Industry News

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is to decide on two crucial legal questions concerning the legal status of assets held in discretionary trusts where the beneficiary is designated under EU sanctions against Russia.

Regulations come into effect on 10 October 2024, imposing a legal duty on UK providers of legal or financial services to report suspected breaches of trade sanctions.

The Australian federal government has tabled the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2024. The Bill expands the anti-money laundering (AML) regime to so-called 'tranche 2' service provider entities including lawyers, accountants, trustee service providers, corporate service providers, real estate agents and precious commodity dealers.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has noted that solicitors acting as certificate providers in England and Wales not will not be legally required to respond to inquiries made by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) about whether a lasting power of attorney (LPA) has been validly executed.

A decision from the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario has rejected a woman’s challenge to her sister’s will due to a lack of evidence. Patricia Graham (the applicant) had argued that Sheila McNally’s (the deceased’s) will was invalid on the grounds of lack of testamentary capacity, undue influence and suspicious circumstances surrounding its execution.

A notary working in a European Union Member State does not breach the EU's sanctions against Russia when authenticating the sale of a property owned by an unlisted Russian company, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled (Case C-109/23).

The UK government has enacted new regulations clarifying that professionals can provide Russian clients with legal advice intended to help them comply with sanctions, despite the general ban on legal services imposed by the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2024 (the 2024 Regulations).

The England and Wales High Court (EWHC) has ruled on the controversial issue of whether litigation costs in disputes under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (the 1975 Act) should be dealt with separately from the substantive award, or whether it is ever permissible for the court to award a claimant their costs as part of the substantive relief.

New Zealand's government has released a cabinet paper introducing further anti-money laundering (AML) proposals, following recommendations in a statutory report published by the Justice Ministry in 2022.

Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies has approved major revisions to the country’s tax code under Projecto de Lei 108/24, which proposes reform to the tax on inheritance and donations (Imposto sobre Transmissão Causa mortis e Doação de Quaisquer Bens ou Direitos, ITCMD).