Young people dealing with the death of a parent will be offered free assistance handling end-of-life admin involving personal and household accounts, thanks to a new partnership between Child Bereavement UK and nationwide bereavement service. Read More
A private members’ Bill has been introduced to parliament by MP Ian Paisley, aiming to give the families of deceased or incapacitated people immediate access to their digital data, without the need for legal action. Read More
Figures published by HMRC today reveal that that the amount paid in inheritance tax (IHT) last year totalled £5.9bn – a record high for any calendar year, with receipts for April 2021 to December 2021 totalling £4.6 billion, which Read More
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published its first ever results for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) – the SQE1. The results show that 53% of candidates passed but concerns have been raised over the disparity of Read More
Record amounts of property wealth were accessed via equity release products in Q4 and across 2021 by more than 76,000 new and returning customers, according to the Equity Release Council. Figures show that the sector has not Read More
Following a challenge by the Guardian newspaper over the decision to hear the application to seal Prince Philip’s will privately, the Court of Appeal is set to consider the privacy of royal wills going Read More
Legal mental health charity LawCare has published its 2021 impact report, detailing the support it gave to the legal sector last year. The charity, which was initially set up to help solicitors with alcohol problems, has Read More
The winter 2022 edition of Title Research’s news digest, Entitlement, is now available and free to download. Entitlement’s latest edition features the following informative articles on current popular topics in the legal industry: ‘Acting Read More
HMCTS changes: Inheritance Tax reporting for excepted estates
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has recently changed the Inheritance Tax (IHT) reporting requirements for excepted estates. The amendments apply to all deaths on or after 1 January 2022 and are expected to reduce the number Read More
All Estate Planners and Practitioners should always consider how to mitigate risk when taking instructions from clients. Although you may think that you do enough, there is always more to consider! Why risk your business Read More
Identifying shares held by a deceased has historically been a notoriously difficult undertaking. Estatesearch are committed to building technology and services to help estate practitioners work more efficiently. That’s why we’re pleased to Read More
Kings Court Trust’s latest blog discusses the extension of video Will witnessing, the potential risks, and industry opinions on the legislation. The legislation that allows for Wills to be witnessed online due to the Read More
Implementing the right technology can be a gamechanger for how wills and probate firms work—but with so many technology solutions on offer, all promising big benefits, how do you decide what the “right” option Read More
Reports of scam HMRC phone calls have fallen by 97% over the last 12 months, latest HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures show, which display a downward trend in reports overall throughout the past year. Reports of Read More
Not being able to get work experience whilst in school, attending the wrong university, the inability to afford the necessary qualifications and fierce competition are only some of the barriers to entry into the legal Read More
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced refunds in excess of £42 million (around £3,107 per claim) in overpaid tax on flexible pension withdrawals in Q4 2021. Since pension freedoms became effective in 2015, it is estimated that HMRC Read More
The longest-running study into funeral prices – SunLife’s Cost of Dying Report – has found that the price of a funeral has fallen for the first time in 18 years. The research found that the average cost Read More
The COVID pandemic has almost tripled the number of will writers offering remote services in England and Wales, according to the Trends in Will Writing survey conducted by Capacity Vault Ltd. Run in December 2020, the Read More
Last month The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) announced that following a consultation on probate fees, all users of the probate service will be required to pay an increased, single, flat-rate fee from 26th January. The Read More
Government is consulting on new measures to boost British businesses’ cyber security after recent high profile attacks. New laws are needed to drive up security standards in outsourced IT services used by almost all UK Read More