Laurus

06/10/2026

In her latest article, Maria Guida looks at the two main routes for flat owners who want to take control of their building: buying the freehold together, or setting up a Right to Manage (RTM) company.

Read the full piece here:

High service charges or poor management? Compare buying your freehold with the Right to Manage and find the right way to take control of your block.

01/10/2026

The Family team at Laurus has been ranked in three London categories of The Legal 500 UK 2027, with seven of its lawyers named individually across the editorial commentary and independent client testimonials.

The Family team at Laurus has been ranked in three London categories of The Legal 500 UK 2027, with seven of its lawyers named individually across the editorial commentary and independent client testimonials.

28/09/2026

If you are building your family through surrogacy, making or reviewing your Will should be part of the planning from the outset.

There can be a period between a child’s birth and the making of a parental order when the legal position does not yet reflect the reality of your family. That can have important implications for inheritance, guardianship and parental responsibility.

In our latest article, we explain why intended parents should think about their Will early, what should be considered before and after a parental order, and how careful estate planning can help protect the family you are creating.

Read more:

For intended parents, there can be an important legal gap between a child’s birth and the making of a parental order. We explain why your Will, inheritance planning and guardianship arrangements deserve attention early in the surrogacy journey.

28/09/2026

A new government scheme aims to help first time buyers who cannot rely on the Bank of Mum and Dad. Announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on 26 September 2026, Your First Home will let eligible buyers purchase a new build home with a 2.5% deposit, backed by a 20% government equity loan.

Your First Home offers first time buyers a 20% equity loan on new builds with a 2.5% deposit. What it means in London and for the Bank of Mum and Dad.

25/09/2026

"We don't want to end up in court. What are our options?"

Most families never need a courtroom. Here are the calmer routes through separation, from mediation to collaborative law, and how to choose the right one for you.

Most families never need a courtroom. Here are the calmer routes through separation, from mediation to collaborative law, and how to choose the right one for you.

21/09/2026

Our latest edition of Property Law Unpacked has landed.

You have accepted an offer, your buyer is ready and the move is starting to feel real. Then the sale stalls, not because of anything you or your buyer have done, but because you are both waiting on information that only the freeholder or managing agent can provide. Your solicitor asks, chases, and gets little back beyond an acknowledgement, if that.

It is a furstrating feeling. Weeks of silence can unsettle a buyer, push a mortgage offer towards its expiry and hold up everyone else in the chain. The hardest part is that the delay sits with someone who has no direct stake in your sale.

The reassuring news is that you are rarely as powerless as it feels. There are practical steps that reduce the risk before it bites, and there are legal duties that can be enforced when someone is genuinely not doing their job. The starting point is simple: work out what is missing, who is actually responsible for it, and whether there is an obligation your solicitor can hold them to.

When management information is missing, a leasehold sale can stall. Our guide explains the practical steps and legal routes that may help move it forward.

21/09/2026

Today is World Alzheimer's Day.

A dementia diagnosis changes a family in countless ways, and sometimes it arrives alongside separation or divorce, or during proceedings that are already underway. Families often ask us whether the legal process even can, or should, continue when one spouse lacks capacity.

It can. But it has to be handled differently, with proper safeguards and real care for everyone involved.

In our latest article, Jacqeuline Fitzgerald looks at what this means in practice: how mental capacity is assessed decision by decision, the role of a litigation friend, how financial settlements account for long-term care, and why dignity matters at every stage.

These are among the most sensitive cases we handle. Good advice can't take away the emotional weight, but it can bring structure and reassurance to a situation that often feels overwhelming.

If dementia or mental capacity is affecting a separation in your family, early specialist advice can help. Read the full article via the link.

A dementia diagnosis raises difficult legal questions during separation and divorce. Here's how the process is managed with proper safeguards, and with dignity for both spouses.

17/09/2026

When a relationship ends, the hardest thing is often not any single decision. It is that all of them seem to arrive at once. The home, the money, the children, the divorce itself, and underneath it all a fog of shock and worry that makes clear thinking almost impossible. And yet this is exactly the moment the world seems to expect you to have the answers.

So here is the first and most important thing to know. You do not have to solve everything this week. Very little of it, in truth, has to be decided right now. The real skill of the first ninety days is not doing everything at once. It is knowing what genuinely matters now, and what can safely
wait.

When a relationship ends, everything seems to arrive at once. Here is what genuinely matters first, what can safely wait, and how to keep the people you love protected.

11/09/2026

When routines change, do your child arrangements still work?

The start of a new school term often brings a return to routine. School runs begin again, clubs restart and working patterns settle after the summer. For separated parents, it can also be the point at which arrangements that worked a few months ago start to feel less practical.

Has the new school term highlighted problems with your child arrangements? Our Family team explains how parents can review arrangements and resolve issues.

27/08/2026

Leasehold reform. The Renters’ Rights Act 2026. The Building Safety Act 2022.

The property landscape is moving fast, and the practical questions are landing on landlords, managing agents and developers right now.

On Wednesday 23 September we’re hosting Property Law Unpacked at our Aldgate office. An evening seminar with our property team alongside barristers San-Mari Martins and Stephanie Wookey of Thomas More Chambers, followed by drinks and networking.

Places are limited. Email [email protected] to reserve yours.