Phelps v Stewarts (A Firm) and Another: ChD 2 Jul 2007

The claimant sought damages for the negligent drafting of a deed of trust, saying that he had not been advised of a charge to tax which would arise. The defendant said that her duties were limited, and did not include advice on this point, having been asked to arrange a deed for a smaller sum which would not attract tax.
Held: The matter was governed principally by the scope of the retainer. The defendant failed on that point and was unable to point to confusion from the principal firm involved.

Judges:

Bernard Livesey QC

Citations:

[2007] EWHC 1561 (Ch)

Links:

Bailii

Jurisdiction:

England and Wales

Citing:

CitedClark Boyce v Mouat PC 4-Oct-1993
(New Zealand) No duty of wisdom is owed to client in full command of his faculties by a lawyer. If the client requires only action from his lawyer, that is what is required. Informed consent can be sufficient to allow a solicitor to act for two . .
CitedSouth Australia Asset Management Corporation v York Montague Ltd etc HL 24-Jun-1996
Limits of Damages for Negligent Valuations
Damages for negligent valuations are limited to the foreseeable consequences of advice, and do not include losses arising from a general fall in values. Valuation is seldom an exact science, and within a band of figures valuers may differ without . .
CitedPickersgill and Another v Riley PC 25-Feb-2004
PC (Jersey) The solicitor appealed a finding of negligence. He had failed to advise his client when he acted as a guarantor for a proposed assignee of a lease that the company may be a shell company. It had been . .
CitedMinor v Groves CA 20-Nov-1997
The parties were neighbours, with houses adjacent to a right of way. Slabs had been laid next to the houses forming a raised pavement. The respondents had sought to enclose their area of this raised pavement, building a porch. They now appealed an . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.

Legal Professions

Updated: 11 September 2022; Ref: scu.254489