British Wills and Probate Awards: Judges’ Insights with Trevor Worth and Jane Cassell
As Champagne Sponsors at this year’s British Wills and Probate Awards 2021, we continue to celebrate with our Judges’ insights series. We will be sharing weekly interviews with the judges themselves to get their views on the future of the industry and what firms need to do to excel. Following last week’s topical interview with […]
52% of new mortgages will end after borrowers turn 65
Findings from a new report commissioned by UK Finance reveal that 52% of new mortgage lending is going to borrowers who will not have paid off their home loan before their 65th birthday. Longer mortgage terms and an ageing population are helping to drive the trend towards later life borrowing, and is the first time […]
Children of Monty Python star bring inheritance dispute case to High Court
The family of the recently deceased Monty Python actor and comedian, Terry Jones, are involved in a will dispute following his death, reports suggest. Terry Jones’ adult children are suing their father’s second wife Anna Söderström under the Inheritance Act 1975 which allows family members to seek “reasonable provision” from an estate. Although the details […]
Mental health – something’s got to give…
Legal mental health charity LawCare has today released the findings of its research study Life in the Law. The research into wellbeing in the profession captured data between October 2020 and January 2021 from over 1,700 legal professionals in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, and Isle of Man. The aim of the research […]
No straightforward process for accessing digital assets after death says STEP
A project completed by STEP and Queen Mary University of London has identified the need for urgent reform to give families better access to the digital assets of deceased loved ones. Items such as social media accounts, photos and emails have become a common part of estate planning and administration in recent years. A new […]
Podcast explores the legal sector’s adoption of technology
In the latest Topical Talks with Title Research podcast, Tom Stansfield, Marketeer and Head of Growth at WillSuite, joins Anthony Allsopp, Head of Business at Title Research, to discuss the legal sector’s adoption of technology, online Will writing and digital assets in Wills. More specifically, the podcast explores: How the legal industry utilises technology and […]
Free virtual seminar: Intestate estates and missing beneficiaries
Title Research’s Technical Manager, Simon Barber, and Business Development Manager, James Cameron, are back with their upcoming virtual seminar on Wednesday 29th September at 12pm. The duo will discuss managing risk when faced with intestate estates and missing beneficiaries in estate administration, more specifically, covering: How and where missing beneficiaries are found Why intestate estates […]
Register now for Superhero Webinar 82: Planning for Clients with Additional (most commonly rental) Properties
Register now for Superhero Webinar 82: Planning for Clients with Additional (most commonly rental) Properties Topics include: What should a client’s Will look like if they own additional properties? What options exist for lifetime planning to: Reduce IHT Reduce IHT and retain the rent Defer CGT Mitigate CGT Brief overview relating to corporate structures (incorporate/family […]
Law firms outperform pandemic expectations
Most law firms made it through the pandemic unscathed. Around three quarters of responding firms said their revenues and profits were level with or higher than their projections for 2020-21. Despite national restrictions and market uncertainty, 31% of firms were able to outperform their revenue expectations. And while firms are bullish about the future with […]
UK trust reporting deadline extended as TRS opens to non-taxable trusts
The Trust Registration Service is now open for non-taxable trusts to register, as required by the UK’s implementation of the EU Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive. All relevant trusts that were in existence on or after 6 October 2020 must be registered by 1 September 2022. The obligation extends to all UK express trusts and some […]
Products to suit partner and customer needs
Tower Street Finance’s head of underwriting Heather Pollard explains how some of our recent cases have highlighted that sometimes the product our partners and customers think is the right one for them isn’t necessarily the best solution…. By talking the case through in detail we’ve been able to establish a better route for their needs. […]
Remember a Charity Week: Cancer charities benefit from legacy gifting
Cancer charities remain the biggest recipients of gifts in wills, according to new data released by Co-op Legal Services, as part of Remember A Charity Week, compared to the same period in 2020. However, favourability towards animal charities have declined and gifts left to organisations that help UK children are also down against the previous […]
A reminder of the importance of expertise in mental capacity assessments
The issue of capacity is explored in the case of Hughes v Pritchard [2021] EWHC 1580 (Ch) and highlights the importance of instructing experts in respect of capacity assessments and ensuring full disclosure. Introduction On 11 June 2021, His Honour Judge Jarman QC handed down judgment in the case of Hughes v Pritchard [2021] EWHC 1580 (Ch). The case […]
UK bank account fraud 25% up year on year
New research from Experian has revealed that bank account fraud is now tracking at its highest level for more than three years. Drawing on the latest data from the National Hunter Fraud Prevention Service, the analysis uncovered an alarming surge in fraudulent activity targeting British businesses and consumers. The fraud rate for current accounts rose […]
Ransomware attacks up by 518% in the last year
Cybercriminals are becoming more aggressive, a recent report reveals. The report shows that cybercrime gangs are using even more sophisticated ransomware to extort millions from firms across the UK. The average ransomware demand has also increased by 518% from $847,000 in 2020, to around $5.3 million in 2021, with the highest single demand sitting at […]
Feeling in the dark about the cloud?
Watch Exizent’s CTO, John Catnach, present our latest webinar; Introduction to the Cloud – Back to Basics. A topical webinar highlighting the main benefits and strengths that implementing cloud software offers your Probate Department. Cloud computing offers businesses many advantages, including allowing multiple users to view data in real-time and share projects effortlessly. Cloud software […]
Free webinar: Embracing innovation with Title Research and Tower Street Finance
On Wednesday 15th September at 12pm, Title Research’s Head of Business, Anthony Allsopp, will be joined by Tower Street Finance’s Business Development Director, Richard (Dicky) Davies, to highlight the importance of embracing innovation to improve and expand your service offering to your clients. In addition to explaining how Tower Street Finance’s portfolio of products can […]
Tools for measuring your marketing success
Content marketing is one of the most effective tools there is in communicating with your target audience. Content can be easily tailored and maintained to achieve the results you are looking for. Legal articles that serve as pieces of content to populate websites, blogs, social channels, e-newsletters and more continue to be a great source of information when communicating with prospects to inform and create awareness, […]
Estate fraud – Not a victimless crime
‘How will anyone ever find out?‘ ‘I will put the money back just as soon as … has happened.’ These are just a couple of the thoughts that we assume go through the minds of those who help themselves to money belonging to deceased people’s estates. Sadly this occurrence is not as rare as one […]
90% of people reliant on inheritance
The latest research into inheritance has uncovered that 9 in 10 adults are reliant on inheritance to fund retirement and pay off debts. 1 in 5 would use inheritance monies to pay off their mortgage, 16% need inheritance to supplement retirement income with a combined 19% intending to pay off credit cards and personal debt. […]
