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15th July 2026 ❘ Legal News and Commentary More couples than ever are choosing to live together without getting married or entering into a civil partnership. However, many people are surprised to discover that unmarried couples do not enjoy the same legal protections as married couples. This misunderstanding is often referred to as the myth of the “common law marriage”.

15th July 2026 ❘ Legal News and Commentary Divorce can be challenging for any family. For farming families, however, the issues are often significantly more complex. A family farm is rarely just a home. It is often a business, a source of income, a long-term investment and, in many cases, an asset that has been passed through generations. Decisions made during a divorce can therefore have consequences that extend far beyond the separating couple.

13th July 2026 ❘ Legal News and Commentary By Rebecca Adams, Agri and Estates Partner The changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) from 6 April 2026 have fundamentally altered the inheritance tax landscape for many farming families.

13th July 2026 ❘ Legal News and Commentary By Ben Crystal, Senior Associate Solicitor in our Commercial Property team The Government has introduced new regulations that will require information relating to certain contractual agreements to be disclosed to HM Land Registry.

13th July 2026 ❘ Legal News and Commentary By Anna Lovett, Head of Employment Many SME and mid-market businesses have never had any trade union involvement. As a result, some employers assume the trade union reforms introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025 are unlikely to affect their business. However, that may not be the case.

13th July 2026 ❘ Burnetts' News Proud to sponsor the Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park Award… The Cumbria Tourism Awards 2026 brought together some of the county’s most inspiring tourism businesses last week, celebrating the people, innovation and dedication that continue to make Cumbria one of the UK’s leading visitor destinations.

6th July 2026 ❘ Legal News and Commentary When a marriage breaks down, concerns about inheritance often arise very quickly. For many people, inherited assets represent far more than money. They may include a family home, agricultural land, a long-established business, investment portfolios or assets that have been passed down through generations.

3rd July 2026 ❘ Legal News and Commentary By Jennifer Bell, Corporate Partner Agriculture has always been an industry built on trust, relationships and a good firm handshake. But while a handshake may still seal the deal in principle, it is often the written contract that determines who carries the risk when things do not go according to plan.

2nd July 2026 ❘ Legal News and Commentary By Rebecca Collihole, Commercial Property Partner. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has published an interim response to its earlier consultations (in 2019 and 2021) on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) for non-domestic private rented properties in England and Wales, i.e. affecting commercial properties.

2nd July 2026 ❘ Legal News and Commentary Family farms often create some of the most complex inheritance disputes, particularly where succession plans are unclear or verbal promises have been made over many years.