The House of Lords have overwhelmingly voted against the changes to the non-contentious Probate fees bill. In a recent vote, 187 voted against declining the changes, whilst only 90 peers deemed the current system worthy

According to a 2018 study, 70% of people globally work remotely at least once a week; these statistics have not gone unnoticed by the savvy cyber criminal. 80% of all businesses in the UK have

Cyber crime has the potential to cripple a business. Within the last year, data breaches have caused reputational damage to a multitude of businesses including British Airways, Morrisons and the NHS. Additionally, the legal sector

Customers of Santander were failed for more than three years in regards to the probate services provided by the financial juggernaut. The FCA have consequently fined Santander £32.8 million for the way it dealt with

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have been granted new powers which allow it to fine bosses for spam calls. As of this week, starting on the 17th December, company directors and senior officers could be

Representatives from Harper Lee’s estate have forced Broadway Producers of the most recent version of To Kill A Mockingbird to reconsider the way they portray the iconic leading character Atticus Finch. The newest adaptation of

The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) recently published Excess Winter Deaths (EWD) data for England and Wales has revealed that England and Wales experienced more EWDs than any other year on recent record. 2017/18 excess

A solicitor, specialising in elderly care cases, who was convicted of neglecting her mother on the 29th March this year, has had her conviction overturned on appeal. Emma-Jane Kurtz, who held enduring power of attorney,

Graeme Prance, who formed a rugby friendship with older rugby fan, Ken Elliott, has been accused of fraudulently stealing Mr Elliott’s son’s inheritance. Richard Elliott had a fractious relationship with his father Ken and only

The twenty-first century has seen the popularity of the family business diminish; losing its popularity to corporate conglomerates residing in modern buildings with shiny interactive desks. To a large extent, the Victorian values of the

As people increasingly live longer, frequently requiring expensive care, gift-giving in wills needs to be approached with caution. A will made years, maybe even decades before old age may become inappropriate as cash reserves dwindle.

Computer security software giant McAfee has released a report warning that companies face being ‘under siege’ from malware, ransomware and other cyber threats next year. They predict that underground organisations will collaborate to form bigger,

Although the bright jovial lights we associate with this festive period are now in full swing, the end of the calendar year also provides us with some insight into the mortality rates in England and

Recent research carried out for the Royal London Mutual Insurance Society has revealed that 5.4 million adults admit to having no idea where to begin when it comes to writing a will. Over half (54%)

The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) were overwhelmed by complaints this year, finding it extremely difficult to process the requests in an efficient and timely manner. They have therefore set up an online complaints service that should

Becoming an executor of a property can be an extremely challenging job; however, the task becomes even more onerous when you are asked to reclaim property by overturning a longstanding fraud. Through the Court of

Six months ago, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a market study into the funeral sector following concerns that prices have been unfairly escalating for too long. The initial research has indicated epidemic above

The England and Wales Court of Appeal (EWCA) has referred a proprietary estoppel case back to the High Court requesting that the judge change his ruling to award the appellant a lump sum of between

In February, the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) announced that they had opened a refund scheme for people that had been overcharged for their power of attorney fees. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced

A new report has highlighted a serious lack knowledge and understanding of the wills market in the general public. The Wills & Probate Consumer Research Report 2018 found that six people out of ten were

The importance and increasing dependence on older family members has been well documented in recent years. In fact, according to research from Legal & General, 27% of UK buyers were reliant on friends and family

The modern family dynamic is no longer an easily constructed image; some marriages end in divorce, others may end with the death of a spouse and very few go the distance into old age. The

Equity release loans have been an increasingly popular funding method for those in later life. Lucky home owners that have lived in their property for a significant amount of time have enjoyed huge increases in

The threat to the elderly from those who have been trusted to look after them is growing. As the older population expands, along with mental incapacity, evidence shows that financial abuse of this vulnerable group

Part of the non-contentious probate rules came into force yesterday. In a bid to update the 1987 rules, many sections of the document have been amended. Despite being non-contentious rule changes, the way that government

According to a survey of over 10,000 people aged over 50, conducted by Fastmap, animal charities were more likely to benefit from a legacy gift than anyone else. Many people that embrace philanthropy and charity

A recent report, carried out by the Office of Tax Simplification, has condemned the complexity of the Inheritance Tax and Probate Application process. One of the main issues to arise from the survey concerned the

Since the passing of architect Zaha Hadid in 2016, the relationship between the four executors of the estate has been fractious. In 2016, executors Rana Hadid, Peter Palumbo and Brian Clarke disagreed with Patrik Schumacher’s

The government is accused of “abusing its constitutional powers” by a leading accountants’ group. The condemnation comes as plans to hike the cost of applying for probate were revealed. Under the proposals, some grieving relatives

A millionaire aristocrat is locked in a court battle with his mother over what will happen to the family’s 230-year-old country estate following the divorce from his father. William Reeve, 38, collapsed in court after

Unsurprisingly, a House of Lords Committee have condemned the government’s amendments and reforms to probate fees. The negative comments echo the sentiments expressed by the Lords during the government’s first suggestion of a tiered and