In this latest Today’s Wills and Probate podcast David Opie is joined by Tom Stansfield. Tom is well known to many in the wills and probate sector through his roles with membership body The Society of Will Writers, through to technology providers, most recently as Head of Growth at WillSuite. This latest episode Tom and […]Read More
The early bird rate is available for entrants to The British Wills and Probate Awards, sponsored by recently re-branded Property Solutions Group (formerly Executor Solutions). The 2021 event attracted a record number of entries with the awards hosted as a hybrid event for the first time, attracting around 800 attendees between the in-person and live […]Read More
In this podcast David Opie is joined by Charlotte Ponder, Legal Director at CTT Group (formerly Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation) and Chris Jones, Managing Director and ICON-UK to discuss the progress being made on the introduction of electronic signatures in legal services. Both Charlotte and Chris are members of the Industry Working Group on […]Read More
HMRC figures show a £0.6bn increase in inheritance tax (IHT) receipts in the first half of 2021/22 than in the same period a year earlier. £3.6bn in IHT was collected between April and October 2021, a 20% increase on the same period a year earlier. Receipts were higher than expected in October 2020, November 2020, […]Read More
A consultation from the Payment Systems Regulator could see legislation introduced forcing banks to refund those affected by authorised push payment (APP) fraud. APP fraud is typically perpetrated by criminals impersonating trusted individuals and organisations in order to trick people into authorising a payment to an account controlled by a criminal. The criminals will send […]Read More
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has launched a consultation on its approach to financial penalties for law firms and solicitors with the aim of resolving cases more quickly and reducing the need to refer to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) The consultation will review how the SRA can create more consistency across its regulated entities […]Read More
Third party IT service providers could be required to follow new cyber security rules such as the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Assessment Framework as part of new proposals to help businesses manage the growing cyber threat. A consultation by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) looked into the security of digital […]Read More
The first judgment on a reasonable provision claim under s.11 of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (the 1975 Act) has been given in the case of Sismey v Salandron. In the case the testator was a male divorcee who had divorced his third wife in 2017, and at the time of […]Read More
The Ministry of Justice has launched a consultation to review third party access to funds belonging to those who lack mental capacity without the need to get permission from the Court of Protections. The consultation has been launched following concerns over the “length and complexity” of the Court of Protection process, citing a “disproportionate and […]Read More
Money laundering costs the British economy around £37 billion each year. And with the legal sector under increasing scrutiny (and SRA site visits happening right now) it’s something firms should be placing front and centre of their risk planning. A review by the SRA into law firm AML compliance identified the failure to introduce “proper […]Read More
Further details around the planned changes to the social care system have been published in a policy paper following the announcements by Prime Minster Boris Johnson in September. In “Build Back Better: Our plan for health and social care” the government revealed its intention to launch the “Health and social care levy” to invest £5.2bn […]Read More
Research and analysis conducted by Canada Life, the assurance and financial services organisation, shows that UK homeowners now have over £740 billion of available equity release. Canada Life’s analysis of figures for Q3 2021, taken from the Halifax price index, show that this is the first time that available equity release has reached such a […]Read More
Flexibility has overtaken pay as the top priority for practitioners entering the jobs market, according to new research by legal recruitment consultancy, Realm Recruit. As part of its annual market research conducted in June 2021, Realm Recruit surveyed more than 100 practitioners on a number of topics, including jobseeker status, employee engagement, wellbeing and pay. […]Read More
The Conservatorship that has ruled the life of pop singer Britney Spears has been lifted by a judge in Los Angeles. The decision on Friday 12th November 2021 brings to a formal end the personal and financial restriction Ms Spears has been living under since 2008 following her well documented mental health issues. In American […]Read More
A study by the Marriage Foundation has revealed that couples who meet on dating apps are six times more likely to get divorced within the first three years of marriage. The survey of 2,027 married adults aged 30 and over, also found that meeting a partner online now accounts for a third of marriages in […]Read More
The Law Society of England and Wales has launched a survey to inform its response to future consultations on extending the witnessing of wills via video beyond the end of January 2022. In July 2020 the Ministry of Justice announced that temporary legislation would be enacted to legalise the witnessing of wills via video in […]Read More
Two and a half weeks on from the highly successful British Wills and Probate Awards, sponsored by Executor Solutions there is still a warm afterglow around the event. Social media is awash with certificates and trophies sitting pride of place and the gallery is now available on The British Wills and Probate Awards website. Today’s […]Read More
The results from a survey of 2,000 people has found that Inheritance Tax is the UK’s most hated tax. 1 in 4 respondents said that they felt it to be the most hated tax, despite just 4% of UK deaths resulting in an IHT liability. Taxes on income took second place, including income tax and […]Read More
A recent spike in contentious probate disputes is costing families their inheritance. According to research conducted by the private wealth law firm Boodle Hatfield, the number of contentious probate and Will challenge cases in the UK is higher than ever. The firm reported that 192 cases were brought by those challenging a deceased’s estate in […]Read More
Due to measures put in place to help stop the spread of Covid-19 HMRC has changed the way they deal with Inheritance Tax returns. If a person died on or after 6 April 2011 and the estate is unlikely to pay Inheritance Tax use of an IHT205 form is required. Until further notice, HMRC will […]Read More
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