North Wales legal firm employees more than 85 staff
The five will now focus on their specialist areas - Joanna (Divorce and Family Law), Kaleem (Civil Litigation and Personal Injury), Alicia (Family Law), Tayla (Commercial) and Laurel (Divorce, Family and Wills and Probate).
Gamlins Law is the largest law firm in North Wales, employing more than 85 people, with a head office in Rhyl and further offices in Mold, Ruthin, Denbigh, Abergele and Holywell.
Ron Davison, managing director of Gamlins Law, said: "We are committed to investing in the best legal talent in the region and I am absolutely delighted that these five lawyers are now newly qualified solicitors.
"A lot of hard work and dedication is required to achieve what this exciting cohort have done and I know they will all be assets to the teams they will now be working in.
"While these lawyers have demonstrated that they have the necessary technical skills, they are also all committed to playing their part in the North Wales community our business serves.
"This means providing clients with the highest possible levels of customer care and enabling them to meet the challenges and opportunities they face at different stages in their lives.
"These five newly qualified solicitors are another example of our career progression plan in action, enabling the best legal talent to flourish and achieve their career aspirations whether they are new to the sector or more experienced."
"We believe our recruitment sets us apart from most law firms of a similar size and is a key plank of our building for the future strategy."
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Times
4 days ago
- Times
Times letters: How inheritance tax changes affect growth
Write to letters@ Sir, You argue in your leading article 'From Me to You' (Aug 14) that it is 'morally wrong' to levy inheritance tax on 'those who have worked hard throughout their lives to earn something to pass onto the next generation', but the biggest slice of inherited wealth is in the form of a house sale. The amount of income used to acquire a house depends mainly on the size of the mortgage at the time the house was bought — that is, its historic value — not on what it is sold for as part of probate, its current value. An adjustment for inflation may be appropriate, but there is no reason a house should be tax-exempt because its deceased owner 'worked hard to acquire it'.Peter Curwen Leeds Sir, For Rachel Reeves, wealth is a sin and she intends to tax it like other sinful behaviours. Sin taxes have a long history in reducing activities that politicians disapprove of. Sin taxes on smoking, drinking and driving have succeeded. Inevitably, as our sinning diminishes, so do sin tax revenues. Tobacco and fuel duty revenues are both down. Alcohol duty revenue is up, marginally, but on lower per capita consumption because tax rates on stronger booze have increased. Sin taxes on wealth will have the same result. There will be far less of the sinful activity of wealth creation, and eventually tax revenues will fall. The worst sinners are already fleeing our shores. Inheritance tax revenue will disappear as people stop leaving wealth to their children. As you have reported (Jul 28), capital gains tax revenues are already falling, from £14.6 billion in 2022-23 to £12.1 billion in 2023-34 as the sinners prepare to repent. What's more, with far fewer of the '1 per cent club' who pay 30 per cent of total income tax, we can all look forward to even higher tax bills ReeceLondon N4 Sir, I wonder if Rachel Reeves has fully considered the implications of subjecting pensions to inheritance tax. Having worked for more than 40 years and contributed to a pension in the belief that this would relieve the state of any responsibility for me in old age, I am now confused. Obviously I don't know how long I may live, but in the hope it may be a reasonably long time I have invested in UK stocks and shares, both to protect my family and to promote UK stocks and shares. All of us have benefitted, but now I must re-evaluate. Several of my options include selling the UK stocks and shares. Reeves has said she wants pension funds to invest more in the UK stock market, but how will her policies encourage that?Paul Mitchell Thédirac, France Sir, The proposal to 'tighten' rules on the seven-year exemption to IHT on gifts is odd ('Budget may tighten rules on inheritance tax', Aug 13). We seem to have forgotten the reason for this relief, which is to encourage growth. Essentially, it is better for growth for elderly people to pass on assets to younger people who will use them. A simple example is an older person taking cash from their bank and giving it to their child to buy a house. This results in work for estate agents, surveyors, solicitors and contractors, as well as a tax contribution in stamp duty and VAT. For a pro-growth government, to remove the incentive to give these gifts seems HardsBlakeney, Norfolk Sir, John Stewart says (Thunderer, Aug 13) that the proliferation of cycle lanes on main roads is because priority is given to cyclists making longer trips, at the expense of people using side-roads for shorter journeys. The reason priority is given to main roads is that they are where cyclists are in most danger. In many places outside London, it is impossible to make even short journeys without using main roads. I agree, though, that the design of cycle lanes needs review. Bumps and bollards that separate cycle lanes from vehicle lanes are hazards, as are jay-walking pedestrians and car passengers opening doors without