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The government has no plans to update its online Use an LPA service to incorporate the 1.4 million lasting powers of attorney on the register that are ineligible to be used with the system. A

A cohabiting mixed-race family with two children

The government has shared details of its long-awaited consultation on reforming cohabitation rights, which is open now and will run for 10 weeks until 14th August. The consultation will look at three key areas of

A support dog at an afternoon tea event

Taylor Emmet solicitors sponsored an event to fund the next generation of support dogs and provided legal advice to guests on the day. Sheffield-based national charity Support Dogs, which trains autism assistance, disability assistance and

Jelena Lentzos

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has appointed Jelena Lentzos as director of strategy, policy and engagement. She will lead the LSB’s strategy, policy, and research teams at what the organisation said is a “pivotal moment

A graphic of legal symbols is laid over a woman's outstretched hands

With legal technology developing at pace, Today’s Wills and Probate brings all the latest innovation together in a regular round up of news, updates and upgrades for private client teams. Here, in the first of

woman in a black suit and white shirt typing on a keyboard, overlaid with graphics of symbols including emails and social media icons

On Friday, the government published its long-awaited consultation on reforming cohabitation rights, in what it called “the biggest reform to family law in decades” with the aim of “bringing the law into the 21st century”.

Daniel Harris

In the latest round of private client appointments, senior appointments have been made at Knights, Stevens & Bolton, Payne Hicks Beach and Thomson Snell & Passmore. At Knights, Daniel Harris (main picture) joins the Bristol

A cohabitation agreement with two house keys on top, next to a small toy house and a book

The government has launched its long-awaited consultation on reforms that would give cohabiting couples greater financial protections when relationships end, and automatic inheritance rights when a partner dies without a will. The proposals would also

Liverpool crown court

A couple who abused their positions as power of attorney for the husband’s elderly parents have been forced to return the money and sentenced to six years in prison. Gary and Diane Mansell were convicted

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The government has launched its long-awaited consultation on reforms that would give cohabiting couples greater financial protections when relationships end, and automatic inheritance rights when a partner dies without a will. The proposals would also

A house key with a keyring in the shape of a house and the words 'inheritance tax' next to it

Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts for April experienced a rare drop, with the monthly figure of £0.7 billion representing a £65 million decrease on the same period last year. Experts are in agreement the fall precedes

Law Society sign on Chancery Lane

The Law Society of England and Wales says it is communicating with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on the progress being made to reform wills and probate legislation, and is sharing “consistent messaging that reform

Laura-Goode-Kali-Snowdon-and-Mariya-Dimitrova

In the latest private client announcements, Payne Hicks Beach has appointed a new partner, Bendles Solicitors has promoted three new associates, and TWM Solicitors has expanded its mediation offering with specialist services in private client

L-R, Ryan Eastoe, Hakeem Osinowo, Amanda Wesson

Ampla Finance, the specialist lender focused on legal finance and inheritance-related lending, has expanded its team with three new appointments across marketing and introducer-facing roles, while Simkins has promoted Oliver Sharp to partner in the

An exterior sign at the Ministry of Justice

The King has approved the appointment of Lord Justice Snowden as a Justice of the Supreme Court, while the Lord Chancellor has approved the appointment of seven new members of the Civil Justice Council (CJC).

The Legal Services board logo

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has summoned the Solicitors Regulation Authority to an in-person meeting before the end of May to seek assurance that it has the necessary expertise and oversight approach to deliver the

A man in a suit works at a desk holding a fountain pen and writing in a large book, with an overlaid graphic of an electronic document

Research repeatedly points to the adoption of AI in the legal sector as no longer being an optional extra, but a strategic priority. Today’s Wills and Probate editor Juliet Shaw takes a look at the

Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal

A private client solicitor has been struck off after billing clients for wills and probate work he hadn’t done and authorising the transfer of £216,00o from a client account to pay for bills that had

A red stamp with the words 'struck off'

A fixed share partner responsible for wills, trust and probate has been struck off by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for backdating a memorandum of appropriation and misleading a client with regard to the address a

Close-up of hands on a laptop with a bar chart overlaid lots of one star reviews

The Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) has published its 2026-27 Business Plan & Budget for the Legal Ombudsman (LeO), which includes a strong emphasis on preventing complaints from arising and reducing unnecessary escalation. Complaints have

A red stamp with the words 'struck off'

A probate solicitor who repeatedly misled clients about grant of probate applications – in one case for 19 months – has been struck off. Rachel Parker, who was admitted to the Roll in February 2019

Clare Pooley and Michael Duffy

The onset of spring has seen a series of private client announcements from firms, with IDR Law expanding into London, Boodle Hatfield unveiling its latest promotions, and Steele Raymond expanding its southern presence with the

Graphics of speech bubbles with five star reviews over an image of hands holding a mobile phone in front of a laptop

A survey of legal services clients has found that although the vast majority (84%) are happy with the service they receive, 66% said they would never leave a review. Access Legal surveyed 1,000 clients who

wide shot of the exterior of the royal courts of justice, view from below

The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) in its appeal against Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, which limited the extent to which legal executives and paralegals

Speech bubbles on a green background

Law firms and practitioners have responded to the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn the decision in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, which limited the extent to which legal executives and paralegals can conduct litigation.

A man at a desk looks at a screen with the words 'last will and testament'

The annual benchmarking survey from Remember a Charity reveals the changing approach to will-making across the generations, with 28% of Gen X respondents saying they would make a will online or have already done so,

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The Court of Appeal has handed down judgment in CILEX & Ors v Mazur & Ors. Allowing the appeal, Sir Colin Birss, Chancellor of the High Court, said “it is hard to see why this

Torsten Bell https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Pensions minister Torsten Bell (pictured) has set out the action the government will take to support thousands of bereaved families who have been unable to access savings of deceased relatives held with National Savings &

A close-up of a phone screen with a five star review

Dignity, the funeral plan provider and owner of low-cost probate service Farewill, is being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as part of a crackdown on fake and misleading reviews. The investigation is

A financial adviser shows a graph to a young couple

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is consulting on how to make it easier for firms to give more simplified forms of individualised financial advice to consumers, which the regulator says could mean more people accessing

Mark Evans

Law Society president Mark Evans is raising funds and awareness for mental health in the legal sector at the TCS London Marathon in April. Evans will run the marathon alongside solicitors Kayleigh Wilding and Matt

caroline williams

Jurit LLP has appointed Caroline Williams as a consultant solicitor within its expanding private wealth and tax team, while Kingsley Napley has added Kelly Greig and Abbie West-Kelsey to its growing international tax team. Greig

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