HMRC consultation raises uncertainty of lawyers’ role as tax advisers
A government consultation on the registration of all organisations who provide tax advice and interact with HMRC could see lawyers required to register with the agency under new legislation. HMRC have identified a need to raise minimum standards across tax advisors with the proposed changes designed to ‘improve HMRC’s ability to monitor and exclude tax […]
Grants of probate 2 weeks quicker than 12 months ago
Grants of probate are being turned around quicker than 12 months ago with the move to digital seeing grants returned in under half the time paper applications take. The latest HM Courts and Tribunals data for the month of July shows there were 27,494 total applications in the month. 81% of those were submitted digitally […]
Lockdown Will voided after signatories did not have line of sight
In a contested probate case a preliminary‑issue probate hearing has voided a Will drafted during the COVID-19 pandemic because the proper signing procedures were not followed. District Judge Chloë Phillips the Will, signed during COVID, was invalid for want of due execution after finding the testatrix neither signed nor acknowledged her signature in the simultaneous presence […]
Reimagining house clearances in the digital age
In this episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast, host David Opie is joined by Elka Goldstein, founder of Sort & Store, to explore how estate clearance is being reimagined for one of probate’s most emotionally fraught tasks: clearing a loved one’s home. Sort and Store has taken the traditional house clearing process and […]
Later life borrowing largely static in second quarter of 2025
The number of later life loans advanced to older borrowers remained largely static in the second quarter of 2025, with the value of lending up 3% up on the same time in 2024, to £5.2bn. The latest figures from UK finance show there were 33,130 new loans, up 0.49% year on year. Described as a […]
Digital storage and legacy planning app launches as 93% say they are ‘drowning’ in life admin
A new digital platform designed to help with life administration tasks has launched, enabling users to upload, organise, store and share everything from wills and insurance policies to household bills and passwords on one platform. SafeKeep is designed to tackle the issue of managing life admin, 93% of whom in a poll of 2,000 UK […]
Comings and goings; appointments and promotions across the sector
Recent recruitment across law firms is ‘reinforcing the sector’s commitment to excellence in private wealth, probate, and trust management’ as boutique practices to international firms make new appointments and promotions. Greater Manchester-based Myerson has promoted Eleanor Clarke to Partner in its Contentious Probate team. Eleanor, who joined the firm in 2018, has built a strong […]