Despite the December deadline of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recommendations into price transparency rapidly approaching, many regulators are still uncertain as to how they will implement the changes. The SRA came to the
A recent report, carried out by Which?Legal, has found that DIY Wills are damaging to families. At a time when people making Wills is at a particular low point, the research has found that more
A recent petition to parliament has been made asking for Chartered Legal Executives to be given the right to certify General and Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs). The line of distinction separating Solicitors from Chartered
Have you ever started talking through the latest Lasting Power of Attorney reforms with a client, only to see their faces glaze over in panicked confusion? Well, all of this could be set to change
The Court of Protection is an unusual place for a judge to make a costs order, but following a catalogue of perceived oversights, the judge insisted that certain events had been handled so poorly, conducted
Jonathan Brewer, a former commercial solicitor, is attempting to launch a new free online Will-writing business. Additionally, he is recruiting law firms and charities with the vision of becoming the largest “Will-writing brand in the
A London judge has allowed a son to make a £6 million ‘gift’ of his 72-year-old mother’s £18.6 million estate in order to cut inheritance task. The 72-year-old woman, who cannot be named, suffered from
Last month we reported that the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, tragically died without leaving a Will. Thankfully, the family have accepted Michigan Law and her four sons are due to inherit an equal share
Enos McLean, now over 80 years old and executor of his father’s estate, has been left shocked after being informed that the family of a deceased employee is set to sue his dead father’s estate
A recent study, published in the Lancet Public Health journal, has analysed the speculated health needs of the elderly between 2015 and 2035. The headline figure predicts that those aged 85 plus, requiring 24-hour care,
New NHS England plans are encouraging all GP surgeries to hire full-time mental health professionals in order to amalgamate mental and physical health services. More than 16 million people in England are diagnosed with long-term
Siobahn McLaughlin, mother of four, and recently widowed, has won her Supreme Court case that allows her to claim a Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA). Despite living with her partner, John Adams, for 23 years, Ms
The Supreme Court in Marley V Rawlings and Another has ruled that words in a Will that could be considered contradictory or confusing must be considered by the context of the time the Will was
The High Court has ruled on the extent to which a beneficiary is able to request information from a trustee in relation to a trust and the application of legal professional privilege to any requested
Unforeseen market conditions have helped an employee of a benefit trust to overrule the provisions of the trust deed. An offer was made to buy the entire share capital of the trust in 2017. After
The ACCA Probate and Administration course, delivered through Kaplan Altior’s online system, has been completed and assessed for the first time this July. ACCA were determined to provide a probate course for accountants following a
Following The Law Society’s recent condemnation of the Solicitor Regulatory Authority’s (SRA) transparency reforms, The Law Society have now opposed the SRA’s plans to amend the Solicitors’ Handbook. In a recent letter to the Legal
91% of us think about our fleeting mortality regularly, with a third of us speculating on our own death at least once a week, according to the Co-op’s recent upbeat survey into post-life matters. The
When over 4.9 million UK citizens are choosing to live abroad, a figure that is rising, what does this mean for the issue of inheritance tax and probate? There are 1.3 million people born in
The Lord Chancellor, David Gauke, has approved the recommendation for The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives to become an official organisation authorised to license alternative business structures. Currently, only five authorities can license alternative business
Despite the disappointing and worrying statistic that less than 75% of the adult population have a legally binding will, a prestigious will writer has warned that free will writing services may become overly problematic. The
Following the recent report on the looming and existing incapacity crisis, carried out by Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), many regions have also published shocking statistics that highlight the deepening well of concern into this
Beyond.life, a company that offers probate and funeral director broker services, have introduced free online wills that claim to be legally binding. The company’s advert claims: “When there’s a solicitor, there’s a solicitor’s bill. Until
Amendments have been made to mental health legislation that identifies when a person’s liberty can be legally deprived. The new law, currently in draft with the House of Lords, aims to protect the rights of
It is not only Boris Johnson that has been swept up in the issue of Islamophobia in recent weeks, as a solicitor has been suspended for 18 months by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT). Deborah
A recent report into how consumers are choosing legal services has found that users are driven by many factors, but they are not shopping around for legal services. Shockingly, the report, carried out by the
For many, the thought of losing their wife, husband or long-term partner is the stuff of nightmares; the thought alone creates a feeling of all consuming grief. Now imagine that, despite losing the person closest
Barry Chuckle, one half of the Chuckle Brothers comedy duo, and stalwart of children’s television, has tragically died at the age of 73. Immortalised in the hearts of multiple generations, Barry Chuckle was best known
Much like the weather of late, the number of deaths has increased exponentially, when compared to past statistics. When the deaths were compared with the national statistics over the past five years, 663 additional deaths
A family, devastated by the loss of the late Owen Davies, have been left with the further burden of contesting a dated will he made in 1996, which left the entirety of his estate in
A recent report published by the HMRC has found that inheritance tax (IHT) has reached an all-time high of £5.2 billion. This is an increase of 8%, which equates to £388 million when compared to
The Supreme Court has ruled that it is no longer necessary for the Court of Protection to make the final decision on restricting clinically assisted hydration and nutrition (CAHN) to patients in an irreversibly unconscious