Josh is the Journalist for the Today’s Group and writes many of the articles for Today’s Conveyancer. He graduated with a degree in Physics from Cardiff University in 2009 before training as a journalist.
He has previously written for The Times, The Mirror and The Daily Express.
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers have announced their intention to cut fees for those it regulated by a fifth with the changes set to come into effect at the beginning of November. The CLC recently
A Bath based law firm has brought in a new wills, probate, trusts and Powers of Attorney solicitor to it’s Queen Square office. Mowbray Woodwards have appointed Owen Mason as a solicitor to the private
Mr Justice Mostyn has defended the Court of Protection, saying he wanted to dispel the myth it is “sinister” and “secret”. The Court of Protection is currently undergoing a pilot scheme which sees the majority
The parent company of comparison services eConveyancer and compareprobate.co.uk has announced a new venture aimed at providing comparison services for will writers. ULS Technology PLC announced the move with two unnamed partners to the London
Spring is the busiest time of year for the wills and probate sector according to telephone answering service Moneypenny. The company who say they are the UK’s leading telephone answering specialists also said that the
George Osborne has used his 2016 budget to amend inheritance tax rules for non-doms with property held abroad indirectly now subject to the charge. Budget documents state: “The government is undertaking a major reform to
The widow of construction tycoon Ian Wooldridge has been told she’s “too wealthy” to receive extra from her late husband’s will. Thandi Wooldridge, who previously ran an advertising company and is worth £10 million in
Retirees in ten years time are going to be forced to chose more mundane options compared to their parents when it comes to what they spend their savings on according to a report. The report
Around half of lawyers are called on to provide advice on trusts and inheritance tax but one in five say they are worried their advice goes beyond their core expertise. The research, conducted by Pollright,
Leeds based family law firm Jones Myers has recruited two new contentious trusts specialists. Solicitor Polly Coram and paralegal Kate Wootton join the contentious trusts and probate team headed by Martin Holdsworth, the only contentious
The vast majority of people who prepare their own wills say they do it because they don’t think they need legal advice. 96% of those who do so say they have no need, with 21%
Nearly half of UK companies have experienced a data breach according to the 2016 security pressures report from Trustwave. The survey of 1,414 IT professionals globally, including 204 from the UK, also found that unauthorised
Farmers will be disproportionately hit by the recently proposed reforms to probate fees according to one Solicitor, who described the reforms as a “masterclass in the perils of unintended consequences”. The reforms, which mean that
The case of a woman who contested her late mother’s will after she was left nothing is to be heard in the Supreme Court after the three animal charities who originally received the whole estate
The number of lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) granted annually has tripled between 2010 and 2015. Overall, 128,746 LPAs were granted by the Office of the Public Guardian in 2010, whilst 441,461 were granted in
The Chief Exec of one of the UK’s leading estate administrators has questioned the fairness of newly proposed probate fees regime. Whilst currently probate fees are a flat rate of £215 for those over £5,000
Having children is now the most likely cause for people put their affairs in order and get their wills written according to research conducted by YouGov. According to the research, having children is the only
The UK’s only publicly listed funeral services provider Dignity posted “tremendous” results in filing it’s end of year accounts according to Chief Exec Mike McCollum. The funeral services provider has announced a 14% increase in
An anonymous solicitor has had his indefinite suspension lifted by the Solicitor’s Disciplinary Tribunal in order to enable him to resume practice as a Will Writer. According to the published judgement, the Solicitor known as
Probate could be conducted entirely online by early 2017 according to the President of the Family Division of the High Court. Divorce proceedings could also be amongst the first to move almost entirely online according
Caroline Bielanska, who helped co-found Solicitors for the Elderly is set to speak at the Institute of Professional Willwriters conference on March 17th. Ms Bielanska who was also at one time the organisation’s Chief Executive
The number of deaths registered in England and Wales in January 2016 was 47,426. This represents an increase of 1,928 from December, but a decrease of 13,462 from January 2015, which the ONS, who released
The number of complaints to the Financial Ombudsman over powers of attorney have more than doubled over the past five years. In total, there were 79 complaints upheld in 2015 with the banking sector responsible
NFU Mutual launch succession planning service for farmers NFU Mutual have launched a succession planning service for Britain’s farmers after it emerged less than four in ten farming families had an effective plan. Of Britain’s
Cilla Black splits £15 million between her three sons and housekeeper Details of Cilla Black’s will have emerged, with the singer and TV personality splitting £15 million between her three sons. The Liverpool-born entertainer also
Title Research recently hosted a webinar that looked at the process of administering an estate and potential risks that legal professionals need to be aware of. Drawing on his extensive experience in this area, Nick
Probate fees are set to be reformed with the wealthiest estates seeing the maximum they could pay rise 920%, up to £20,000. Currently all estates worth more than £5,000 pay a flat rate of £215,
A woman has been awarded a share in a property after her deceased partner failed to update his will in the eighteen years they lived together. Joy Williams, 69, had lived with her partner Norman
Four in ten people who may have been unfairly treated in a will are completely unaware they are able to challenge it in court according to a recent survey. An estimated 80% of challenges to
This week’s tweet of the week comes from a Bedford-based probate solicitor in search of new business contacts and partnerships. Is this something you’d be interested in? Is social media a good way of building
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has published its annual report for 2015 and outlined its plans for the current year including reforms to qualifying as a probate practitioner. By autumn 2016 the CLC say people
ICAEW welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Market Study into the Supply of Legal Services in England and Wales: Statement of Scope published by Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on 12th January 2016, a