What Would You Charge For A Will If Wills & LPAs Were The Only Services You Offered?
Certainty Expert Webinars are The National Will Register’s free monthly webinars that are presented by forward-thinking, leading individuals in Private Client Practice. Each month our speakers present on thought provoking subject matters with the aim of educating and giving our audience an insight on current cases, ‘hot topics’ or specialist areas of the law which […]
Warring Family Fight For £800,000 Estate
A contentious probate family feud the judge dubbed ‘a fight to the death’ is currently being heard in court. Shirley Guymer, 78, died childless in 2016, two years after her late husband had passed away. Lacking children of her own, Mrs Guymer looked to her nieces, nephews and siblings as potential beneficiaries to her estate. […]
Quarter Of Couples Unaware Of Pension Total
Over a quarter of all couples in the UK do not discuss their pensions and later life plans with their loved ones. 25% of respondents have failed to discuss their later life plans or pension pot with their partners and 17% have failed to ever have a formal conversation about planning their finances for later […]
MoJ Miss Probate Target In 91% Of Cases
The Government set a target of issuing grants of probate applications within 10 working days, as they attempted to reduce the backlog they had. However, a recent Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted by the Law Gazette revealed that this target was being substantially missed. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ), disclosed that only in 9% […]
Government Could Halve Pension Tax Relief
Rumours suggest that Sajid Javid’s budget on March 11th is set to reduce the amount of tax relief offered to higher earners on their pension contributions. Those inside the Treasury intimated to the Financial Times that the Chancellor is looking into ways of saving money and drastically reforming pension tax relief has been deemed as […]
You Only Live Twice? Probate Insurance
As an underwriter, I first saw a presumption of death risk 20 years ago. A young professional person had gone missing at sea. A distress call had been made from their boat, but the coastguard was originally sent to search the wrong area. By the time the mistake was discovered, it was too late. There […]
Claiming A Court Fee Refund
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ), launched the court refund scheme after identifying issues around overcharging and mischarging in some cases. To claim a court fee refund, click here. The online process makes it quick and easy for people to send off their claim. However, there is still an option to complete the forms and send […]
Predatory Marriage And Probate
The concept of ‘predatory marriage’ may not mean a great deal to English lawyers, and certainly not probate practitioners, but with an aging population, and legislation in apparent need of reform, the harm caused by predatory marriage seems set to increase and can have serious and permanent testamentary effects. The term ‘predatory marriage’ is generally […]
Protecting Yourself Against Probate Fraud
Did you know that probate fraud costs in the region of £150m a year? That’s the figure provided by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). It’s no surprise that this type of fraud can be committed both by members of the family, but also by organised criminals who use various methods to divert […]
Legal Aid Is Overwhelmingly Supported By The Public
Marking the recent anniversary of the government’s review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LAPSO), The Law Society confirmed that the public are strongly in support of legal aid. The Law Society President, Simon Davis said: “Our legal needs survey with the Legal Services Board shows a huge 92% of […]
User-Led Social Care Considered At House Of Commons
The first reading on User-led Social Care commenced with James Murray as a Member of Parliament for Ealing North on 5th February 2020. Murray, who is a British Labour Co-operative politician and only recently elected since the 2019 General Election took to the stand at the House of Lords to talk candidly about the social […]
Pensioners In The EU Will See A Boost To Their Pensions
Expats living in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland will see annual increases to their pensions, states a press release from the Department of Work and Pensions. UK state pensioners living within the EEA by the 31st December 2020 will see their UK state pension increase annually, in line with the UK, under the […]
Clive Fowler – Helping The Public Find Wills
This year Clive celebrates his 10-year work anniversary. Clive heads up the Helpdesk at Certainty the National Will Register. Helpdesk deal with enquiries from members of the public and legal profession. Clive has a vast wealth of experience and understands the various problems people face if they are unsure if a Will exists, where it […]
Legal Workflow joins Innovation Martlesham
Legal Workflow is delighted to announce membership of Innovation Martlesham, an established cluster of high-tech ICT companies located at Adastral Park, Suffolk, home of BT’s national operation centre, test facilities and global Research and Development Unit. Besides being home to a diverse range of large, medium and small companies, Innovation Martlesham is a ‘collaborative ecosystem’ […]
Modern Law Awards 2020 Winners Announced
Impressionist Jon Culshaw welcomed and entertained the swathes of legal professionals in Manchester last night as the Modern Law Awards took centre stage. The evening delivered an abundance of talent in the sector and highlighted the innovative, caring and committed specialists currently working in the legal sector. Today’s Wills and Probate would like to congratulate […]
Will Gift Allowance System Replace Inheritance Tax?
MPs have proposed that the UK abolishes inheritance tax and replaces it with a gift allowance system. On Thursday, 30th January 2020, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Inheritance & Intergenerational Fairness (APPG IIF) published a report recommending the abolition of inheritance tax (IHT) and the way it works now and replace it with an entirely […]
Student Membership To Solicitors For The Elderly
Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) has launched its student membership to help trainees achieve the highest possible standards in the sector. The student membership will give trainees an introduction to working with older, more vulnerable clients, aiming to inspire trainees to support older clients at a time where there is an ageing population and a […]
Hollywood Legend Kirk Douglas Dies Aged 103
Legendary Hollywood actor, Kirk Douglas, has died at the age of 103. Kirk Douglas is best known for inspiring the Golden age of cinema with unforgettable roles such as Spartacus, Ace In The Hole and Champion. Despite being nominated three times for best actor, Kirk never won an Oscar but was honoured with a lifetime […]
Is Your Client’s Single Trust A Ticking Time Bomb?
You wouldn’t leave your kids a joint bank account to ‘share’ after you’ve gone… So why would you leave all their combined inheritance to one Trust? When it comes to your clients distributing their assets in their Will, you may think advising them to place them all in a Trust is a simple and safe […]
Assisted Dying Appeal Rejected
Having the right to die, is a subject that divides people’s opinions. However, some people believe that assisted dying is a part of their human rights. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has confirmed that he is ‘actively considering’ a call for evidence on the UK’s current law on assisted dying. However, this hasn’t helped Paul Newby, […]
