Matilda Battersby is a freelance journalist and editor, and a senior reporter at the Today’s Media titles. She worked at The Independent newspaper for many years, but has also worked at The Times, Evening Standard, Telegraph and I newspapers since going freelance in 2015. Her specialisms are property and books, having worked extensively for various trade property magazines and The Bookseller magazine. She is based in East London.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is increasingly challenging residential property valuations in inheritance tax returns rather than accepting them at “face value”. The number of cases referred to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) rose 23.5%
The Solicitors’ Charity partner Lawsight is supporting the call for more tangible action on wellbeing in the law ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week in May. Lawsight is recommending practical steps that can be implemented
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) data shows inheritance tax (IHT) revenue for April 2025 to March 2026 hit a record-breaking £8.5 billion. Receipts for 2025-2026 surpassed the £8.2 billion recorded for the same period the
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has fined Taylor Rose more than £160,000 for compliance failures including failing to return client money promptly. The SRA directed the firm to pay a financial penalty of £160,059, with
Interest in law-related jobs has dropped by a third over the past year, recruitment website data suggests. The number of jobseekers pursuing legal roles fell by 32.9% between January 2026 and 2025, according to Indeed
A judge has handed the housing and homelessness charity Shelter the £4 million fortune of comedian Sean Hughes, after almost a decade of delay caused by a homemade will. The stand up comic (pictured alongside
UK legal professionals spend nearly three hours a day on non-billable tasks, according to a new industry report. Profitability in Law: Global Report 2026, commissioned by LEAP Legal Software, surveyed around 700 legal professionals across
Only 5% of over 55s surveyed by Compare the Market have included digital assets in their wills. The survey of 2,000 UK adults revealed the majority have given no thought to who will inherit their
One in five partners are considering leaving their employers within the next few years, a survey across the UK Top 250 law firms suggests, as assumptions that being made partner meant you had a job
Richard Orpin, the new chief executive of the Legal Services Board, has hailed legal services as a “huge economic success story,” but warned that “AI is blurring the boundaries between regulated and unregulated legal advice.”
The Property (Digital Assets etc) Act 2025 has removed legal uncertainty and resolved private law impediments to new technology, Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos (pictured) says. Speaking at a reception on 12 March
The ‘Great Wealth Transfer’ has already started, according to a new report by STEP. The phrase refers to a long-anticipated shift of trillions globally from the Baby Boomer generation to Millennials and Generation Z. In
A solicitor has been rebuked and fined £300 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) after more than £70,000 of client money was retained for 16 years longer than necessary. Geraint James, a solicitor and director