looking. Some cycle lanes at junctions are so labyrinthine that they are difficult for both pedestrians and cyclists to navigate. The sad fact is that at present some cycle lanes are so badly designed that it is often safer, and certainly quicker, to avoid SpenceSale, Cheshire Sir, The residents of Streatham Hill are due to suffer more than a year of roadworks as Transport for London and Lambeth council reduce the motor vehicle capacity of the A23 to a single lane. The reason is that it is safer for cyclists and pedestrians to create a segregated cycle lane with floating bus stops and reduce access from residential side roads. I believe that if they wanted to keep everyone safe — and save money — they could ban cyclists from this stretch of the A23 and direct them to the low-traffic neighbourhood along the southbound carriageway. One of reasons the council gave for creating the LTN was that it would make it safer to cycle and CrillyLondon SW16 Sir, Harry Wallop writes (Business, Aug 15) about the poor prospects for delivery riders in the gig economy. These riders and others in such jobs will, at the end of their working lives, have little if any pension and will be dependent on the state. The people running these companies will have retired comfortably and left taxpayers to look after their former workers. Bill ParishBromley, Kent Sir, Sadly, the stone coffins and skeleton that have been on view in the northeast corner of Sherborne Abbey for the last century cannot be those of Alfred the Great's brothers (letter, Aug 14). They lie immediately beneath a 14th-century tiled pavement, within a chantry chapel, and are more likely to be those of a late-medieval abbot. When they were uncovered, in 1925, during the making of WD Caroe's new Lady Chapel, no archaeologist was there to study or record them. If the present vicar wishes to find the burials of Alfred's brothers, I suggest a careful research excavation on either side of the high Tatton-BrownSalisbury Sir, The discussion about the remains of his family brings into focus the location of Alfred himself. After his death, in 899, he was buried in Old Minster, Winchester. He was then moved to New Minster, the church built by his son, King Edward, as the dynastic focus for the family. The Norman destruction of both minsters led to the building of Hyde Abbey, just outside the walls of the city, as the 'final' resting place for Alfred, Edward and other family members. Sadly, Hyde Abbey fell victim to Henry VIII. Alfred's grave was lost until 1788, when the building of a bridewell on the site led to its rediscovery. The authorities allowed the bones to be lost around the building site. So we can now say with some confidence that the bones of Alfred and his immediate family lie scattered and shattered adjacent to the entrance to River Park in Hyde. We have long lobbied Winchester city council for a proper commemoration of Alfred and the story of the abbey in Hyde Gate, almost the last remaining original building within the abbey FennellFounder, Hyde900Winchester Sir, Further to your article 'Rolls-Royce's UK plans go nuclear' (Business, Aug 14), I have no doubt Rolls-Royce's aero-engine business will remain remarkably successful but its enthusiasm for land-based small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) is commercially misplaced. Firstly, SMRs are essentially experimental prototype scale-ups. I would be surprised if savvy companies such as Google and Amazon were contemplating reliance on experimental tech. Secondly, authoritative research by academics at the University of Pennsylvania, in a paper published in May 2022, demonstrated that SMR radioactive waste is harder to handle than waste from Gigawatt-sized nuclear David LowryInstitute for Resource and Security Studies, Massachusetts, US Sir, Alice Thomson calls for 'honest but calm dialogue' about migration (Comment, Aug 13). She concedes that 'some Islamic countries don't share western values', but understates in my opinion how big a barrier that is to integration. The schism between Catholicism and Protestantism endured for BickleyHuntingdon, Cambs Sir, In response to your question 'Which artist best captures the true spirit of Britain — in a single frame?', (Times2, Aug 15), surely Banksy's Girl with Balloon, his powerful 2002 mural, best encapsulates the nation's sentiments in these troubled times. It was voted the nation's favourite in 2017 and, as well as being one of his most famous works, it is also one of Banksy's most optimistic, as the original mural was accompanied by the words: 'There is always hope.'Adrian BrodkinLondon N2 Sir, Your excellent article overlooked Walter Sickert. Over his long and prolific career, he painted ordinary British people at the music hall and in grimy bedsits. He reinvented himself more than once and has influenced and inspired many who came later. My choice would be BostonKingshill, Kent Sir, David Hockney has spent a great deal of his time on British landscapes, most notably Garrowby Hill, and his innovative artwork on the iPad is ClarkeRye, E Sussex Sir, Anthony Roberts (letter, Aug 14) brings to mind the warning attributed to Henry Longhurst that 'If you call on God to improve the results of a shot while it is still in motion, you are using an outside agency and subject to appropriate penalties under the rules of golf.'John Murray Compton Chamberlayne, Wilts Sir, A friend of my parents had his bicycle stolen. It was found two days later and, being a good Catholic, he went to church to thank St Anthony. On leaving church, he found that it had