It is officially Today’s Wills and Probate’s fifth birthday!
Having launched the publication on 12th October 2014 with aspirations of providing up to date news in the Wills and probate sector, we are delighted that the publication has grown from strength to strength.
Since the publication’s birth, we have had the pleasure to produce pertinent weekly newsletters, collaborated with a number of dedicated partners, hosted valuable round table events and launched the highly coveted and respected British Wills and Probate Awards with the second ceremony taking place on Thursday 17 October.
Amongst the topics dominating the headlines in 2014 was the increase in inheritance tax receipts with the 2013/14 financial year amassing £3.4 billion.
Since then, IHT contributions have almost doubled, topping the scales in 2018/19 at £5.36 billion, but slowing considerably when compared to previous years.
However, the past year’s news was dominated by the Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order as it made its way through Parliament via a backdoor Statutory Instrument.
After 11 months of uncertainty, contributing to delays in the probate application system, initiating a rise in opposition from many organisations and a fear that almost 300,000 grieving families could struggle to find thousands of pounds to pay for the fees, the Justice Secretary announced its withdrawal at the weekend.
In a similar fashion, the unexpected announcement that the Smee & Ford Wills notification service was to be replaced by an unknown system caused disruption and panic amongst a charity sector dependent on legacy income.
Following the centralisation of Probate Registries, technology issues and a rise in applications for probate, the summer months were dominated by the extreme delays to probate applications being granted.
It has been a pleasure bringing you the news for another year and we hope that our initial promise, made five years ago, is being achieved in the present.
The inaugural Today’s Wills and Probate Article stated:
“This new site is designed to keep both solicitors, and wills and probate professionals up to date with everything that’s happening within the industry.
“Get ready to see not only articles covering the world of wills and probate, but also interviews with leading professionals and up and coming news from partnering businesses.”
We would like to thank you for your continued support over the last five years and will strive to ensure that our content is relevant, interesting and helpful to the sector in the future.
On the back of Today’s Wills and Probate’s continued success, we have since launched two sister publications. Today’s Legal Cyber Risk offers a bend of daily news and advice, warning the legal sector of the persistent threats to a law firm’s digital presence whilst Today’s Family Lawyer looks at the issues affecting a sector going through rapid change and development. Both offer free weekly newsletters and you can sign up for one or both publications here.
Today’s Wills and Probate is also immensely proud of the British Wills and Probate Awards alongside headline sponsor, Arken.legal (UK) Ltd, and look forward to celebrating excellence in Wills, probate and estate planning for the second time on Thursday 17 October at the prestigious Belfry Hotel and Resort. The event will follow a half day Wills and Probate Seminar informing delegates how to successfully, quickly and profitably grow a legal services firm.
Karen Babington, Managing Director of Solve Legal Marketing, said:
“It’s been rewarding to see Today’s Wills and Probate grow and flourish over our 5 year history. The British Wills and Probate awards being held this Thursday have certainly helped accelerate it’s growth, as have the other off-line events we host including Round Tables and Women in Wills. It’s been a huge year for news in the probate industry in 2019, resulting in the right outcome announced this weekend – the axing of the probate fee increase. We look forward to continuing to report relevant news in the wills and probate sector for many years to come.”
