Increases Seen In Equiniti's Death Notification Service

The Death Notification Service (DNS), a service set up by Equiniti to support UK Finance and Financial Services Businesses, has seen a large rise in the number of customers and notifications it received in the

Focusing On Vulnerable Clients

A recent report by Key Partnership revealed that over a third of mortgage intermediaries had either reviewed or increased the checks they made on older customers to ensure that they were not vulnerable. It was

Calls For Changes To Wills Amid Pandemic

It is no surprise that the pandemic has brought to the attention of many that they need to make provisions should the worst happen. Firms have seen increases in the demand for will writing services

FAQs for Probate professionals

Today saw the release of a useful FAQ document by HMCTS in relation to Probate for professionals. The document, described as a working document that will have more responses added as new questions come in.

Court of Appeal Finds Summary Dismissal Rejected Too Abruptly

A claim brought against a trust corporation by a beneficiary has been given a second chance in his claim that the trustee had acted dishonestly. Beneficiary Robert Sofer, is attempting to recover sums amounting to

SRA To Expand Its AML Visits To Continue Competence

In its business plan draft for 2020/2021, the SRA has revealed that in an effort to continue competence, it will be increasing its monitoring of firms’ anti-money laundering (AML) policies. Following a review of its

Coronaphobia Causing Problems For Small Businesses Who Require Return Of Staff

Following the latest announcements by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak about the ‘winding down’ of the furlough scheme, as well as the slow lifting of the restrictions, many businesses across the country are trying to adapt

Law Firms 'Performing Admirably' In The Face Of Constant Cyber Attacks

The legal sector has been described as close to the financial and energy sectors in terms of the risk of cyber attacks. reports cyber security firm BlueVoyant following an assessment of almost 2,000 law firms

Difficulties Of Making A Will During The Pandemic

As we mentioned previously, the number of enquiries regarding Will making has increased by 30%, according to the Law Society; the majority of these instructions have come from the elderly and the vulnerable, who by

OPG Release Covid-19 Advice

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has issued advice to the sector, as it continues to adapt to the ever-changing conditions as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. The OPG has stated that it

Government Works To Protect Vulnerable People Receiving Social Care

Public Health England has released new guidance for those working in social care or providing social care in homes, in an aim to delay the spread of Covid-19. Care providers in areas such as care

Woman Found Guilty Of Abusing Power Of Attorney

The daughter of a man who had been diagnosed with dementia, has abused her position of trust and stolen £4,600 over an eight-month period, spending money on purchases at Asda and Argos. Following his dementia

Vacation Schemes Being Postponed And Offices Closing

The firm Linklaters has announced that it is postponing its first-year insight scheme due to rising concerns regarding the corona virus outbreak. The firm, described by Legal Cheek as demanding but “top quality” in its

Pension Relief Changes Announced In The Budget

Following rumours that Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak would axe pension tax relief, today instead Sunak announced that the point at which tapering of the allowance kicks in from £200,000. Any person with an

Belgium King Admits He Fathered A Child In 1960s Affair

A woman who has fought for seven years to prove that an abdicated Belgian king is her biological father, has finally had an “grudging admission” from the king’s lawyer. The seven–year legal battle, and decades

Legal Action Concerning Storage Of Dead Persons Gametes

A “highly unusual claim” is current being heard over the access to a fertility clinic’s private records concerning the storage of a dead person’s “sperm and/or embryos”. Lawyers have applied to court representing the estate

Law Society And Bar Council Fine LeO Budget Increase Unacceptable

Following the announcement from the Legal Ombudsmen (LeO), that there would be a 20% rise in the budget, increasing it from £12.3 million to £14.8 million, the Bar Council has launched an ‘outspoken attack’. The

Pensioners In The EU Will See A Boost To Their Pensions

Expats living in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland will see annual increases to their pensions, states a press release from the Department of Work and Pensions. UK state pensioners living within the EEA

Student Membership To Solicitors For The Elderly

Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) has launched its student membership to help trainees achieve the highest possible standards in the sector. The student membership will give trainees an introduction to working with older, more vulnerable

Court Of Appeal Reverses Negligence Case In Family Trust

The son of distinguished physician Jean Weddell has won his appeal regarding the sale of his mother’s £1.25 million home. In 2018, a legal battle was launched by Professor Christopher Gosden, who’s mother had ‘resolved’

Warnings Of Significant Harm To Consumers

A Freedom of Information (FOI) requested by Buck, has discovered that almost 2,000 pension advisers have given “potentially unsuitable advice on pensions transfers necessitating further enquiry”. The information follows reports last week that found financial

FCA Fined By The Pension Regulator

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) have fined the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the maximum amount of £2,000 for insufficient details in their 2018 Defined Contribution (DC) governance statement. The FCA had failed to comply with the

Man Starved To Death For Carers To Benefit From Will

A couple and their associates are on trial for fraud and murder after allegations they had starved a man, in their care, to death, and forged his will to benefit from his £3.5 million estate.

