Following confirmation the issuing, management and transfer of cryptoassets are to be regulated, of the Financial Conduct Authority has launched a consultation on its interpretation of cryptoasset activities ahead of the publication of policy statements
Law firms in England and Wales experienced rapid, sector-wide growth in 2025, with average earnings up by 11.2% compared with a 6.1% increase in 2024. The figures, released yesterday in the Law Society’s new annual
Firms have announced a series of senior private client appointments, with Sheffield-based law firm Pavilion Row appointing Will Morris (main picture) to its board of directors, Matthew Morton becoming partner in the commercial litigation team
The Lord Chancellor has approved the appointment of Monisha Shah as chair of the Legal Services Board for four years from 1st April 2026. For the last 12 months, Catherine Brown had acted as interim
Jessica Flaherty is a partner at Bell Lamb & Joynson and heads up the firm’s award winning Private Client team. Jess is a trust and estate practitioner and an Accredited Lifetime Lawyer. What was your
Concerns have been raised over delays in granting probate following a freedom of information request which showed a 155% increase in cases taking over 18 months. With pensions being brought into the scope of inheritance
Applications for caveats increased by 12% in 2025 compared with 2024, as efforts to halt or delay the administration of estates intensify. A freedom of information request by TWM Solicitors found 11,589 caveats were placed
A newly published report is critical of the failure of the funeral planning sector to be transparent around the cost of funerals, which have risen significantly above the annual rate of inflation. Pure Cremation’s Cost
The latest episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast welcomes Senior Ombudsman at the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) Clair Daniel to explore the current landscape of legal complaints handling, the challenges facing firms, and the
Family‑owned businesses face “structural risks’ following the changes to Business Property Relief (BPR) that came into force this week, law firm Taylor Rose has warned. The risks are likely to become much more visible once
Jessica Godfrey‑Withey is a partner in Birketts’ private client advisory team, with more than a decade of experience advising on all aspects of succession planning, including wills, powers of attorney, inheritance tax strategies and lifetime
Private equity backed consolidator Lawfront has announced the acquisition of Reading based Field Seymour Parkes, taking the total number of firms under its ‘regional leaders’ banner to seven. Field Seymour Parkes joins regional firms Farleys,
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has confirmed the appointment of Richard Blakeway (pictured) to the post of chair of the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) after an open competition. The appointment follows Blakeway’s appearance before
The first speakers have been confirmed for TWP Festival 2.0; the ‘unconference’ hosted by Today’s Media, the publishers of Today’s Wills and Probate. After the success of year one, which drew its inspiration from the
As many as one in five people fear missing out on passing documentation on to their loved ones in the event of their unexpected death, according to a survey of 2000 adults. Around a quarter
A new probate administration platform has launched with the aim of bridging “the long-standing divide between estate planning and probate” by providing a technology link between administration platforms. Developed in collaboration with WillWriterPro and MyDigiSafe,
LawtechUK, a Ministry of Justice-backed initiative supporting technology startups in the legal sector, has secured further funding to enable it to continue operating for the next three years. The programme, currently delivered in a partnership
As a senior associate in the Private Client Advisory team at Birketts LLP, Daisy advises on a wide range of private client matters including wills, powers of attorney, trusts and the administration of estates. What
The great wealth transfer is encouraging a rise in inheritance disputes, say professionals, as figures from the High Court show a double digit increase in the number of cases. More than 1,200 disputed probate cases
Just Wealth, the financial advice arm of Just Mortgages, has reported a 63% increase in assets under management (AUM) in 2025. The company says the growth reflects a strong year for its wealth business, driven
An equity release provider has teamed up with a pension specialist in order to deliver “holistic and integrated advice” to later life lending customers. Key Equity Release’s partnership with Pense is in recognition that “conversations
The Legal Services Board has outlined how it intends to strengthen lawyers’ ethical standards in a statement of policy which sets out new expectations designed to reinforce lawyers’ role in upholding the rule of law.
The British Wills and Probate Awards return for the ninth year, formally launching today (Friday 27th March). The Awards are organised by Today’s Media, the publishers of Today’s Wills and Probate, and will be hosted
The reform programme within the probate registry has seen the process go from wholly paper based to almost entirely digital since the introduction of the digital service in 2018, following the mandated use of the
An aristocrat is engaged in a complex High Court battle to prevent trustees of his ex-wife’s £1.2 million income fund from selling a cottage on his family’s 11th century rural estate in Somerset. Sir Benjamin
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a market study into later life mortgages to determine how prepared the market is to meet consumers needs now and in the future. Given recent government analysis of
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has launched a call for input on its draft Model Complaints Resolution Procedure (MCRP), a new framework aimed at improving the consistency and quality of how complaints are handled by legal
From lawyer, to Microsoft and Meta, and now to Arken.legal, Anthony Philips legal journey takes him through a series of household technology names and halfway round the world before recently landing as CEO at the
Credit provider Capital One UK has partnered with Phillips & Cohen Associates’s (PCA) NotifyNOW service to offer those handling a bereavement the ability to notify multiple service providers of an account holder’s death, with the
The Law Society of England and Wales has launched a new practical guide to help solicitors make safer, more informed technology decisions and warns that unsafe AI adoption may expose firms to risks. The majority
A Christian father has lost a “heartbreaking” court fight with his ex-wife over whether the body of their “free spirit” teenage son should be buried or cremated. Gabrielle Barbus, 17, took his own life last
The speaker line up for the annual Association of Lifetime Lawyers conference has been announced, with Caroline Bielanska, Professor Lesley King and Alexa Payet all on the schedule. The conference, which will be held at