Central to CMA’s 2021/22 Plan is helping vulnerable consumers
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Annual Plan consultation 2021/22 puts vulnerable consumers at the heart of their future plans. As with everyone, the CMA has had a tough ride over the past 12 months but they state “The CMA has an important role to play in building trust and confidence when people buy goods […]
Top Tips in creating a robust risk management framework
In this short video Legal Eye shares five tips for ensuring that your risk management system is up to date and fit for purpose in order to protect your law firm. This article was submitted to be published by Legal Eye as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Wills and Probate. The views expressed […]
Top Tips in creating a robust risk management framework
In this short video Legal Eye shares five tips for ensuring that your risk management system is up to date and fit for purpose in order to protect your law firm. This article was submitted to be published by Legal Eye as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Wills and Probate. The views expressed […]
Certainty Expert Webinar: Deprivation of Liberty: Issues for property affairs deputies and attorneys
We’re pleased to welcome Alex Cisneros, Barrister at Outer Temple Chambers who will be presenting our first Certainty Expert Webinar of the year on Wednesday 3rd February 2021, titled ‘Deprivation of Liberty: Issues for property affairs deputies and attorneys’. The webinar will be looking at an unusual topic for those involved in managing other people’s […]
Woman wins executor dispute over £4.9m international estate
A brother was ordered by court to pay back £1.7m to his sister after a “rare” executor dispute was refused permission to appeal by the courts. The law firm representing the sister, Kirsty Cadogan, secured her inheritance, after fighting the case since 2011. Her brother, Kevin Cadogan and Kirsty Cadogan were both executors of their […]
Reform of the Mental Health Act must be properly funded
Proposed changes to the mental health system must be properly funded to be effective, the Law Society of England and Wales warned following publication of the Mental Health Act White Paper. Law Society president David Greene said: “It is clear the current system means that all too often compulsory detention and treatment is, or feels […]
Certainty Will Search: Protect yourself, your firm and your client from future claims against the estate
Sharmans Law LLP have been providing legal services in Bedfordshire for over 200 years and have been members of The National Will Register since 2014. The firm have incorporated Will Registration into their Will writing process and always advise their clients of the benefits of registering their Will on The National Will Register, one of […]
Interview with Head of Equiniti Benefactor on Death Notification Service
In an interview with Today’s Wills and Probate, Stuart Simpson, Head of Equiniti Benefactor at an international technology-led services and payments specialist company, EQ (known as Equiniti), talks about a Death Notification Service (DNS) and how DNS supports probate professionals when helping grieving families minimise the strain of bereavement. Tell us about EQ EQ is […]
The UK replaces DAC6 with the OECD’s model Mandatory Disclosure Rules (MDR)
The disclosure of cross-border tax planning arrangements under Council Directive (EU) 2018/822 (DAC6) came into force on 1 July 2020 and require reporting of any persons involved in cross-border arrangements, including loan agreements, payments from a resident of one country to a resident of another, or putting funds in an offshore trust, if one of the hallmarks […]
MOJ reports 17 serious data breaches
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has exposed a colossal amount of sensitive public data over a period of 12 months, according to data found in MoJ’s annual report for 2019/20. Hundreds of thousands of sensitive files have been leaked by MoJ, mostly due to human error, in the past year. Reports sent to the Information […]
Responding to a Cyber Security Breach
Continuing with our compliance theme, Matthew Locker, a Cyber Security Consultant at Apstorm has shared his ideas on how law firms can remain compliant in the modern world. The legal sector is rich in sensitive data and financial transactions, unfortunately, this makes it an attractive target for many cyber actors including, criminals, activists and possibly […]
Tower Street Finance partners with Bridging.com
Bridging.com has appointed Tower Street Finance as its first strategic lending partner to provide short-term products that enable quick and easy access to inheritance for its individual and company users. Bridging.com is a digitally enhanced, independent information resource that helps individuals and companies source and compare the most suitable short-term funding solution for a variety […]
Video witnessing of wills to play a more vital role in new lockdown?
Now that the UK is in another national lockdown, will the legislation around video witnessing of wills mean they become more than just a last resort to practitioners? When the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced in July that they would make the video witnessing of wills legal as a result of the pandemic, there was […]
Money laundering fines reach record high
HMRC has issued a record £23.8m worth of fines for organisations breaching and or ignoring money laundering regulations. Nick Sharp, Deputy Director of Economic Crime, Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC said: “Businesses who fail to comply with the money laundering regulations leave themselves, and the UK economy, open to attacks by criminals. “Money laundering is not […]
Solicitors back changes to Law Society governance
Solicitors in England and Wales have voted overwhelmingly to introduce term limits and constituency reforms for the governing council of their membership body, the Law Society of England and Wales. At last year’s annual general meeting, held in October, it was decided to conduct all-member ballots covering two issues: maximum term limits of 12 years […]
What is the procedure for proving a missing or lost Will?
By Alexa Payet, Partner at Bolt Burdon and listed specialist in the Certainty Contentious Probate Hub & Area Initial steps When an individual dies it is necessary to search their paperwork to establish whether they made a Will and gather information regarding their estate. This is important because the personal representatives of the estate have […]
Suspended sentence for benefit cheat
Wendy Brown, 65 has been handed a suspended prison sentence after she continued claiming benefits illegally, after failing to declare a change in her circumstances when she inherited a large sum of money. The deception began in May 2015 and continued until 2019, in which time Brown claimed over £13,600 in benefits. The case was […]
Sunlife Costs of Dying Report show cremations are popular
Direct cremations now account for 19% of cremations and 14% of all funerals (up from 3% last year), marking an almost five-fold annual rise, according to SunLife’s 2021 Cost of Dying Report – the leading and longest-running report into funeral costs. SunLife’s data shows that direct cremations – cremations without mourners present or a funeral […]
Amir Ali announced as new President of the Professional Paralegal Register
The former Chairman of the CCUA who has over three decades of experience in both Legal and Enforcement sectors, Amir Ali, has become the inaugural President of the Professional Paralegal Register (PPR), a not-for-profit organisation which provides regulation for Paralegals. The inaugural President calls for recognition of the only organisation offering independent regulation for Paralegals […]
Alpha Legal – Major Update – Live!
The Alpha Legal team at Start Software have published their first major update and all Alpha Legal subscribers now have access to the new features. Building on the success of the ID, bank account details and COVID questionnaire forms in the first release, the new update brings two new features which have been requested by […]
