£77 Million Worth Of LPA Refund Scheme Still Unclaimed
It has now been over a year since the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) set up a refund scheme for overcharged families that applied for a lasting power of attorney between 2013 and 2017. During this time, it is estimated that around 2 million people were overcharged by £89 million during the application process. […]
Giving Legal Service Providers The Inside Track On Key Fronts
Running a law firm is hard enough, but the working environment for all legal service professionals has changed rapidly over the past year and is only going to continue changing as we approach the Brexit deadline of March 29th. In addition to the usual cash pressures that affect cash-intensive businesses like law firms, a hardening […]
Siblings At War Over Share Of £1.5M Inheritance
Two Sisters are in the middle of a warring legal court battle with their pilot brother over £1.57m family inheritance because they claim their mother was meant to give him less as he is rich already. When their mother, Freda Burgess died aged 90 in 2016, she had signed a Will three years earlier which […]
Carer Steals Leon Brittan’s Brother’s Life Savings
Sir Samuel Brittan, who is the brother of former home secretary Leon Brittan, has been cruelly swindled out of his life’s savings. An arrest warrant has been issued for the conwoman, Michelle Braithwaite, who stole over £115,000 from author Sir Samuel Brittan. While suffering from reduced mental capacity, Braithwaite, who acted as his carer, plundered […]
Cost of Obtaining Death Certificates Triple
The cost of dying is overwhelmingly expensive! Last year the Sunlife Cost of Dying Report highlighted that since 2017, the overall cost of dying has grown from £8,905 – to an all-time high of £9,204 (+3.4%). From Saturday, the cost of obtaining a death certificate has almost tripled from £4 to £11 across England and […]
UK Probate Research Awards 2019: Winners Announced
www.probateresearchawards.org A global first, The UK Probate Research Awards 2019 took place on Thursday 7 February in London with winners announced from across the UK, and internationally. Presented by the BBC’s Nikki Bedi, the winning companies and individuals include: Best Probate Law Firm, Scotland: McClures Solicitors Best Probate Law Firm, North of England: […]
Labour Set To Trigger Parliamentary Vote On Probate Fees
It has been just over a week since the House of Commons’ Fourteenth Delegated Legislation Committee sat to consider the case for the statutory instrument (SI) that will change the current non-contentious probate fees from a fixed amount to a sliding scale. Having deliberated and debated the issue, the committee narrowly voted in the proposed […]
City Of Liverpool To Benefit From Sir Ken Dodd’s Urgent Marriage
Sir Ken Dodd, beloved comedian, and his wife, Lady Anne Dodd, were forced into protecting his estate in March last year by marrying each other two days prior to Dodd’s death. The money saved from his substantial estate is now being ploughed into a variety of Dodd’s passion projects in his hometown, Liverpool. Death bed […]
Millions In Cryptocurrency Lost As Young CEO Dies Suddenly
Some $190m of cryptocurrency belonging to a cryptocurrency exchange company cannot be accessed following the death of the CEO. Gerald Cotten, 30, reportedly died from complications arising from Crohn’s disease while in India opening an orphanage. Cryptocurrency belonging to investors in his firm Quadriga CX was stored by Cotten in cold wallets, offline cryptocurrency storage […]
Public Bewildered By Lasting Power Of Attorney
Recent figures that have been released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that record numbers are now applying for lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) The ONS figures for the year to April 2018 found that 759,976 applications for LPAs were made. This figure is in stark contrast to the 52,492 applications that were […]
There Are No Shortcuts To Protecting Your Business, You Build The Foundations “Brick By Brick”
Over the last few decades, there has been a bigger spread of wealth. Many people have assets to protect and die with a sizeable estate. This wealth, combined with higher mortality rates, translates to the number of adults inheriting larger amounts of money being set to rise from £69 billion (2017) to £115 billion by […]
Probate price transparency – compliance nightmare or business opportunity?
We are delighted to welcome Gill Steel from LawSkills to the next instalment of Certainty Expert Webinars who will presenting “Probate price transparency – compliance nightmare or business opportunity?” LawSkills specialises in Learning & Development and Consultancy for Private Client practitioners in the areas of Wills, Probate, Elderly & Vulnerable client, Trusts and Tax. Join […]
An Unknown Risk To The Estate?
Potentially unbeknown to a solicitor distributing an estate or who has already done so, people known to the deceased will undertake their own investigations if they feel something is untoward surrounding the way in which the estate is being, or was, distributed. In 2018 there was an increase in the lay person using Certainty Will […]
Family Businesses To Be Hit By Probate Fee Hike
The Institute for Family Business (IFB) has warned that family businesses may be impacted by the government’s proposed increases to probate fees. IFB External Affairs and Policy Director Fiona Graham said: “We, along with legal experts, have raised serious concerns about the Government’s proposed changes to the probate system. “This new system presumes estates will […]
Mother And Foster Family Spared IHT In Case Of Mentally Disabled Child
The mother and foster family of a mentally disabled child will not have to pay inheritance tax on the child’s £660,000 estate. The child had received substantial damages as a result of clinical negligence surrounding his birth when complications during the birth were found to have been mishandled. The boy died intestate in December 2018 […]
Ballet dancer wins share of £650,000 estate in court
A ballet dancer who gave up her promising career to provide 24-hour care to her dementia-stricken grandmother has won a share of her £650,000 estate. The case revolved around the will made by Mrs Joan Flood in 2006. In the will Mrs Flood left her £550,000 house and all her cash to her two children; […]
Finalists Announced For The National Paralegals Awards 2019
The finalists for the inaugural National Paralegal Awards have been announced. These brand-new awards are specifically aimed at recognising the achievements of Paralegals across the UK, law firms that develop Paralegals and recruitment companies who recruit Paralegals. The response to the awards was phenomenal, giving the judges a tough task deciding the finalists and winners. […]
Goalkeeper Gordon Banks dies at 81
Gordon Banks, who is understood to have a net worth of £5m, has died today aged 81. The World Cup-winning goalkeeper was known for “the best save of all time” against Pele in a 1970 World Cup match. He was named FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year on six separate occasions. Sheffield born Gordon, had three […]
Competition authority to review probate fees
The controversial new probate fees announced by the government in November have been referred to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) by independent financial advisory group LEBC. LEBC claims that the dramatic increase in fees would cause ‘hardship and distress’ to the bereaved. The new sliding scale of fees starts at a figure of £250 […]
Massive Mumsnet Data Breach Could Put Will Professionals At Risk
Mumsnet, the UK’s biggest network for parents, has been a victim of a severe data breach which could put Will writing firms at risk. Do any of your employees at your firm have a Mumsnet account? If your staff have an account with the website there is a possibility, they may have used the same […]
