Getting into the nettles of restricted gifts

This insight was written by Anna Morris, Solicitor at Lime Solicitors’ Inheritance Disputes Team In the recent decision of Rittson-Thomas v Oxfordshire County Council, 2019 EWCA Civ 200 the Supreme Court decided that Oxfordshire County

The legal professions of England and Wales – solicitors, barristers and CILEX lawyers – will again mark Pride virtually, with an ‘Untold Pride’ theme. The Law Society of England and Wales, the Bar Council of

Legal regulators must better understand the impact of diversity programmes

The Legal Services Board (LSB) urges legal regulators to do more to understand what is and is not working to improve the diversity and inclusion in the sector and focus on what is making a

The National Will Register’s Free Will Registration Month concludes on Friday 4th June. Law firms have until Friday 4th June to express their interest in registering their clients’ Wills and existing Will Bank on The

Professional indemnity insurance policies must provide clarity on cyber-related risks

The Law Society has today voiced its support of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) as it consults on proposed changes to the minimum terms and conditions (MTCs) for professional indemnity insurance (PII) policies so they’re

Mental Capacity and COVID19 Vaccine Conundrum

Beverley Beale, Court of Protection Panel Deputy and Associate at Weightmans LLP, discusses a case of a family dispute in which a member of their family who lacked mental capacity, should not have the Covid-19

Interview: Property fund provides greater choice for practitioners

Since launching in December 2020 Proffered have quietly been going about their business of helping probate practitioners, executors and beneficiaries navigate the world of probate property sales with a fully funded solution for executors and

Law firm diversity – are you ready for this years’ survey?

The bi-annual Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) diversity survey will be run in late Summer this year; the last survey took place in 2019 and saw 96% of firms reporting their data from more than 186,000

A US Conservatorship v A UK Deputyship

Ruth Meyer, a qualified US Attorney and a Court appointed Deputy in the UK at Boyes Turner LLP discusses US law, in regards to Britney Spears Conservatorship versus UK Deputyship law. The case regarding the

Top tips for progressing probate whilst snowed under

At risk of stating the obvious … it’s a busy time in probate and estate planning … and also in property. The last few years have seen a number of disruptions to the probate service

and the importance of good advice at the outset of a claim Alison Parry, Partner at JMW Solicitors, discusses testamentary capacity and the recent judgment that demonstrates 150-year old law is as relevant as ever.

Technical Corner: Reminder - IHT reporting changes from January 2022

As part of our ‘Technical Corner’ we want to bring you information that will help you to continue to learn and grow in your career. This month’s technical corner article comes from Amy Bell, Director

Millions of people watch soaps and other fictional dramas on television, but what duties do the people making these programmes have to make sure that the information they are including is correct? Everybody knows that

Contesting a Will based on Fraud or Forgery

Written by John Lambe, Senior Associate at Forbes Solicitors. There are a number of cases where the validity of the Will is challenged based on fraud or forgery; however, those that do succeed are relatively

Survey provides insight into early impact of pandemic on medium-size law firms

In its 20th year, the Law Management Section’s Financial Benchmarking report provides a vital insight into how medium-sized law firms have been hit by the unprecedented conditions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic with profits

Want of knowledge

Written by Olivia Jack is a Solicitor in the firm’s Contentious Trusts and Probate team at Forbes Solicitors Background One of the requirements for a valid Will is that the testator/testatrix knew, understood and approved

Contentious Probate Claims – a working case example

Ally Tow, a Senior Associate at Boyes Turner explores some of the challenges and obstacles that litigators dealing with contentious probate claims face by looking at an example of a case she was involved in

Daughter wins legal battle to administer mother’s estate

A daughter has been given permission to administer her mother’s estate after a legal battle with a professional executor ended with the High Court refusing their application to appeal. Leading national law firm Irwin Mitchell

Almost three quarters of legal professionals are struggling to find the time to complete essential learning and training because of heavy workloads.

Almost three quarters of legal professionals are struggling to find the time to complete essential learning and training because of heavy workloads. New research from legal software specialist Access Legal has highlighted the challenges law

14th Programme of Law Reform

Our ‘Technical Corner’ brings you information that will help you to continue to grow and develop in your career. This month’s technical corner article comes from Emily Deane TEP, STEP Technical Counsel. If you have

Legal industry workforce evolving to meet demand for ‘work anywhere, handle everything’ staff

The nature of work in the legal industry is changing rapidly, according to new research from specialist recruiter Robert Half and global labour market trends experts Burning Glass. Law firms are simultaneously embracing remote working,

The British Wills & Probate Awards Headline Sponsor Handover

Today’s Wills & Probate caught up with Arken.legal, the outgoing headline sponsor for The British Wills & Probate Awards for a formal handover to this year’s headline sponsor Executor Solutions. Thank you to Dave Newick,

In the Matter of The Court of Protection v The Pandemic

Beverley Beale, Court of Protection Panel Deputy and Associate at Weightmans LLP, talks about the impact the pandemic has had on those with impaired decision making capacity and the Court of Protection. The last 12

Salutary Lessons for Will Writers : Lessons from the Courts

Claire Cox, a solicitor in the Dispute Resolution team at Hedges Law, has a special interest in inheritance disputes and discusses how Will writers can protect themselves from potential claims. Inheritance claims and probate disputes

Bereavement Index reveals probate process is ‘slow and inefficient’

88% of legal professionals think the bereavement process is ‘slow and inefficient’ Professionals say waiting for financial institutions is biggest cause of delays, causing 64% of their clients to become stressed 40% of those who

Interview with founder of Exizent Aleks Tomczyk

Today’s Wills and Probate interview Aleks Tomczyk, founder and COO at Exizent, which help improve the bereavement experience by providing an innovative platform to make it easier for legal services firms and institutions during the

The evolving requirements of a law firm’s website

Digital Marketing expert, Sam Borrett, director of Legmark, the specialist legal marketing agency, addresses why a website is more important than ever. Many potential clients start their search for a law firm online and a

Uno flatu: a double process in one breath

Stephanie Kerr, Associate in the Litigation Team at Brabners has shared her views on the Howes v Howes case and the importance of record-keeping by executors. In the recent case of Howes v Howes, the

Solicitors rely on information from deceased’s family for probate, but most people die without putting their affairs in order

95% of probate professionals rely either entirely or somewhat on information from their clients to verify assets and liabilities 23% of people die without a will and most do not leave their affairs in order

Are traditional wills dying out?

Sophie McDonnell from Boyes Turner LLP discusses alternative will options and whether the less traditional methods will become more popular in the future. Historically, traditional wills prepared by solicitors were the most popular method for

PII: the impact of the pandemic

Legal Eye MD Paul Saunders talks to Howdens Executive Director Martin Ellis and Divisional Director Colin Taylor about the impact of the pandemic on Professional Indemnity Insurance for law firms. As firms prepare for renewal

Online wills – the future of will making?

Matthew Lagden, CEO of the Institute of Legacy Management (ILM), looks at the increasing trend in online will writing, and discusses the benefits and possible drawbacks… Until recently, online will writing was a contentious subject

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