The British Wills and Probate Awards, known as the ‘Oscars of the Probate World’ is back with a new Headline Sponsor for the 2025 event. Arken.legal have been confirmed as the Headline Sponsor for the 2025 awards which will be hosted in Manchester on 9th October 2025.
Entries open today (4th April 2025) for the awards, which is now in its 8th year, recognising and celebrating the very best the wills, probate, tax, trusts and estate planning community has to offer. Uniquely the awards champions both the regulated and unregulated legal services sectors with categories for law firms, probate providers, and will writers alongside individual excellence awards, and supplier categories.
Arken.legal return as Headline having been part of the inaugural years of the awards programme in 2018. In 2018 The British Wills and Probate Awards welcomed 200 people to Ardencote Manor in Warwickshire and subsequently 300 to The Belfry, near Birmingham in 2019. In 2024 the awards hosted over 450 practitioners and professionals in Manchester with 2025 set to be even bigger and better than before.
“Arken.legal is proud to be the Headline Sponsor of the 2025 British Wills and Probate Awards – the “Oscars of the Wills and Probate World.”
said Arken Group CEO Dave Newick
“Having played a key role in putting these prestigious awards on the map since their inception in 2018, we’ve watched them evolve into the outstanding event they are today and we felt it was the perfect time to step back in as Headline Sponsor. Our commitment to innovation aligns perfectly with the awards’ celebration of excellence in the industry.”
“We’ve always been proud of our association with this event and look forward to partnering with Today’s Media once again to elevate the awards on 9th October in Manchester. See you there!”
CLICK HERE to ENTER The British Wills and Probate Awards 2025
The awards have welcomed over 1,000 submission, seen 450 firms shortlisted and crowned nearly 150 winners since they launched. 2025 categories include the hugely popular “Community and Charity Champions”, “Best Place to Work” and “One to Watch Practitioner of the Year”; alongside the categories that recognise technical expertise and service excellence – “Private Client Firm of the Year” “Customer Service Champions” and “Tax and Trust Team of the Year”.
Following the success of individual categories launched in 2024 recognising the skills of contentious, non-contentious and will writing professionals, they return, alongside the hugely important “Wills and Probate Excellence” award recognising the very best entry from the hundreds of submissions; won by Chester-based Oliver & Co in its inaugural year.
CICK HERE to view the Awards Categories and entry criteria
The British Wills and Probate Awards are organised by Today’s Media, the publishers of Today’s Wills and Probate. Inviting firms, individuals and businesses up and down the country to enter this year’s process, Managing Director David Opie said
“Over the last 8 years The British Wills and Probate Awards have established themselves as a key date in the legal calendar, bringing the profession together to recognise and celebrate excellence. Each year the independent judging panel, drawn from across the sector, pore over the submissions to arrive at the shortlists and eventual winners; scrutinising each entry individually so that our winners know their success has been hard earned, and hard won.”
“A huge thank you to CTT Group for their support over the last two years as Headline Sponsor; and we look forward to taking the awards forward with Arken.legal.”
Entry for the awards is now open with an early bird rate of £129 +VAT enabling you to enter up to three categories. You do not need to complete your written submission immediately. All the categories are available to review on the British Wills and Probate Awards website. Each category has the entry criteria available to download and review to curate the submission.
The early bird rate is open until Friday 16th May 2025. After this date the entry fee switches to the standard rate of £169.00+VAT. Should you wish to enter just one of the categories on offer, the rate is £89.00+VAT.Once firms have entered they will be given access to the Judgify entry portal through which entries are submitted. Entries can be part-completed, saved and reviewed before final submission.
A number of firms have already committed to sponsorship of the 2025 awards. Today’s Media are hugely grateful to WillSuite, LEAP Estates, The Law Superstore, Anglia Research, CILEX, Society of Will Writers, Provira, Ochresoft, and Level who have all confirmed their support. Sponsorship opportunities for 2025 are available now. Please contact Grace Beech and David Opie for more information.
CLICK HERE to ENTER The British Wills and Probate Awards 2025