Video witnessing of wills “only a small proportion”
Only a small proportion of legal practitioners used video witnessing of wills during the lockdowns necessitated by the pandemic, the Law Society of England and Wales found. The Law Society surveyed more 720 will practitioners to gain a better understanding of the use of video witnessing wills during lockdown and whether this should be extended. […]
Exizent announces two new accountancy clients following changes to probate regulations
Lawtech firm Exizent has confirmed the sign-up of two new accountancy clients to its online bereavement administration platform. The news follows the announcement of a new probate authorisation framework for accountants which sees regulation move from the ACCA to CILEx regulation, and could enable eligible accountants to offer a wider range of probate services. McCabe […]
Opinion: remote witnessing of wills “last resort”
The Wills Act 1837 (Electronic Communications) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Order 2020 was introduced on 28 September 2020, with retrospective effect from 31 January 2020, and extended the definition of “presence” in section 9 of the Wills Act 1837 to expressly allow wills to be witnessed remotely. It was intended to be a temporary measure in response […]
Solicitor struck-off for misconduct over elderly client’s will
A solicitor that arranged for the sale of an elderly client’s property at £250,000 below market value has been struck off and ordered to pay £45,000 costs by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT). The solicitor, Julia Cooper of J Cooper Solicitors in Bow, east London drafted a sale agreement whilst knowing that no legal advice […]
