Law
New legislation and court rulings in Britain — family and divorce, employment disputes, tenancies and fines: what changed, when it takes effect and where to go.
Being harassed: what the law protects and how to stop it
Persistent calls and messages, being followed, threats — all can fall under the law against harassment. Here is what it provides and how to use it.
How to make a valid will in England: signature and two witnesses
A will that ignores the formalities can be declared invalid. The law sets clear requirements — here they are, under the Wills Act 1837.
Changing your name in England: deed poll at £53.05, three forms and The Gazette
A name in England and Wales is changed by deed poll. The do-it-yourself version works from age 16 and costs nothing, but a bank may refuse it. The version enrolled at the High Court costs £53.05, needs three forms and is published in The Gazette.
An unmarried partner inherits nothing: the no-will rules in England
The most dangerous myth about inheritance in England: that long-term common-law partners inherit from each other. They do not. With no will, the intestacy rules apply, and an unmarried partner automatically inherits NOTHING — however many years you lived together and whether or not you have children. Here is who inherits, in what order, and what a partner can do.
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Shop theft in England: seven years maximum, the truth about £200 and what the 2026 Act changes
Seven years maximum under the Theft Act 1968. The £200 rule only decides which court hears the case. Charges rose 17% in a year, and a conviction blocks visas and settlement.
Pothole wrecked your wheel: how to claim money from the council
The council owns the road, but section 58 of the Highways Act 1980 lets it walk away if its inspections were on schedule. Six years to claim for vehicle damage, three for injury, court fees from £35.
What becomes free on 1 January, and what an author earns from a book
From 1 January 2027 the Winnie-the-Pooh stories can be printed and translated freely, while the drawings stay protected until 2047. The rule is simple: 70 years after the author's death, with separate terms for illustrators and translators. Meanwhile a living author earns 12.40p from a library loan, and three quarters of the scheme's members make under £100 a year.
GRO certificate copies and apostilles: costs, timings and limits
A GRO certificate copy costs £12.50 and is sent 4 days after you apply with an index reference number, or 15 working days without one. An apostille is a separate £45 and up to 25 working days — and GRO documents cannot get an e-Apostille.
Subject access requests: getting your records, emails and CCTV
An organisation must give you a copy of the data it holds about you as soon as possible and within one month. Health records are quickest to check in the NHS App, and silence or refusal can be taken to the ICO.
ONLYWAY NEWSLIVEJobs & Business · 23.10Caring for a relative: your right to carer's leave (since 2024)Housing · 23.10Squatting in a home is a crime: what the law saysJobs & Business · 23.10Losing a child: your right to paid leave («Jack's Law»)Housing · 23.10A neighbour's camera or doorbell films your garden: your rightsLaw · 23.10Being harassed: what the law protects and how to stop itJobs & Business · 23.10New job: your written terms must be given on day oneMoney · 23.10Buying privately or from a shop: why your rights differMoney · 23.10A faulty game, app or film: what your rights areJobs & Business · 23.10Money docked from your pay: when it's legal and when it isn'tMarkets · 23.10Check the deal with your primeONLYWAY NEWS · appInstall the ONLYWAY NEWS appFresh UK news, classifieds, key dates and exchange rates on your home screen, one tap away. Free.NewsClassifiedsCalendarRates
Freedom of information requests: how to get data from a public body
Anyone can ask a public authority in writing to show recorded information it holds. The response deadline is 20 working days, most requests are free, and a refusal can be reviewed internally and then taken to the ICO.
Bailiffs at the door: what they cannot do and cannot take
Bailiffs must usually give 14 days' notice, you usually do not have to open the door, they cannot force entry or call between 9pm and 6am, and work tools worth under £1,350 are protected.
Help with Fees: how to avoid a court fee, or get one you have already paid back
Court and tribunal fees are cut or waived for people with low savings and modest income. Here are the £4,250 and £16,000 savings limits, the £1,420 and £2,130 income lines, form EX160 and the three-month refund window.
Changing your name by deed poll in England: free yourself or £53.05 through the High Court
There are two ways to change your name: make the document yourself for nothing, or enrol it with the High Court for £53.05. Here is what you can change, what you cannot, and which version a bank or phone company will accept.
Lasting power of attorney in England: £92, 8–10 weeks and two separate documents
A lasting power of attorney is the only way to give someone you trust the right to decide about your money or your care in England and Wales. Registration costs £92 per document, takes 8 to 10 weeks, and the fee is halved if the donor's income is under £12,000 a year. Here are the types, the steps and the deadlines.
Bought a faulty used car in the UK: how to get your money back
The Consumer Rights Act 2015, in force since 1 October 2015, gives a buyer 30 days to reject a faulty car and take back the full price with no deduction, and for the first six months it is the seller who must prove the car was sound. Here is what to do when a car bought from a dealer goes wrong, why a later rejection costs you a deduction for mileage, and how a private sale differs.