Michael O’Sullivan and Matt Murphy, close friends for over 30 years, married in 2017 in a bid to avoid the inheritance tax that would be payable on Matt’s home. Several years prior to their marriage,

https://todayswillsandprobate.co.uk/main-news/executor-found-guilty-of-stealing-inheritance/

When Anita Border passed away in August 2015, her estate was left in the hands of a “good neighbour”, entrusted to act as executor and distribute £110,000 each to the pensioner’s partner Emma Cullen and

The Stress of Christmas Blamed For Increase In Will Re-Writes For January

Law firm Stephensons Solicitors LLP have reported a 114% increase in inheritance claims and will re-writes. Blaming the ‘fallout from festive fights’, the firm saw a huge spike of enquiries in January 2019, with double

Ensuring Client’s Will Is Accessible

In October 2019, Lloyd’s Banking Group discovered roughly 9,000 wills of deceased customers. Stored away as part of the ‘safe custody’ service that had been closed in 2011, the undistributed wills have caused an inheritance

Still No Sign Of Rights To Protect Cohabiting Couples

The rates of cohabitation has been increasing, becoming the fastest growing family type in the UK with more than 3 million couples choosing to live together rather than enter a legal union either under marriage

Legal Sector Remains Dominant In 2019

TheCityUK has released its ‘Legal Excellence, Internationally Renowned: UK Legal Services 2019’ report; showing the strength of the legal service sector in the UK and high international credentials. “TheCityUK is the industry-led body representing UK-based

The College of Law Australia and New Zealand (not affiliated with the previously known College of Law England and Wales, now The University of Law) has set up in London as a practice based training

Recent figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have shown a large decrease in divorce rates in 2018, the lowest rate in 48 years. In 2018 there were 90,871 divorces of opposite sex couples, a decrease of 10.6% on the previous year. The downward trend has also been consistent with the decline in marriages per year since 1989. The ONS however has stated that there is an ‘administrative reason behind the scale of the decrease’ but that it expects an increase in 2019 due to divorce centres processing a backlog of work last year, resulting in 8% more petitions that will ‘translate into a higher number of completed divorces in 2019. There are however differing views on the reasons for the decrease. There is a trend that the divorce rate reduces whilst cohabitation rates increase, meaning there are more couples who have lived together a number of years before getting married. This would allow a couple the chance to ‘get to know each other’ before committing to marriage, and as rates of separation of cohabiting couples is not documented, it is unclear whether cohabiting couple separation would ‘make up the difference’. It may also be due to couples choosing to get married later in life, perhaps meaning they are entering into a marriage with a more mature mind or be less likely to do so due to family or social pressure to marry. This may also fit the trend that marriages are also lasting longer than they have done in previous years; with the average now at 12.4 years. One family law partner however, says the drop is not a true reflection of divorce in England and Wales, but rather due to the couples awaiting the much promised Divorce Bill. Zahra Pabani, family law partner at Irwin Mitchell, told The Law Society Gazette: "No-fault divorce repeatedly being on and off the legislative table has left divorcing couples in limbo. I’ve had clients say to me, "I'm not going to get divorced yet because I’m waiting for no-fault divorce to come in" - and clearly unhappy couples are biding their time for the divorce rate to be so low. Once no-fault divorce comes in, divorce rates will skyrocket just as they did in the 1970s when new legislation was introduced. "The ONS itself notes that an administrative backlog is partly to blame for the drop and that rates will most likely be higher next year. The reality is that the courts have suffered through numerous funding cuts, and court employees are increasingly overworked and understaffed. Delays are therefore inevitable and until this is remedied, it will likely skew future statistics." Only time will tell whether Zahra is correct or if it is in fact the backlog due to the divorce centres. Let us know your thoughts on the reason for the sharp decrease in divorce rates.

Recent figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have shown a large decrease in divorce rates in 2018, the lowest rate in 48 years. As non-married cohabitant couples and later-life marriages begin to

The case of Steinfeld and Another v Secretary of State for Education in 2017 had the Court of Appeal finf that that the provision, whereby civil partnership was only available to same sex couples, was