Guidance for gifting in wills
It is always imperative to follow compliance guidelines and legislation when preparing a will with a client, in particular the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Code of Conduct 2011. However, if the client wishes to leave a gift to you or someone who is closely associated with you, there are safeguards you can put in place […]
Should will writing be a reserved activity?
The Legal Ombudsman has called for the Government to work together with wills and probate regulators and representative bodies, to tackle the issue of sub-standard service within the industry. Only 13% of the 8,000 wills and probate complaints received by the ombudsman were resolved in 2013. These were primarily complaints regarding costing, delays, and failure […]
e.surv launch relationship with Pure Retirement
e.surv has today announced a tie-in with equity release provider Pure Retirement. The relationship builds further on e.surv’s position as the primary valuation provider in the equity release space. Equity release cases currently account for approximately 1 in every 20 valuations e.surv complete — a figure they are looking to expand through the tie-in with […]
CQC release their latest guidance on care provision
The independent regulator of care services in England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have begun a whole new way of regulating, which aims to make the system clearer and simpler for both care providers and consumers. Following 18 months of development, CQC have now released handbooks designed to advise care providers and help them understand […]
The Society of Will Writers lowers course prices
Will Writing Regulator — The Society of Will Writers — have lowered the prices of the one day courses that they offer through their training arm, The College of Will Writing. Having run residential courses now for a year from their dedicated training facility they have taken the decision to reduce the rates. The price […]
Support Will Aid this November
For the last 25 years, Will Aid has worked in partnership with wills and probate professionals every November, in order to raise much needed funds for a variety of charities they support. Since 1988, Will Aid has been encouraging will writers and solicitors to get involved in the scheme. When a person writes a will […]
The Law Society needs your help in the fight against organised crime
In October 2013, the HM Government released the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, in an effort to detract such criminal activity that had a detrimental effect on the UK. The strategy focussed on the 4 Ps of an effective action plan against serious misconduct: Pursue, Prevent, Protect and Prepare – scheduled to be in place […]
Events to support Competence Statement Consultation
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is running two events to raise awareness and understanding of the SRA’s draft Competence Statement and supporting documents. Bespoke sessions are taking place in in London and Birmingham on 19th November and 5th December targeted at: Training Principals (19th November, Chancery Lane, London, 10 am -12 noon). All stakeholders including […]
Consumer based evidence supports SRA's draft Competence Statement
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is today [24 October] publishing the findings from the extensive engagement work undertaken to support the development of the Competence Statement. The SRA commissioned an external research company, BMG Research to undertake the study. The findings have been derived from a mixture of in-depth qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys with […]
ABS licensing changes approved by the LSB
Measures to make it simpler for multi-disciplinary practices (MDPs) to be licensed as alternative business structures (ABS) by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have been approved by the Legal Services Board (LSB). The SRA’s changes are designed to ensure a proportionate regime for firms delivering a range of professional services involving other regulators. The proposals […]
Why it’s important for parents to write a will
Establishing and updating a will is important for all, but especially for new and existing parents. Client’s should be made aware having a will ensures their children have security for the future, and plans can be set in place to make sure affairs are taken care of after their death. Those with children need to […]
The IHT Waiting Game
In a conference at the Age UK headquarters last week, David Cameron showed great support towards raising the inheritance tax (IHT) threshold in an attempt to help benefit the typical middle class families. As it stands, the plan is to raise the threshold in which consumers pay the 40% IHT to a level of £1 […]
Another of the “Big Four” awarded an ABS licence
This month, KPMG has become the second of the “Big Four” accounting firms to be awarded with an alternative business structure (ABS) licence by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The firm will be the first of the “Big Four” to operate a multi-disciplinary business system, with no intention of developing a standalone legal practice. Simon […]
Probate cases resolved through Certainty Will Search
90% of PII providers would recommend Certainty Will Register as an effective form of risk management. There are many wills and probate professionals who use Certainty across the UK to register and search for wills. It’s said to be an extremely effective way to safeguard a will and reduce issues that arise following a client’s […]
Build your CPD with The Society of Will Writers
Throughout the year, The Society of Will Writers (SWW) gather together experts from the industry to lead insightful wills and probate courses. This season, the courses have already established great success for professionals across the country, with many expanding their CPD portfolios with the high quality training. As promised, the latest courses being held next […]
Do you REALLY know who you are dealing with?
Identity driven crimes account for nearly half of all frauds in 2014 A recent report carried out by CIFAS found that data driven identity crimes — frauds carried out using a victim’s identity details to obtain new accounts and/or take over those already existing — accounted for over 45% of all confirmed frauds in the […]
Will writers and solicitors could be missing more than 2,000 telephone calls a year
Research carried out by Moneypenny, the UK’s leading provider of telephone answering services to the legal sector, has suggested at least 2,000 calls on average each year could be being missed per individual wills and probate professional / solicitor. Results are based on an average appointment time with clients of 90 minutes when telephones are […]
Pre-paid funeral sales boosted by professional advisers
Funeral advisers and directors have caused advancements in pre-paid funeral plan sales, according to Golden Charter, the UK’s largest funeral plan provider. Chief Executive, Ronnie Wayte, released sales figures that showed the total number of plans sold directly, as well as through advisers or directors, reached over 72,000 within the first half of 2014 alone. […]
Managing bereavement at work – what you need to know
In September, ACAS issued updated guidelines on bereavement in the workplace. With around 1 in 10 of us having been affected by bereavement, and a third who’ve suffered bereavement in the last 5 years saying they were not treated with compassion by their employers, this should be one of the top priorities when assessing workplace […]
Join in the Day of the Dead cultural celebrations
This year, Dying Matters will be holding their annual Day of the Dead celebrations on 3rd November at the Institute of Latin American Studies in the University of London. Each year, the organisation invites their members and the wider community to join them and celebrate the lives of those who are no longer with us […]
