Former Solicitor Commits Theft And Fraud Against Elderly Dementia Sufferers
An ex-solicitor who pleaded guilty to theft and fraud offences against elderly clients has been given a suspended prison sentence. Based in Hove, Paul Arscott, stole nearly £110,000 from three elderly clients who suffered from severe dementia. He has been given an 18 month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after appearing at Chelmsford Crown […]
When Best Practice In Will Writing And Probate Reside Side-by-Side
In a recent Certainty Will Search find, best practice prevailed to provide the client with protection and peace of mind. Victoria Wadsworth, Legal Secretary, Wadsworth Solicitors, a highly reputable family-run solicitors and members of Certainty the National Will Register tells us: “When the executor of the estate approached us, they already held the original Will […]
Hasting’s Firm Joins Will Writing Charity Campaign For Another Year
A law firm from Hastings has signed up to write wills for charity – for the 18th year in a row. Stephen Rimmer LLP has joined the annual Will Aid will writing campaign which sees solicitors across the UK volunteer some of their time and expertise in November to write basic wills for local people, […]
More Education Needed For Equity Release Advisers
As the older generation look for ways to fund their retirements, more people have opted to release the equity in their properties. A new report has found that 88% of equity release advisers believed there should be more education and resources available on how to spot the signs of vulnerable adults or those lacking capacity. […]
Executor Disagreements Architect Of Zaha Hadid Probate Dispute
Civil war has erupted in the £67 million estate of world famous architect, Zaha Hadid, that could see a number of executors replaced. Following her death in March 2016, four executors were appointed to oversee Hadid’s estate. Architectural patron Peter Palumbo, artist Brian Clarke, Hadid’s niece Rana Hadid and long-time business partner Patrik Schumacher were […]
Law Commission To Delay Wills Project Findings
Despite attempts to deliver conclusions of the Wills Project consultation before the end of the year, the Law Commission have been delayed by a Marriage Project which will take precedence. In 2013, the Law Commission conducted a public consultation on the contents of the 12th programme of Law Reform. Based on the consultation, leading representative […]
Is Technology Really Only For The Young?
Time and again I have heard Will writers proclaim that taking client instructions on paper is what their clients expect and in particular, that their more elderly clients would certainly not be comfortable with them using a paperless system. But is this really the case? Let’s take an everyday example of what happens on a […]
Arken’s Exclusive Webinars Navigate You Through Key Issues Affecting The Wills And Probate Industry
Arken.legal, who provide global leading innovative technology solutions for the estate planning industry, are running a succession of business growth webinars to guide you through key strategies on issues affecting the Wills and probate sector. Over the coming months, Dave Newick, Managing Director of Arken.legal (UK) Ltd will be educating delegates through highly informative webinars […]
45% Of Great Britain Had A Will In 2018
The industry is well aware of Britain’s aversion to writing an up to date Will. There have been many reports that indicate our mortality is considered taboo; as a nation, we would rather live in ignorance, than confront the issue and prepare for our passing. However, ‘The Will writing industry in 2018 report’, has claimed […]
November Certainty Expert Webinar : Validity Disputes And Inheritance Act Claims
Title: Validity disputes and Inheritance Act claims – practical tips for contentious and non-contentious practitioners Presenters: Angela Bowman and Adam Draper, Shoosmiths Date & Time: Wednesday 28th November at 12.00pm Link: https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1219074&tp_key=937598a214 Our second Certainty Expert Webinar in November is a Contentious Probate special. It will be hosted by Angela Bowman and Adam Draper from […]
Bitter Inheritance Disputes Centred Around Family Farms
Barely a month has gone by in the last year without the national press reporting on another bitter inheritance dispute centred on a family farm. In January, The Sun ran the headline “Farmer’s son cut out of dad’s £3m will in bitter legal wrangle with mum and sister … despite devoting his life to maintaining […]
The Purgatory Politics Of Brexit Draft Withdrawal Agreement
As the March deadline quickly approaches, the UK economy has quivered with uncertainty: the housing market has hit a two year slowdown; the legal sector is facing a skills shortage, as more firms consider the location of their business post Brexit and consumers are more reluctant to use legal services as they become increasingly responsive […]
Eastbourne Firm Joins Will Writing Charity Campaign For Another Year
A law firm from Eastbourne has signed up to write wills for charity – for the 18th year in a row. Stephen Rimmer LLP has joined the annual Will Aid will writing campaign which sees solicitors across the UK volunteer some of their time and expertise in November to write basic wills for local people, […]
Report Finds More People Making Wills In 2018
‘The Will writing industry in 2018’ report has found that the amount of people making an up to date Will is now increasing at a considerable rate. Britain’s apathy toward the discussion of death has long been demonstrated by the shockingly low uptake in Wills. Our fear of mortality hindering our obligation to prepare for […]
Annual Law Firms’ Survey Suggests Four Risks For 2019
The Annual Law Firms’ Survey 2018 seems to show optimism and success in spite of problems that were seemingly guaranteed to disrupt any growth in the legal sector. 89% of UK law firms have seen substantial income growth in 2018. Although the figures suggest short-term gains, the report highlighted four risks to the legal sector […]
Probate Fees Could Be Viewed As Fair And Just
Probate fees have been received with overwhelming condemnation since the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) released the amended law last week; many branding them as a sneaky and deceptive ‘stealth death tax.’ However, it seems as though the 60% of estates that will pay a comparable fee to the current system have been overlooked by the […]
Law Firm Joins Will Writing Charity Campaign For Another Year
A law firm from Marlow has signed up to write wills for charity – for the eighth year in a row. Gabbitas Robins Solicitors has joined the annual Will Aid will writing campaign which sees solicitors across the UK volunteer some of their time and expertise in November to write basic wills for local people, […]
Dishonest Solicitor Struck Off For Overbilling Clients
Joanne Power, a sole practitioner at Essex firm Diamonds Legal, has been struck off and instructed to pay costs of £46,645 for overbilling clients on a number of estates. At a two day hearing in September, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) found a number of inappropriate and dishonest incidents with clients. This included work that […]
There Are Currently 8,900 Unclaimed Estates In The UK
Recent research from BLM found that the Yorkshire area could have a huge £151 million worth of unclaimed estates. The firm used the average Yorkshire Household income and the most recent Government Unclaimed Estates List to determine how much money the area is losing because of a failure to make an adequate Will. As of […]
Solved In 60 Seconds – Lost Will, Closed Law Firm, Right Recommendation
Mr Robinson comments: “When my uncle passed away, we were holding a copy of a 1989 Will. Due to lots of family dynamics and circumstances changing since then, we wanted to check that there wasn’t a later Will before applying for probate. If this was the last Will we also needed to locate the original […]
