In 2012, 490 inheritance cases were heard in the High Court, this rose to 861 in 2013 — a 76% increase. That number is expected to have risen again when the 2014 figures become available.
The government has recently announced a consultation into Deeds of Variation over state concerns that the process can be used to wrongly avoid tax. Deeds of variation have been a longstanding legal device to correct
According to recent reports, traditional inheritances are ‘dying out’ and allegedly half of those in retirement are giving a ‘living inheritance’ before they die. A study found pensioners today are keener on seeing their relatives
Following on from a recent article on Today’s Wills & Probate regarding the Financial Ombudsman’s efforts to improve awareness of powers of attorneys with financial institutions, it seems that many will writers and solicitors do
In mid- April, Remember A Charity released its 2015 general election legacy manifesto. Remember A Charity, which is a consortium of over 140 charities, aims to change the perceptions of the nation towards charitable legacies;
HSBC Holdings have agreed a deal to sell its UK probate business for an undisclosed amount to Simplify Channel Ltd. The transaction, which is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of 2015, includes 73
Registrations are now being taken for Will Aid 2015. All solicitors and law firms that can provide will writing services are invited to join the scheme. What do you think of campaigns such as this
Probate records recently revealed that the late comedian Rik Mayall failed to make a will during his lifetime, despite a near death experience which saw him suffer serious head injuries following a quad biking accident
The government recently published plans to increase court fees. The last increase was in April 2014 and now the March 2015 rise could see significant increases in some areas. For example, Claims between £10,000 and
The Law Society have released a new animated advert to promote will writing to consumers. This is a part of the “Use a Professional. Use a Solicitor.” campaign and states that people of all ages
SortRefer, the intermediary online portal, now has a will referral service to run alongside its award winning conveyancing proposition. Advisers have access to a top class will drafting service for clients run by dedicated solicitors,
Having recognised that a number of financial institutions are failing to recognise powers of attorney at the most crucial time, when a loved one has lost their mental capacity, the Financial Ombudsman has issued, via
Conservative candidate for Solihull, Julian Knight is author of the book “Wills, Probate and Inheritance Tax for Dummies” and is being scrutinised for the advice given. He is said to offer deviant ways to hide
Franklin D Roosevelt once said: “Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, and managed with reasonable care, it is about the
New research from YouGov Reports shows that a majority of consumers have used a solicitor or law firm in their lifetime. The Legal Services 2015 report finds that most adults (62%) have used a law
New proposals from the Conservatives mean high earners will have limited pension pots and will need to invest in other ways. Will this be an effective strategy to protect people’s money – or should consumers
Today’s Wills and Probate, the UK’s premier e-publication for will writers, private client solicitors and probate practitioners has launched a networking group on the professional social networking site, LinkedIn. The group, UK Networking for Will
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has launched a further raft of proposals to reduce the regulatory burden on law firms. The SRA Regulatory Reform programme was launched in May 2014 and aims to remove unnecessary
More than 13 million 30-54 year olds in the UK have not written wills1 Making a will has become swifter and easier with the launch, today, of online will creation tool, affio.co.uk. Affio’s aim is
Legal-Eye Ltd (Legal Eye) is proud to announce 5 promotions within the internal and associate team. Rhonda Treacy-Hales has been promoted to Head of Business Development, Dawn Stone has been promoted to Paraplanner, Legal Services
April 2015 spells a very special time for will writing’s premier representative organisation. 21 years ago, 5 professionals began an independent membership organisation with a view to providing the consumer with realistic consumer protection. That
The Society of Will Writers training arm, The College of Will Writing are pleased to announce that they have launched a completely redesigned website. This has come as a result of the Society’s continuing growth
There have been many websites and voucher companies offering heavily discounted will writing services in recent years – but what are the potential effects on consumers? Will this encourage people to start writing wills, or
The National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC) have released a guide designed for cares, families, and friends of dying people. It has been published to provide advice on what to expect when someone is dying
Minds + Machines (LSE: MMX), the owner of the new .law top-level domain have announced the appointment of Lou Andreozzi, former Chairman of Bloomberg Law and CEO of LexisNexis North American Legal Markets, Martindale Hubbell
What are the most tax efficient guidelines and processes needed for effective estate planning? Johnston Carmichael believe they’ve come up with the ideal solution – but what do you think? Will consumers gain the most
The new Pension Freedom rules, which will be taking effect from 6th April 2015, are now almost upon us and have created greatly increased interest in pensions – which are only set to grow throughout
Clive Ponder, a Director at Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation Ltd which has just launched a software arm selling innovative Lasting Power of Attorney and Will writing software to both professionals and the public, told
Looking to advance your career and gain experience in equity release? The Right Equity Release are hiring! The business is currently recruiting qualified Equity Release Advisers to join their expanding team. The Right Equity Release
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today confirmed that it will proceed with the recommendations from its retirement income market study. In the interim report, published in December, the FCA identified a number of concerns
This week’s #SolicitorHour led by The Law Society, was focussed on wills and probate – did any of you get involved and what issues were raised? Today’s #SolicitorHour at 1pm is all about #Wills.
The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), the new economic regulator for payment systems, today confirmed how it will regulate the industry from 1 April 2015. It has also published a policy work programme setting out priorities