been stolen YoungSouthampton Sir, Public statues in London have always been controversial, for many reasons (News, Aug 8, and letters, Aug 13 and 14). In 1937, a decision was made to site the memorials to Admiral Jellicoe and Admiral Beatty in Trafalgar Square, which required moving the statues of General Napier and Major General Havelock, and there had even been discussions about moving William IV from his plinth to an island at Virginia Water. It was all too much for Sir Patrick Duff, secretary of the Office of Works, who was still reeling after controversies about the statue of Field Marshal Haig on Whitehall. In a letter to the first commissioner, Sir Philip Sassoon, in January 1938, Duff fumed that the best site for all statues was at the bottom of the CrellinThorner, W Yorks Sir, Marion Brown's letter (Aug 13) revived an old misapprehension of my own. As a child I had a box of watercolour paints with the printed name of the tint under each pan. Owing to inconsistency in the printing I was convinced for many years of the existence of the colour Clive DorrPlymouth Write to letters@
Times
02-08-2025
- Times
HMRC made a mistake — but won't give us our £15k back
My mother died last year and I have been settling her estate with help from my brother-in-law. It was relatively simple: she had some investments and a mortgage-free house. But it has been time-consuming. Filling in all the paperwork took us an entire day, and we are professionals (he is an accountant and I am a retired judge). Even then we had problems because HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) gave us different information about what tax we should pay. After probate was granted in October, we spoke to two estate agents who estimated that the house was worth £550,000. We told HMRC this was the probate value and we also put it up for sale at that price. Several months later we ended up selling the house for £627,000. We sent a form to HMRC to correct the probate value to the sold price. We then calculated the inheritance tax (IHT) due as roughly £27,800 and immediately paid HMRC to avoid any interest charges. But then HMRC wrote to us to say that we should pay capital gains tax (CGT) instead. We were convinced that this advice was wrong, so we each called HMRC separately, but were both told that we should pay CGT. HMRC then sent a CGT calculation saying we owed £14,965, which we paid. We then asked HMRC to return the IHT payment. Twice we were told that the refund was in progress but that was weeks ago and we still don't have it. After chasing HMRC for a third time we were told that we should have paid IHT after all. It said an IHT calculation would be sent, but we are still waiting for that. We are so confused. We just want to pay the correct tax and get a refund on the other and address supplied I was so sorry to hear how painstaking the probate process had been for your family. It sounded emotionally and practically difficult enough without HMRC adding to your burden by giving you conflicting information. An estate is exempt from IHT on the first £325,000, which increases to £500,000 if the person who has died passes on their main home to children or grandchildren. Married couples and civil partners can leave assets to each other free of tax, and also inherit each other's tax-free allowances. Your father died in March 1990 when the IHT allowance was £118,000. But he had left this amount to you and your sisters on his death, which meant that his tax-free allowance had already been used up and could not be inherited by your mother. The good news is that even though he died before the residence allowance was introduced in 2017, your family could claim this extra £175,000 allowance from his estate because his wife had died after this date (yet another example of how complex the rules are). This meant that up to £675,000 of your mother's estate was free of tax. When her house was sold for £627,000 and combined with other taxable assets in her estate of nearly £117,000, she was put over the tax-free threshold by more than £69,000. IHT is charged at a rate of up to 40 per cent, leaving £27,800 to pay. If a property is sold for a lot more than the estimated value when you inherited it, HMRC might ask questions and expect you to pay extra tax. I spoke to Stefanie Tremain from the accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg who said that HMRC will usually get the district valuer, which is a government service, to review property valuations in an IHT return. • Will my partner pay tax on the property he inherits from me? Tremain said: 'If the value in the IHT return is accepted, a future sale value should not be queried or cause HMRC to revise the probate value.' But you had applied for a correction, essentially changing the estimated valuation to the price that the property was actually sold for. This meant that technically there had been no increase in the value of the property since you inherited it because you had corrected the value that should be used for the IHT calculation. CGT is charged if you make a profit when you sell a property that isn't your main home. When you inherit a property there is no CGT to pay. It is only when you sell the property at a later date, and it has increased in value since you inherited it, that CGT would be owed. When you changed the value of the property, HMRC was under the impression that the property had increased in value by £77,000 between you inheriting and selling it. After the tax-free allowance of £3,000 and other exemptions, such as estate agent and solicitor