Why do people not take time to make a Will?
This week is Dying Matters week, and although the week aims at raising awareness and breaking the taboo of discussing death, it also brings conversations about preparing for death to the forefront of people’s minds. Research conducted by Hargreaves Lansdowne has revealed that: 42% of people are certain their parents have a Will 17% say […]
AML: Remember who your client is!
Anti-Money Laundering procedures are embedded within every law firm across the UK to prevent their corporate structure being used as a vehicle for illegitimate, criminal activity. All solicitors must carry out sufficient transaction checks on their clients, in line with Anti-Money Laundering Regulations to ensure clients are who they claim to be. That being said, […]
Confirmed for the May sale – Dungeon Find Rudge Whitworths
Two bikes belonging to the late 1980’s Award Winning Chef, Simon Morris are heading to Silverstone AuctionsMay Sale on 22nd May. Both bikes have been stored at the family home for almost 25 years in of all places, the old dungeon storeroom. Simon, famous for his motorcycling exploits around India and curry recipes, restored these […]
A good place to die
Arken.legal explores how best to prepare emotionally, physically, financially, and digitally this Dying Matters Awareness Week It is Dying Matters Awareness Week (10-16 May) and this year the theme is ‘a good place to die’. Most of us do not like to talk about dying, but it will happen to us all at some point, […]
Unlawful killing and justice after acquittal – what can the law do?
In R v McPherson on 17 March 2021 at the end of the prosecution case Goose J directed an acquittal of Donald McPherson who had been indicted for the murder of his wife, Paula Leeson, in 2017. In giving his reasons he said that although at this stage it seemed likely that McPherson was the […]
HMCTS operational position: weekly summary update
HMCTS have updated their operational summary for week commencing Monday 10th May 2021. Next week’s update will be issued on Friday 14 May 2021. Updated: We encourage all users to access testing available to them. Home tests are now available from all English and Welsh courts and tribunal sites and will be offered to all […]
Judges Spotlight: Jane Cassell
In a series of Supporters in Focus pieces, we are thrilled to introduce our Judges of The British Wills and Probate Awards 2021 Alongside headline sponsor Executor Solutions we look forward to recognising achievement, highlighting progression and championing innovation. However, the awards couldn’t take place without the hard task of judging and shortlisting the entries. It’s not a task […]
Coronavirus roadmap update: hugs back on the menu!
England is continuing with its coronavirus roadmap, with some restrictions being lifted on the 17th May 2021. PM Boris Johnson announced the details in a press conference this evening after the alert level of coronavirus was dropped from 4 to 3. The UK’s vaccination rate has been rolled out at great speed with many of […]
The portrayal of legal matters on television – a duty of care?
Millions of people watch soaps and other fictional dramas on television, but what duties do the people making these programmes have to make sure that the information they are including is correct? Everybody knows that soap operas are fictional, with fictional storylines and fictional characters. In fact, many people watch these programmes to escape from […]
Certainty Will Search prevents incorrect estate distribution by locating an unknown Will
Every day The National Will Register locates Wills that were thought not to exist. In 2020, 20% of Certainty Will Searches resulted in a Will being located where the estate was presumed intestate or a later Will being discovered that would supersede the Will being used to distribute the estate. In this case study, Dominic […]
Why Finders International are proud to be Dementia Friends
In the last few years, many of our staff have trained as Dementia Friends. We’re proud to be the only UK probate research firm that trains our staff to support this Alzheimer’s Society initiative. As our job for the most part is to trace next of kin, we often meet many older people who are […]
One weeks left to enter the British Wills and Probate Awards!
There’s only one week left to enter the British Wills and Probate Awards 2021, with the 14th May deadline quickly approaching. The awards which are brought to you by Today’s Wills and Probate, headline sponsor Executor Solutions and champagne sponsor Exizent, are returning for their fourth year, with the fabulous Jennie Bond leading the celebrations. […]
Contesting a Will based on Fraud or Forgery
Written by John Lambe, Senior Associate at Forbes Solicitors. There are a number of cases where the validity of the Will is challenged based on fraud or forgery; however, those that do succeed are relatively few in number. This may be due to the fact that the allegation within other grounds such as lack of […]
Latest Probate Service Update
Industry leaders continue to have productive discussions in the probate service professional user group meeting as they release their latest update. HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) joined the Law Society, STEP Society, Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Institute of Legacy Management, Royal National Institute of Blind […]
Leveraging LinkedIn
Not long to go… We are gearing up for our next webinar which takes place Thursday 13th May, in which we will be discussing all things LinkedIn with our guest Rich Dibbins. Rich, joins us from Staxton Digital, and comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to marketing for the legal […]
Digital Assets: a key theme for Dying Matters Awareness Week
To open up conversations about death, dying and bereavement, one of the key themes of ‘Dying Matters Awareness Week’ is digital assets/digital legacies. The campaign, which runs from 10th – 16th May, is a chance for coalition partners, organisations and individuals to come together and break the taboo around confronting death. Since 2018, a growing […]
Almost £2m lost to pension fraud in first four months of 2021
Action Fraud has revealed that £1.8m has been lost to pension fraud, and we’re not even half way through the year yet. Pre-pandemic it appeared that the number of pension scam reports were falling, with data from the organisation revealing that reports in pension scams fell from 1,788 in 2014 to 358 in 2020. However, […]
Co-op Legal Services and Elder launch of new advisory service
Research shows 50% of over 60s do not feel prepared for their later years Leading provider of live-in care services, Elder, has announced a new partnership with Co-op Legal Services, in a bid to empower customers with the knowledge they need to take charge of their later life finances and care arrangements. A new virtual […]
Superhero Webinar 77: Estate Planning for Corporate Clients
The Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation toolkit is designed for you as Estate Planning professionals to be able to give your clients both best advice through our Estate Planning team and the best documentation via our in house developed Legacy software. The ability to cater for the corporate client though can be more demanding, and […]
Tower Street Finance unveils £30m funding line for inheritance dispute lawyers
Inheritance lending specialist Tower Street Finance has launched a dispute funding product with a £30m funding line for its panel of inheritance dispute lawyers. The product, which has been developed in conjunction with its launch panel of lawyers, expands the choices available to member firms who have clients with cases that are likely to be […]
