The value of future inheritance planning has been outlined by wealth manager and financial advisers Quilter who estimate a working-age single homeowner in England with an average-priced home and ‘moderate’ pension pot could be liable
It is claimed HMRC has opened more than one thousand extra investigations into families who may not have paid the right amount of inheritance tax (IHT). A freedom of information request by NFU Mutual suggests
It has been reported Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering capping lifetime gifts in an attempt to plug the £50bn hole in the public finances. First reported in the Guardian, the proposals could see the current
A man who was legally married to his previous partner and married a second is at the centre of an inheritance dispute following his death from cancer in 2020. Accountant James Dinsdale’s £1.8m estate is
Decisions shared by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in July reveal 13 firms have been fined a total of £275,170 for AML breaches dating back to 2011 – with one firm fined £114,006. Amphlett Lissimore Bagshaws
Hoopers Genealogical Researchers (Hoopers), a long-established genealogy firm has been acquired by law firm Edwin Coe LLP marking the end of independent operations for the business which was founded in 1969 and can trace its
Half of consumers have no idea how much Inheritance Tax (IHT) they could be liable for on death and only a quarter really understand IHT completely according to a survey by Charles Stanley. The wealth
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has published enhanced guidance on remedies that sets out five questions to assess whether a remedy is appropriate. The updated guidance is aimed at supporting service providers to identify and apply
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has awarded £360,000 to 11 organisations to support people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the cost of sitting the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The organisations provide a range of legal, educational
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has refused to restore a solicitor to the roll after he was struck off in 2021 for a series of regulatory and supervision breaches that resulted in a £1.2 million fraud.
As the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s AML enforcement team continues its crackdown on regulation breaches, the Law Society of England and Wales has said it is ‘disappointed’ with the government’s response to the 2024 consultation on
A freedom of information (FoI) request has confirmed what many contentious professionals anecdotally believe to be the case; that the number of contentious probate matters is on the increase; and by as much as 56%.
A free, charity-funded genealogy search service is launching a new probate service and is looking for financial support for the venture. Free UK Genealogy is a registered charity dedicated to making historic UK family history
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed neither the Ministry of Justice, nor HM Treasury has allocated any investment for the digitalisation or reform of the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) process in the
A solicitor has been struck off and ordered to pay costs of £29,775.84 for multiple breaches of Money Laundering Regulations that the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal said represented ‘widespread and fundamental non-compliance with critical regulations’ amounting
The birth rate has fallen to its lowest level since mid-2002 according to the latest Office for National Statistics population estimates, with an estimated 596,000 births in the year to mid-2024. The number represents a
Against a backdrop of employees being encouraged back into the office according to the latest KPMG CEO Report, a consultant-style law firm has reported a five fold increase in the number of consultant solicitors in
North-west law firm Bell Lamb & Joynson is celebrating a record-breaking financial year, with turnover from client fees rising by 17.79% to reach £5.2 million – the first time in the firm’s 200 year history
The inclusion of unused pension assets in IHT calculations will have a significant impact on the later life lending market as older home owners could be advised to release housing wealth as a core tax
The annual LawShare conference returns to the 5 star Lowry Hotel in Manchester on Thursday the 9th of October covering pertinent issues surrounding the running of a law firm. The conference has welcomes a variety
A mortgage intermediary has rolled out a new technology provided by specialists in understanding capacity to improve its ability to identify and better service vulnerable customers. Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) has introduced a Financial Vulnerability
A charity founded by a lawyer to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds is providing ‘welcome packs’ for new Year 7 pupils, including uniform vouchers, stationery, a school bag and other academic resources. The Be
The impact of Government’s decision to maintain the Inheritance Tax (IHT) thresholds at their 2020/21 levels is evident in the latest Inheritance Tax liabilities statistics published for 2022/23. 4.62% of UK deaths resulted in an
The hit BBC podcast Grave Robbers, part of the Shadow World series, has brought to public attention a little known fraud where criminals have been using the Bona Vacantia list to identify vacant and unclaimed
There are fewer marriages, more families choosing to cohabit, and more people who live alone in retirement according to recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ‘Families and households in the UK:
The equity release market grew by 10% in the last 12 months as older homeowners unlocked £636m in property wealth according to the latest Equity Release Council’s (ERC) latest quarterly market report. 14,404 new and
Proposed changes to first-tier complaints handling, which could include requirements to publish complaints information to clients in a ‘clear, accessible and prominent place’ on firms’ websites, have been criticised by The Law Society. Responding to
The Justice Committee has launched an inquiry into how advice and legal services are adapting to secure access to justice across civil, criminal, and family law. MPs on the cross-party Committee, which is chaired by
A report produced by the Equity Release Council sets out examples of good practice, strategic priorities and case studies to help firms support later life lending customers. Produced in collaboration with Inclusive Outcomes, an organisation
The Law Society of England and Wales has recommended a 2.45% salary increase for aspiring solicitors, in line with the Consumer Price Index 12-month rolling inflation rate. The increase, which is not a regulatory requirement
Following the government’s admission that anti-money laundering regulations are ‘a major burden’ on professional business services firms, HM Treasury has released a response to the 2024 consultation examining the effectiveness of Money Laundering Regulations. In
The increasing number of mortgage applications from older borrowers means later life lending should be considered more mainstream. That is the view of James Tucker, CEO of mortgage tech firm Twenty7tec whose claim is backed