2024 Edition issued by the JCT, and is varied by the amendments set out below: CONTRACT PARTICULARS The Parties’ completed Contract Particulars shall apply, subject to these changes: Part 1: Details Relevant to the Conditions 4.33 Rectification Period: add a new bullet after the second bullet stating ‘from receipt of the completion certificate from the Building Safety Regulator in respect of’. 8.6 Limitation on liability of Supplier: delete entry. 12.1 Supplementary Conditions—footnote on clause 12.3: delete from footnote 20 the wording ‘clause 12.3 ( The Public Contracts Regulations 2015) only applies where stated in those provisions’. Part 8: Third Party Rights and Collateral Warranties 8....

Date: [ insert date ] From: [ Insert name and job title ] Official statistics indicate that fraud is the most prevalent offence in the UK. As an organisation, we could be exposed to fraud unless we treat the risk with care and prudence. Managing this risk seriously and sensibly is essential to protect our business. We also face liability for the corporate offence of failure to prevent fraud carried out for our benefit, introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 ( ECCTA 2023) and effective from 1 September 2025, which carries severe penalties. This offence operates alongside existing fraud law, so the individual who committed the fraud can be prosecuted personally for the fraud, while our organisation is prosecuted for failing to prevent it. Our fraud risk management policy and associated procedures are our first line of defence, both in...

FORTHCOMING CHANGE: Potential changes to Wills Act 1837 The Law Commission’s review of Wills has released its final report dated 16 May 2025, and Volume II sets out a draft bill proposing replacement of the Wills Act 1837. For information about these proposals, including the published draft legislation, see Practice Note: Hot topic—modernising Wills and Modernising wills: Final Report Volume II: draft Bill for a new Wills Act. 1 Revocation I, [ full name of testator ], of [ address of testator ], revoke every prior testamentary disposition made by me [ to the extent, and only so far, as they relate to my property of every description within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ] and state that this is my final Will. [ I also revoke any earlier appointments of guardians of my minor children made by me before the date of this...

[ Insert organisation name ] is proud of how we conduct our business. Our Code of ethics sets out the standards and policies that govern our operations and applies to everyone. Please read the Code carefully, make sure you understand it, and use it to guide your work. If you have any queries about the Code or its application, please speak with [ insert contact details ]. 1 What is fraud? 1.1 In broad terms, fraud is a criminal act involving deception or theft to secure an advantage. 1.2 The failure to prevent fraud offence under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 ( ECCTA 2023) covers a wide range of fraud offences carried out for the benefit of our organisation, including: fraud by false representation fraud by failing to disclose information fraud by abuse of position obtaining services...

STOP PRESS: Abolition of non-dom regime and introduction of residence-based IHT regime The Finance Act 2025 ( FA 2025), which obtained Royal Assent on 20 March 2025, enacts the removal of the remittance basis of taxation, replacing it with a residence-based framework from 6 April 2025. FA 2025 likewise substitutes domicile as the primary factor for determining liability to inheritance tax. Further measures include: Revisions to the rules that define excluded property status; The abolition of the protected settlements status of offshore trusts; and Amendments to overseas workday relief. For guidance on these developments, see Practice Notes: The abolition of the remittance basis of taxation from 2025–26 and A new residence-based regime for IHT from 2025–26. See also: Finance Bill Tracking Service: Key dates ( Finance Bill 2025) and Finance Act 2025. [ Your ] Will—[ name of testator ]—[ explanatory note ] This [ explanatory note ] outlines the main...