New year, new lockdown?

News that the coronavirus pandemic continues to pick up momentum again, continues to worry everyone across the board. Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday to discuss the possible

LSB pushes legal regulators to drive up performance and improve governance

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has published annual reports on the performance of the eight legal services regulatory bodies. Each organisation regulates different types of lawyers and carries out its responsibilities in different ways. Nevertheless,

UK law firms working in France can continue post 31 December transition

News that international law firms operating in France as UK limited liability partnerships (LLPs) will be able to continue practising at the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December without restructuring was welcomed

Merry Christmas everyone!

Everyone at Today’s Wills and Probate would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. We thank you for all of your support during this year. We wish you many happy returns and all of the

2021 sees implementation of SQE

The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) will be introduced on 1 September 2021. The purpose of this exam is to enable more people to gain access into the legal profession by replacing traditional routes into law.

Celebration of the famous faces we lost in 2020

2020 has seen the passing of some famous faces, with the worlds of entertainment, sport, music and literature losing some shining stars. As we celebrate another festive period and say goodbye to an unprecedented year,

IHT400 delay can hinder probate applications

HMRC are advising people not to submit their grant of probate or administration too early, otherwise they will be met with subsequent delays due to an issue with matching up IHT400 and IHT421 forms. The

In conversation with…. Honey Legal

Honey Legal is one of the fastest growing estate planning providers in England & Wales. Today’s Wills & Probate spoke with some of the team to discuss the challenges they’ve faced in 2020 and their

CMA praises advancements in legal sector, but more can be done

Today, 17 December, the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) has published the findings of its review of the legal services in England and Wales. The review has found that the legal profession has made some positive

MyHMCTS using Multi-Factor Authentication

As more and more legal service processes are being digitised, the need to protect client’s personal data is becoming more important. To help keep their systems safe and secure, HMCTS have introduced multi-factor authentication to

Banks continue to blame customers for fraud issues

The Financial Ombudsman Service has revealed that there is a 36% rise in complaints with regards to how banks dealt with fraud and scams when compared to 2019. Last year, many banks and financial institutions

When legal representation falls short: study finds diversity is lacking in law firms

Diversity is a factor high on the list of any industry looking to ensure parity in their workforce and hiring practices. Nowhere should this be more the case than in the legal industry. Ensuring the

family gifts

The Equity Release Council (the Council) has launched a Best Practice Guide to complement its Checklist for Advisers and support firms when discussing and documenting customer needs. The detailed guide has been produced by the

Exizent want your views on the bereavement process

Exizent, a Glasgow-based technology company, is looking for probate professionals to be part of their growing Research Community. A spokesperson for Exizent said: “We’re on a mission to make the bereavement process easier for everyone,

Should solicitors be forced to display prices on their websites?

Following on from Nigel Haddon’s interview, Jackie Emmerson Managing Director at Emmerson Solicitors has shared her views with Today’s Wills and Probate about price transparency. The Solicitors Regulatory Authority determined that solicitors should be transparent

Send us your Christmas and festive pictures

According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Christmas 2020 is a time to be ‘jolly careful’, as we continue to battle the coronavirus. Here at Today’s Wills and Probate we’d like to spread some Christmas cheer

Women in Wills celebrate with their final meeting of the year

The Women in Wills group joined together to meet for the final time this year to celebrate with a festive themed event. The group, which has been growing in number throughout lockdown, shared some fun

Banks, Building Societies & Grants of Probate

The Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), held their annual conference on the virtual stage this week, and helped delegates hope for the best whilst preparing for the worst. Michael Culver, Chair of the Board at

Extension for paper probate applications until new year

Paper probate applications will now be accepted into the new year, as some practitioners are struggling to sign up to the new MyHMCTS online system. On 1 December, a letter was sent to three professional

Children cut out of father's Will

A woman cut her step-children out of their late father’s Will, going against his wishes that they all inherit equally both his wealth and that of their late grandmother, a sum of £300,000. Lulu Jones,

Will Maradona's legacy be contested as no Will reported?

Diego Maradona wasn’t far from controversy on the football pitch, and now it appears his legacy could become another hot topic of discussion. The football icon passed away last week, aged 60. However, there have

Exizent appoints former Nationwide Non-Executive Director Mitchel Lenson as Chairman

Exizent, the Glasgow-based technology firm whose innovative platform is transforming bereavement by connecting legal services firms with banks and the wider financial services community, has announced the appointment of Mitchel Lenson as Non-Executive Chairman. Mitchel

Probate delays hit the Parsons' family

11 months on from the death of radio legend Nicholas Parsons, aged 96, his family are still waiting for probate. The Parsons family spoke to Sebastian Shakespeare, from The Daily Mail to share their frustration.

Hoping for the best whilst preparing for the worst – SFE annual conference

The annual SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) Conference is taking place online tomorrow. This year the programme looks at what clients need to prepare for as they move into later life and the need for

Price Transparency; about as clear as mud

Following the SRA’s recent announcement that it is back on the case with pricing transparency Today’s Wills and Probate caught up with pricing expert Nigel Haddon to talk about the do’s and don’ts of pricing,

TRS don't need to be told about end of adminstration

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) have confirmed that executors do not need to use the Trust Registration Service (TRS) to report the end of the estate administration period.

Court agrees inheritance can be protected against mean-testing

An application to protect a beneficiaries inheritance from mean-testing as part of her benefit stipulations has been agreed by the England and Wales Court of Protection (EWCOP) (Re: LMS, 2020 EWCOP 52). The 21-year-old lady

Hear from Farewill, double winners at The British Wills and Probate Awards

On Thursday 22 October 2020, professionals from across the wills and probate sector came together to celebrate the successes and achievements of the industry is what has been a challenging year, at the British Wills

Diversity is still a problem in the legal sector

Further calls for the legal sector to embrace further diversity have had a spot light shone on them in the Financial Times, as their legal correspondent Kate Beioley focused on the issue in one of

Law firm sees twenty-fold rise in health and wellbeing LPAs in wake of Ylenia Angeli arrest

JMW Solicitors has reported a twenty-fold increase in enquiries about Health and Welfare LPAs in the wake of the November arrest of the mother of the former Coronation St actor Leandra Ashton and nurse, Ylenia

Technology protects the vulnerable in court cases

New technology has now been implemented in every Crown Court in England and Wales to reduce the trauma vulnerable victims and witnesses experience as a result of going to court. The technology enables children or

Hear from Grant Saw Solicitors, who were Highly Commended at the British Wills and Probate Awards 2020

On Thursday 22 October 2020, professionals from across the wills and probate sector came together to celebrate the successes and achievements of the industry is what has been a challenging year, at the British Wills