Legal aid in the UK: who can get a free lawyer and how to apply
State-funded legal help in England and Wales is available on a joint income of up to £2,657 a month and assets of up to £8,000 — and for domestic abuse, care proceedings and eviction your finances are not checked at all. Here is what legal aid covers, what it does not, how the free eligibility check works and who to call if English is not your first language.
Child maintenance in the UK in 2026: how much you pay and how the CMS works it out
Child maintenance in the UK is worked out by the Child Maintenance Service using an open formula: 12% to 19% of the paying parent's gross weekly income. DWP figures published on 29 September 2026 show 820,000 arrangements covering 1.1 million children at the end of June 2026, with 23% of paying parents on Collect and Pay paying nothing that quarter.
Court and tribunal interpreters: who gets one free and what changed on 5 October 2026
From 5 October 2026 courts and tribunals in England and Wales moved onto new language services contracts, adding Translate UK alongside main supplier thebigword. Ministry of Justice figures show 53,253 interpreter requests completed between April and June 2026, but 4,088 had to be bought off-contract — a record — and 185 trials did not start on the day because no interpreter was available.
Courts in England and Wales must now record domestic abuse in the sentence: what changed on 5 October
From 5 October 2026 criminal courts in England and Wales must formally record when an offence involved domestic abuse. The Judicial Finding of Domestic Abuse was introduced by the Sentencing Act 2026 and will be visible to police, probation and prisons. ONS data show 3.8 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in the year to March 2025, with 816,493 related crimes recorded by police.
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England keeps jury trials: the government has rewritten its criminal courts reform
On 4 October 2026 the Ministry of Justice announced it is dropping plans to have some serious criminal cases heard without a jury. The reason for the reform has not gone away: 80,829 cases were waiting at the Crown Court at the end of June 2026, 23,706 of them for a year or more. The rewritten Courts and Tribunals Bill returns to the House of Commons on 13 October.
A jury summons has arrived: what to do, how long it lasts and what it pays
Jury summonses in England and Wales are sent at random from the electoral register, and you must respond within 7 days: silence or failing to attend can cost up to £1,000. Service usually lasts up to 10 working days, the court pays no wages but covers loss of earnings of up to £64.95 a day. Here is who gets called — foreign nationals included — how to move the date and what you can claim.
Divorce in England: what it costs, how long it takes, and why 'marry an Englishman and take half' is a myth
A scheme discussed in immigrant chats: marry an Englishman, endure a year, divorce — and leave with half his house. Here is how English family law actually works: divorce has been 'no-fault' since 2022, but no application is accepted before a year of marriage, the process takes at least six months and costs £628, money is divided in separate proceedings with no automatic fifty-fifty, and a visa tied to the marriage dies with it.
Wills, inheritance and probate in the UK: who inherits without a will, the £325,000 threshold, 40% tax and a £526 probate fee
With no will, the law in England and Wales decides who gets what — and an unmarried partner gets nothing. From the primary sources: the £322,000 statutory legacy for a spouse, two witnesses and why marriage cancels an old will, the £526 probate fee, 40% above £325,000, the seven-year rule on gifts, and what changes for pensions on 6 April 2027.
How to get your money back through the courts in England: claims online from £35, a £10,000 small claims limit and free mediation
A landlord kept your money, a tradesman took a deposit and vanished, a friend will not repay. In England and Wales the process is still called the small claims court and it is built for people without lawyers. From GOV.UK and the statute: time limits, fees, fee remission, compulsory free mediation and what to do when you win and they still do not pay.
ONLYWAY NEWSLIVEJobs & Business · 23.10Caring for a relative: your right to carer's leave (since 2024)Housing · 23.10Squatting in a home is a crime: what the law saysJobs & Business · 23.10Losing a child: your right to paid leave («Jack's Law»)Housing · 23.10A neighbour's camera or doorbell films your garden: your rightsLaw · 23.10Being harassed: what the law protects and how to stop itJobs & Business · 23.10New job: your written terms must be given on day oneMoney · 23.10Buying privately or from a shop: why your rights differMoney · 23.10A faulty game, app or film: what your rights areJobs & Business · 23.10Money docked from your pay: when it's legal and when it isn'tMarkets · 23.10Check the deal with your primeONLYWAY NEWS · appInstall the ONLYWAY NEWS appFresh UK news, classifieds, key dates and exchange rates on your home screen, one tap away. Free.NewsClassifiedsCalendarRates
How to return goods in the UK: 30 days for faults, 14 days for online orders, and chargeback when the shop says no
The law gives you 30 days to reject faulty goods for a full refund and 14 days to cancel an online order without giving a reason. For the first six months the retailer must prove the fault was not there at purchase. If the shop refuses, the bank pays: Section 75 on credit cards from £100 to £30,000 and chargeback within 120 days on debit cards. A step-by-step guide.