Succession Group buys Maze Wealth for £1.2 million
Beckenham based Maze Wealth have been bought by Succession Group for a £1.2 million. Maze Wealth have been working with Succession since 2013 and are currently managing £40 million worth of funds. Succession recently received £25 million worth of backing from existing shareholders to fund an acquisition focused growth strategy which is seeing it target […]
ULS co-founder to step down from board in August
Compare Probate owner ULS has announced that non-executive director and co-founder Nigel Hoath won’t be seeking re-election to his role and will therefore be stepping down in August. ULS also announced a will writing service comparison tool back in March. Nigel Hoath sold £4.5 million worth of his shares in the company in January in […]
Solicitors Discipliniary Tribunal sees rise in appearances
The number of solicitors appearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has risen, with 140 applicants in 2015. According to the panel’s latest annual report, this represents a substantial rise with 117 applicants in 2013. Of those 140, the overwhelming majority (123) involved practising solicitors, two in respect of solicitors clerks alone with five of those […]
The CLC’s Stephen Ward on the regulator’s recent review, new probate qualifications and regulation of will writing
The CLC has regulated probate for some time, with Parliament approving their plan to be able to license practitioners who haven’t first qualified as conveyancers in 2015. According to the latest Legal Services Board report on reviewing the cost of regulation, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers were regulating 64 probate practitioners back in 2011 but […]
Firm promotes two probate specialists
Essex and Hertfordshire based Attwaters Jameson Hill have promoted two probate practitioners to associates. Alison Hon and Tony Brownlie have made the step up to become associates. Alison graduated in History from Royal Holloway in 2005 and qualified as a solicitor in 2009 before joining the firm three years ago. Tony graduated in Law in […]
Two financial advisers banned as they “lack integrity”
Two men have been banned from working within financial services after the Financial Conduct Authority declared they clack integrity. Mark Kelly ran PCD Wealth and Pensions Management (PCD) with Mr Gray as an adviser. Between 2008 and 2010 PCD arranged for over 350 customers to be advised and invested nearly £24 million of customers’ funds […]
Building a Profitable Trust and Probate Practice
The recent news that the ICAEW have just licensed their 100th member frim to do probate work will I know cast a pall of gloom over many (although I suspect their involvement is a litigation opportunity in the making down the line). Accountants are really good at de-skilling processes (and delegation it is crucial to […]
Beneficiaries need to have a hand in writing wills says finanical advisor
Financial advisers as well as beneficiaries need to be involved in the will writing process as the likelihood of estates becoming subject to inheritance tax increases according to a financial planning specialist. Old Mutual Wealth’s Rachael Griffin said: “When people are making financial planning decisions, IHT needs to be taken into account and they need […]
Stockport law firm reveal their oldest unclaimed will
Greater Manchester and Cheshire based law firm SAS Daniels have dug into their archives to find what they believe to be the oldest unclaimed will in the region. The firm have nearly fifty unclaimed wills going as far back as 1895 which cover estates which include a farm and a pub, as well as a […]
Will writing conmen who targeted York pensioners told to expect jail
Two men who ran will writing firm Yorkshire Asset Protection have been told by a judge to expect jail time, after being found guilty of defrauding pensioners out of more than £30,000. Michael John Wild and Robert Henry Holly conned customers out of hundreds of pounds with false claims on their credentials, by not carrying […]
60% of farmers without a succession plan
The majority of farmers have no effective plans to pass on their farms to their children with family dynamics the main culprit. According to research by NFU Mutual while most believe a proper plan is vital for safeguarding the future of a family farm, just 40% have such a plan. Some of the key challenges […]
Divorced man granted leave to challenge former mother-in-law’s will
A man who divorced his wife ten years ago has been granted leave to challenge his deceased former mother-in-law’s will. Colin and Hilary Randall divorced in 2006. Their divorce settlement specified that the first £100,000 his wife inherited from her mother would be hers alone, with anything more split equally between them with both agreeing […]
Will Writing Company opts for regulation under SRA
The Will Writing Company, a subsidiary of the Estates Planning Group have opted to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The Nottingham based company had its license to practice as an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) granted on 8th March with the license itself becoming effective from 1st June. Sally Brown, the Head of Legal […]
