5 Incorrect Assumptions About Guardianship
Sadly, every 22 minutes a parent in the UK dies, leaving dependent children. Statistics show that 1 in 20 children will have lost at least one parent by the age of 16. Guardianship is a common trigger for making a Will, with parents keen to ensure that arrangements are in place for their children, should […]
Stressed Legal Professionals Increasingly Seeking Support
Legal professionals are increasingly turning to support frameworks because of the stresses in their work lives. The number of legal professionals asking LawCare for help and advice in 2019 increased by 8%. In total, the charity received over 900 contacts and dealt with 6,777 people asking for help in 2019. A quarter (26%) of all […]
Cryogenics Codicil Sparks Legal Battle
An American Cryogenics firm is counter-suing the son of a deceased scientist after a communication debacle resulted in the decapitation of the cadaver. A recent case in America has highlighted the importance of adhering to the wishes expressed in a Will and the severe consequences that can arise from deviations. Lifelong scientist and cryonics expert, […]
Certainty Expert Webinars Presents Irwin Mitchell
Join us on Wednesday 29th January at 12.00pm when we will be joined by Paula Myers, Claire-Marie Cornford and James Laycock from award winning firm Irwin Mitchell who are presenting the first Certainty Expert Webinar of 2020, titled “The signs of Contentious Probate and why a specialist is needed”. During our hour long webinar, the […]
Fraser And Fraser Featured In Times Story About The Work Of Probate Genealogists
Fraser and Fraser featured prominently in an article in The Times last week about the role of probate genealogists and how societal change is influencing their work. It is estimated that more than half of adults in the UK die intestate, with around 8,300 estates currently on the bona vacantia (ownerless property) list that is […]
Solicitor’s Conduct Questioned After Becoming Beneficiary
After becoming a beneficiary of a client’s Will, which saw him inherit over £43,000, retired solicitor Stuart Murphy has now been fined for poor conduct with regards to the way he dealt with his client. According to a Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) report, Mr Murphy first acted for his client ‘Mrs C’ in September 1996, […]
Obligatory General Management Costs E-Filing For Deputies
All professional deputies entitled to general management costs will need to use the Court of Protection’s e-filing system from today (Monday 20th January 2020.) Professional deputies are obliged to send a Bill of Costs, N258 deputy orders through an e-filing system and sent in PDF format. Professional deputies are required to submit estimates of costs […]
BSB Face Rise In Complaints
On 21st January 2020, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) released their annual Enforcement Report, which has resulted in some grim reading. The report revealed that the BSB is struggling to cope with the rise in complaints from members of the public (external complaints). These complaints have risen for the second year running, rising to 359 […]
Most Common Age Of Death For Males Increased
The most common age of death for men has increased over the last four years, peaking at 86 in 2018. According to recent data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 10,730 men aged 85 died in 2018, with the next nine most common ages all residing in the eighties. This data also bucks […]
‘Fit For Law’ Resource To Combat Stress
LawCare, the legal mental health and well being charity has teamed up with academics from the University of Sheffield and The Open University to launch the free ‘Fit For Law’ course. ‘Fit For Law’ is a free online resource which is aimed at promoting a psychologically and emotionally healthier way of working within the legal […]
The Passing Of A Best Friend Who Married To Avoid Inheritance Tax
Michael O’Sullivan and Matt Murphy, close friends for over 30 years, married in 2017 in a bid to avoid the inheritance tax that would be payable on Matt’s home. Several years prior to their marriage, Matt had made the decision that he wanted his home in Stoneybatter, North Dublin, to be inherited by Michael when […]
Law Society Welcomes New Statutory Legacy Figure Increase
The Law Society of England and Wales welcomed the news of The Lord Chancellor’s increase of the statutory legacy figure. The new statutory legacy sum, which comes into force on 6th February 2020, means that spouses or civil partners with children will be able to inherit £270,000 from intestate estates rather than £250,000 which was […]
New Year, New Business Opportunities…
Why not make this year, your year? Is success on the cards… The Chinese New Year is fast approaching – and with it comes the year of the Rat! An animal that symbolises wealth, beginning of a new day, intelligence and success. According to Chinese tradition, the Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. […]
Executor Found Guilty Of Stealing Inheritance
When Anita Border passed away in August 2015, her estate was left in the hands of a “good neighbour”, entrusted to act as executor and distribute £110,000 each to the pensioner’s partner Emma Cullen and to longstanding friend Parminder Gibbs. Whilst David Loveday, 33, followed through on his duty for the amount to Cullen, Ms […]
The Stress of Christmas Blamed For Increase In Will Re-Writes For January
Law firm Stephensons Solicitors LLP have reported a 114% increase in inheritance claims and will re-writes. Blaming the ‘fallout from festive fights’, the firm saw a huge spike of enquiries in January 2019, with double the amount of calls to the firm’s wills and probate team. Tensions over Christmas are well known to most families, […]
Epstein Estate Confident In Victim Compensation Fund
The lawyer representing the estate of deceased suspected sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, is confident the majority of Epstein’s accusers will drop their lawsuits and join the victim compensation fund. A letter filed in Manhattan federal court by estate lawyer, Bennet Moskowitz, highlighted five accusers set to drop their lawsuits in order to enter into the […]
What is a Discretionary Trust and when would you use one?
What is a Discretionary Trust? A discretionary trust is exactly as it sounds: a trust where the appointment of trust property is at the discretion of the trustees. This means that no beneficiary has a right to receive anything from the trust unless and until the trustee(s) exercise discretion in their favour and make an […]
Women Concerned By Retirement Decisions
A quarter of women are bewildered and nervous when it comes to making decisions regarding their retirement. When it comes to later life planning, almost a quarter (23%) were worried about making poor decisions that would impact on their retirement finances, according to Fidelity International. Furthermore, 13% felt overwhelmed and 15% were confused. Overall, the […]
‘The Probies’ Back For Second Year
The second UK Probate Research Awards is set to take place on Thursday 6th February 2020 at The De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Known in the industry as ‘The Probies’, the ceremony will celebrate the achievements and example of excellence across forensic genealogy. Sponsored by the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) and […]
Wright Hassall Continue Private Client Expansion
Wright Hassall, the Leamington-based law firm has continued to expand its private client team, after paralegal Kate Anderson qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive. Ms Anderson joined the company in 2015 as a paralegal having studied at the University of Birmingham and completed her law conversion at the BPP Birmingham Law School. Having made the […]
