The Chair of the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee has called for progress on wills reform in an open letter to minister for courts and legal services Sarah Sackman. Lord Foster of
The £1.1m will of a Crufts champion dog breeder is at the centre of a High Court fight between her son and a kennel hand. David Brand, 59, says Mary Swash, pictured, a well known
Legal-focused mental health and wellbeing charity LawCare has confirmed the appointment of Mark Evans as its new Chief Executive. Evans’ takes up the role having completed his term as President of the Law Society of
Two technical amendments to the inheritance tax (IHT) on pensions legislation, announced by the government in the Autumn Budget have been welcomed by STEP, the professional body of trust and estate practitioners. Following chancellor John
Over 150 signatories have lent their support to calls for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to review its thinking on plans to remit a proportion of the interest earned on lawyers’ client accounts in England
With the estate planning industry undergoing significant merger and acquisition activity the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast welcomes on one of the most active proponents to discuss what businesses can do to make themselves appealing
The equity release market remains broadly stable with negligible changes to lending and customer numbers compared with the previous quarter. But, reported the Equity Release Council (ERC) in its latest quarterly figures, lending was down
The Solicitors Regulations Authority has confirmed it will “work with stakeholders, including through working groups” to identify alternatives to the proposals to separate compliance officer roles from those with unilateral decision making. Last month the
Daniel is a partner at IMD Solicitors LLP and leads the firm’s private wealth practice. He specialises in complex cross-border estate administration, advising high-net-worth individuals, families and personal representatives on estates involving assets across multiple
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) avoided the threatened vote of no confidence at the Law Society’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) despite widespread support for opposition to the proposed separation of COLP and COFA roles from
The inclusion of pensions in IHT calculations from April 2027 is expected to increase financial pressures on estates potentially increasing the number of estates facing significant liabilities warn the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) in
An eight week consultation has been launched by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) inviting views on proposed updates to the Statement of Solicitor Competence (SoSC) and functioning legal knowledge (FLK). Announcing the consultation the SRA
An experienced will writer has identified a gap in the market to support other estate planning professionals looking to plan their own exit and succession strategy for their business. Trevor Worth, owner of Plymouth-based Portcullis
Recently rebranded untangled joins the latest Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast to discuss the continued impact of the Great Wealth Transfer, the increasing reliance on inheritance amongst younger generations and the role interim funding has
Investment in legal technology companies is on course for a record-breaking year, with the first six months of 2025 outstripping the whole of 2025 according to the latest industry snapshot by LawtechUK. UK-founded lawtech companies
Janina is a senior associate at Pinel Advocates, a private client and corporate law firm in Jersey. Janina leads Pinel Advocates’ wills and probate team. She has worked in Jersey since November 2008 and has
The British Wills and Probate Awards, sponsored by Arken.legal crowned its winners at the annual ceremony hosted in Manchester on 8th October, celebrating excellence across the private client profession in stunning fashion at the largest
The total number of complaints about alleged financial misconduct by attorneys acting under a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) has increased to record levels say TWM Solicitors after it obtained figures from the Ministry of
The Conservative party would seek to reduce and ultimately abolish inheritance tax (IHT) if elected said leader Kemi Badenoch in her speech at the party conference in Birmingham. The Conservative party leader’s much previewed speech
Over half of people surveyed about inheritance tax (IHT) were in favour of abolishing the levy according to a YouGov poll commissioned by law firm Kingsley Napley. The poll revealed 56% of people now want
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch has indicated the party could commit to scrapping or reducing inheritance tax if it was to be elected in an interview with The Times. Ahead of the party’s annual conference
Underfunding and the ‘dismal’ state of the courts system and physical infrastructure are two key issues identified by barristers in research which shows three quarters of the profession do not think that people are able
Former Minister of State at the Home Office Alex Norris MP has been sworn in as Lord Chancellor in a ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice. Norris was appointed Lord Chancellor and Secretary of
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed it will pause plans to separate the role of Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) and Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration (COFA) from individuals with “unilateral decision
Meg Dugdale is a mum, estate planning consultant and the founder of Play & Plan, a community-based initiative designed to make estate planning and legal advice more accessible for young families. Through consultations held in
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has used his speech at the Labour party conference to tell delegates his government will end the existing pensions “triple lock” from 2030 to help fund adult social care reforms in
Octopus Legacy has announced it has launched an online will writing service in Scotland to complement its work in England and Wales. The firm said it was now possible for anyone living in Scotland to
The Law Society has committed an initial £300,000 to provide a further three years of funding to two charities operating in the legal sector, one focused on helping those who cannot afford legal advice, and
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been told it will face calls for a vote of no confidence in its leadership if it continues to press forward with proposals to separate the roles of Compliance Officer
The naivety of consumers around the costs associated with estate administration is placing huge financial pressures on people at a time of great distress as they navigate the process of dealing with bereavement and managing
The Law Society of England and Wales has confirmed it will discuss Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) proposals for changes to compliance rules at its upcoming annual general meeting in October. The proposal to separate the
Despite advances in technology and an increasingly interconnected world, genealogy remains a highly skilled investigative process. A cursory skim through Facebook simply doesn’t cut it, explains head of private client at Estate Research Dom Hendry