British Wills and Probate Awards: Judges’ Insights with Emily Deane and Ian Bond
In only 4 weeks’ time, Exizent will be joining the brightest legal practitioners working in wills and probate at the British Wills and Probate Awards 2021. We’re excited to be involved in our first awards as Champagne Sponsors. To celebrate, we’re sharing a series of interviews with the judges themselves to get their views on […]
New £10,000 legacy revealed in unknown Will located by a Certainty Will Search
It is not uncommon for family members to contact The National Will Register after a loved one has passed away after finding themselves in a situation where they are unsure of where the last Will of the deceased is located. A Certainty Will Search can assist and locates unknown or missing Wills every day. In […]
Industry Champion vote final days and awards tickets selling fast
The British Wills and Probate Awards, sponsored by Executor Solutions returns on the 21st October 2021. The ceremony will be presented as a hybrid event; with an in-person afternoon awards ceremony simultaneously live streamed via the British Wills and Probate Awards website, followed by the Champagne Reception, sponsored by Exizent and an evening dinner at […]
National Paralegal Awards 2021 Goes Hybrid
The National Paralegal Awards, hosted by the PPR is taking place on Thursday 23rd September 2021. This event is a virtual award show and is free to attend by registering here This year there are 20 hotly contested categories with trophies up for grabs. The winners and sponsors will then join together for a winner’s […]
Newest entrant to inheritance funding market launches
The latest entrant to the inheritance funding market has been announced with significant backing from Swift Group. Legacy Release has been launched to target the High Net Worth market and bridge the gap between the discharging of estate liabilities and the eventual realisation of money, enabling individuals to gain early access to inheritance which can […]
LPA Consultation: Have you had your say?
Practitioners are being reminded to submit their thoughts on the Ministry of Justice’s consultation on the future of LPAs in a blog on the OPG website. More than 140 responses have already been received, with many coming from members of the public. The consultation was launched in July with the ambition of “(making) the service […]
Funeral firms must show full pricelist up front
The legal requirement for funeral directors and crematorium present clear and comparable pricing to customers is now in effect. Following action by the Competitions and Markets Authority, funeral directors and crematoria were given 3 months to comply with legislation which includes the requirement to display a Standardised Price List in their window at their premises […]
Time for change
Case management systems, digital dictation/time recording, sophisticated management reporting, online training, case tracking, increased risk management, budget analysis, automation, forecasting systems, outsourced overhead functions – just to mention a few concepts we have all embraced over the years to build our businesses and manage our risk. No longer new fads but integrated systems and procedures […]
“Health and social care levy” introduced to address funding crisis
Prime Minster Boris Johnson has today introduced a “health and social care levy” to ringfence taxpayer funding for the NHS and social care. Mr Johnson was anticipated to break the manifesto promise of no increases to income tax, VAT or National Insurance as he leads efforts to address the shortfall in funding for key services, […]
Don’t forget to vote for your Industry Champion
The response to the Today’s Wills and Probate Industry Champion, sponsored by Arken.legal, has been overwhelmingly positive following the first week of the public vote. In May Today’s Wills and Probate invited nominations from the sector, in an effort to recognise those who have made a significant contribution to the life and times of the sector. […]
Online Probate Applications – practical tips on avoiding problems with your application
The latest in Fraser and Fraser’s popular series of free interactive webinars, entitled Online Probate Applications – practical tips on avoiding problems with your application, will take place on Thursday 16 September at 12.30pm. Guest speaker for the session is Ian Bond, head of wills and estates at Thursfields solicitors, who will provide guidance on […]
Landmark legacy achievement as Remember A Charity Week starts
A landmark goal for charitable bequests has been reached with over one million gifts in Wills donated to charities over the past decade, according to figures released to coincide with the launch of Remember A Charity Week this week With over 100,000 charitable bequests left in Wills each year, more than one million gifts were […]
Lasting Powers Of Attorney Registration Delays – How To Handle Them?
The delays announced by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) to the registration of lasting powers of attorney (LPA) of up to 20 weeks is likely to be the cause of frustration for clients and practitioners alike. For many private client practitioners, this will only add to the mounting pressure caused throughout the Covid-19 […]
Shift in wealth drives ageing workforce
By 2030, 47% of all over 50s are forecast to be part of the UK labour force, according to a new report from Legal & General Retail Retirement (LGRR) and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The ‘Working Late: Over 50s and employment’ report found that the growing trend for people working later […]
ILM Director appointed to Wills and Equity Committee
The Insititue of Legacy Management (ILM) has announced the appointment of Director Blerta Clubb to the Law Society’s Wills and Equity Committee. Blerta is a highly experienced legacy professional, and successfully won ILM’s Legacy Professional of the Year award in 2019 to recognise her passion, hard work and achievements within the sector. Speaking of the […]
Fewer over 55’s plan to downsize
More over-55s are hanging on to their homes removing millions of homes from potential circulation and adding to the current housing shortage according to a report released by Legal and General. Less than 25% of over 55 homeowners (around 2.9m) intend to downsize in the near future, which is fewer than indicated their intentions to […]
Cyber Essentials – simple, effective and affordable cyber security for the legal profession
Are you in the cyber hot seat? With reams of sensitive personal data and transactions that involve large sums of money, the legal sector is undeniably a massive target for cyber crime. Cyber Security – A thematic review published last year by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) reported the many costs of a cyber attack to a legal […]
Better Care Fund increased to support health and care integration
The government has announced more than £6.9 billion has been committed to continue driving integration between health and social care and support local recovery from the pandemic. The Better Care Fund (BCF) has been increased this year to continue driving integration between the health and social care system and support local recovery from the pandemic. […]
50% fall in Sole Practitioners over the last 10 years
Solicitors operating as sole practitioners and partnerships are a dying breed, according to a new analysis from Arden Partners plc revealing the changing shape of the solicitor market. Arden’s analysis of Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) data reveals that the number of sole practitioners operating in England and Wales has decreased by 47% in the past […]
Legal services sector recovering well according to ONS
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Index of Services for June reveals that the legal sector is recovering well following the pandemic. Although figures show that the services sector grew by only 1.5% between May and June this year, which is still below the 2.1% that was recorded in February 2020 and the last month of […]
