A day in the life of a private client lawyer

Today's Wills and Probate Podcast

Scott Walker, a consultant solicitor with Richard Nelson LLP is the latest guest on the Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast, joining host David Opie to discuss the ups and downs of his working life as a private client practitioner. Scott is one of a new breed of consultant lawyers who effectively work for themselves whilst […]

Financial provision claim upon divorce cannot proceed if a party dies, UKSC rules

supreme court

The UK Supreme Court (UKSC) has ruled that financial provision claim proceedings under the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 cannot proceed once one of the parties to that claim dies. Unger and another (in substitution for Hasan) (Appellants) v Ul-Hasan (deceased) and another (Respondents) [2023] UKSC 22 saw the Court unanimously reject an appeal […]

Key think tank recommends new progressive rate structure for IHT

IHT

A prominent economic think tank has urged the government to move from a flat rate of inheritance tax (IHT) towards a progressive rate structure. The Resolution Foundation – which also suggested that IHT should be tightened so that it cannot be avoided by the “wealthy and well-advised” – pointed out that the UK’s estate taxes […]

British Wills and Probate Awards 2023: Final week to enter

It is now the final week for entries to the British Wills and Probate Awards 2023, with final submissions due by Friday 14th July. The event is set to take place at a brand new venue, Manchester’s Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, on Wednesday 11th October 2023. The awards – now in their sixth year – are recognised as an […]

‘Ruinous’ farm dispute sees siblings go head-to-head in Court of Appeal

Image of a farm

In a prolonged legal battle over a mother’s will and the distribution of a £6 million family farm, a brother and sister are trapped in a fight that is causing them “ruinous” financial loss. The Court of Appeal heard the brother, Simon Morton, had spent most of his adult life working “long hours for only […]

Law Commission: Digital assets require new third category of personal property

digital assets

The Law Commission of England and Wales has suggested the creation of a new third category of personal property as part of reform of the law relating to digital assets. Digital assets – which include crypto-tokens and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – are used for an increasing variety of purposes in modern society, such as for […]

New ‘pay as you go’ unoccupied probate property insurance hits the market

Insuristic

Insuristic, who specialise in providing insurance for the estate administration market, today announced the launch of Probate Pro, a new insurance product designed to help regulated legal firms administer unoccupied property insurance during probate. Rob Faulkner, CEO of Insuristic stated: “Arranging insurance for unoccupied properties can be inefficient and costly. There are many insurance providers […]

Blog: Emigration, immigration, and probate genealogy

Genealogical research during estate administration often takes specialists around the world. In Title Research’s latest blog, Sam Jarvis, Case Manager on their genealogy team, explores the obstacles that come with multi-jurisdictional family trees and the solutions for estates involving emigration, immigration, and locating beneficiaries overseas. The blog covers: Why did people emigrate overseas? Emigration and […]

Xperate becomes Exizent Preferred Customer Integration Partner

Exizent, the technology firm transforming the bereavement process by connecting the data, services, and networks of people involved, have today announced Xperate, the leading legal services software development and integration specialist, as their Preferred Customer Integration Partner. The partnership will see Xperate lead customer integration projects throughout the UK where legal firms wish to use […]

Estatesearch helps Ewart Price complete due diligence in probate matters

estatesearch

Ewart Price is a dependable and approachable expert legal team based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Having provided legal services since 1983, Ewart Price’s team pride themselves on a personal, friendly and professional approach to all matters, aiming to build long lasting relationships with clients.   Ewart Price also takes advantage of the most modern technology […]

STEP Jobs Board – find your ideal role or recruit your ideal candidate

Are you looking for a new job opportunity? Or maybe you need to fill a position in your team or firm? Whether you are looking for a new role or recruiting candidates, STEP Jobs Board is the ideal place for you. With 21,000 members across 96 countries, STEP has a global reach across the trusts […]

Solicitor-deputy banned for overcharging clients by £300k

Image of a vulnerable elderly client with their hands crossed on their lap

A solicitor has been banned for wrongly overcharging clients thousands of pounds, as reported in the Law Society Gazette. For two and a half years, solicitor-deputy Alex Richard Guy is reported to have wrongly billed clients costs of almost £272,000 for work that had not been done – and charging almost £59,000 for work that was […]

Unbundling could ‘improve access to legal services’

Solicitors providing “unbundled” services could make legal help affordable for those whom it is currently too expensive, a new report has found. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) conducted research into unbundling of legal services to see how it can help potential clients and law firms, and if there were any regulatory barriers that stop the […]