fees to sell the property, were deducted, CGT was charged at a rate of 24 per cent on the rest of the gain. Tremain said: 'If you have corrected the IHT return to increase the probate value of the house then you have increased the estate's IHT liability. But as a result you have effectively wiped out the CGT liability.' So in other words, CGT didn't apply to you. It sounds as though there was some confusion during those conversations with HMRC that caused it to believe that you needed to pay CGT rather than IHT, which wasn't right. The fact that even HMRC manages to get things like this wrong tells you everything you need to know about how complicated our tax system is. After my involvement HMRC spoke to you to apologise for giving you incorrect advice and has finally refunded the CGT payment of £14,965, plus £63 interest. It also finally sent an IHT calculation showing that you had actually overpaid by £52, which has also been refunded. HMRC said: 'We have apologised and confirmed that CGT was not due.' You said: 'We never thought the problem was a particularly difficult one, but we were getting nowhere and would no doubt still be in limbo without your help.' • How to gift property — your questions answered In March last year my husband and I went on the holiday of a lifetime to Chile. We booked several internal flights through All was going well until we tried to check in for our flight from Patagonia to Santiago. It looked like our flight didn't exist. After logging into the airline's website, we discovered that the flight had been rescheduled and we had been reallocated to a flight for the previous day, so we had unknowingly missed it. There was no way we could have caught that flight as we had been hiking in a remote location. told me that it had sent me an email about the change but I have searched my inbox, including my junk folder, and I can't find any evidence that it contacted me about this. We were incredibly stressed when we found out. We were in a remote part of Chile where transport options are limited, so we felt pretty stranded. also wasn't particularly helpful in finding us alternative arrangements, so we requested a refund of £377.91 for the flight we missed. We managed to book a flight for the next day with a different airline for £583.80. Given that failed to tell us about the flight change, we think it should reimburse us for our more expensive replacement flight. But a year on, we now have a six-week-old baby but still no refund. We have contacted many times over the past year but are repeatedly told that it won't refund us until they receive it from the airline. While we have been told the matter has been escalated, we have seen no evidence of address supplied A year is a long time and much can happen, so much so that you had welcomed a new family member, and yet there was no sign of your refund. has a partnership with the travel agent Gotogate which arranges flights. When I spoke to Gotogate's parent company, Etraveli Group, it claimed it had emailed you on February 20 last year to tell you that your flight was leaving a day earlier than planned. I couldn't get to the bottom of why you didn't get that message. Etraveli Group said: 'While we acknowledge the customer's claim that she did not see this message, and understand the stress and consequences this situation caused, the communication was sent and delivered correctly from our end.' • Cancelled flight fiasco on has cost me £3,600 While it did request a refund from the airline, usually when a customer misses a flight the ticket is seen as 'used'. I suspected this was why a refund from the airline wasn't forthcoming. But thankfully after I explained the situation to the airline, it sent a refund of £346.99 to which it then passed on to you. It was odd that you were missing the remaining £30.92 which you had paid for checked-in bags, and it was only after I chased all three companies that you got this payment. said: 'We can see that the airline made a schedule change which is not uncommon in the aviation industry. Our partner, Etraveli Group, informed the customer of the change and provided options to accept the new flight or request a full refund.' As a gesture of goodwill, has given you £189 travel credit to make up for the extra cost of the replacement flight. While this left a shortfall of nearly £17, you were satisfied with this. • £1,495,607 — the amount Your Money Matters has saved readers so far this year If you have a money problem you would like Katherine Denham to investigate, email yourmoneymatters@ Please include a phone number
Times
08-07-2025
- Times
Can I sell my dad's house while waiting for probate?
Q. We have been waiting for probate on my father's estate for three months and are becoming really anxious to sell his property in case the market turns. Is there anything we can do to hurry the process along, and can we get on with starting to sell the house in the meantime? Name supplied Since 2019 delays at the probate registry have been common and have posed a real challenge for many dealing with the administration of an estate, adding to the stress and uncertainty of what is already an extremely difficult time. While waiting times have shown some signs of improvement over the past year, the process unfortunately remains quite unpredictable. In our experience, some grants are being issued within as little as two weeks of the application, while others are taking up to 12 weeks. That said, 12 weeks is generally considered the upper limit in most cases, so I am hopeful that you will get the grant shortly.
