This insight was written by Anna Morris, Solicitor at Lime Solicitors’ Inheritance Disputes Team In the recent decision of Rittson-Thomas v Oxfordshire County Council, 2019 EWCA Civ 200 the Supreme Court decided that Oxfordshire County Council were Read More
Willowbrook Hospice was defrauded of approximately £20,000 from Patricia Eden’s estate, after her daughter Deborah Nilsson spent the money on a new kitchen, bathroom and family holiday. The fraud came to light when Ms Nilsson’Read More
Ben Moore has been banned from the probate profession after failing to declare a gift of £20,000 from a 92-year-old client. A decision notice from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) showed that Mr Moore had been Read More
Kenny Goss, the ex-partner of Wham singer George Michael has agreed a deal with George’s family after suing the estate for £15m a month out of his £98m estate. Mr Goss reportedly gave up Read More
Is your loved one’s Will not what you expected? Are there unexplained large gifts? Does one of the beneficiaries seem an unusual choice? Are the terms substantially different from their previous Will? If so, Read More
Clitheroe v Bond – lessons on testamentary capacity
and the importance of good advice at the outset of a claim Alison Parry, Partner at JMW Solicitors, discusses testamentary capacity and the recent judgment that demonstrates 150-year old law is as relevant as ever. Read More
The recent high-profile case of Miles v Shearer demonstrates that the court will not make an award for financial provision for an adult child where it considers they are not in financial need even where Read More
Unlawful killing and justice after acquittal – what can the
In R v McPherson on 17 March 2021 at the end of the prosecution case Goose J directed an acquittal of Donald McPherson who had been indicted for the murder of his wife, Paula Leeson, in 2017. In Read More
Contentious Probate: When Beneficiaries Cannot Agree
Stephanie Kerr from Brabners LLP discusses the steps which might be taken when beneficiaries cannot agree… Many private client solicitors will have come across estates where one or more of the beneficiaries cannot agree on Read More
Trusts in Wills: The work involved when a Trust is
Free webinar: ‘Trusts in Wills: The work involved when a Trust is activated on death’ Kings Court Trust’s experienced Technical Manager, Nigel Merchant, is back by popular demand on Wednesday 12th May at 1pm Read More
Kings Court Trust’s Chief Revenue Officer, David Masterton, writes about intergenerational wealth transfers. Between 2017 and 2047, £5.5 trillion is expected to pass from generation to generation, which makes intergenerational wealth transfers one of the biggest threats Read More
Oxfordshire Council awarded land gifted by Robert Fleming for school
In a landmark ruling, the UK Supreme Court has awarded Oxfordshire Council private land, which was left to the Parish of Nettlebed in the early 20th Century to be used as a school. This ruling Read More
The England and Wales High Court (EWHC) ruled that the late owner of a valuable collection of jewellery did not create a secret trust, in which her niece would inherit the pieces, despite the deceased Read More
Ally Tow, a Senior Associate at Boyes Turner explores some of the challenges and obstacles that litigators dealing with contentious probate claims face by looking at an example of a case she was involved in Read More
A daughter has been given permission to administer her mother’s estate after a legal battle with a professional executor ended with the High Court refusing their application to appeal. Leading national law firm Irwin Read More
Two daughters have lost a court battle which pitted them against their step-mother after being cut out of their father’s inheritance when he died. Tony Shearer was referred to as “The Chequebook” by his Read More
A judgment in favour of a woman, over her mother’s will has been upheld despite her brothers challenging their late mother’s wishes saying she lacked capacity (Rea v Rea, 2021 EWHC 893 Ch). The appeal Read More
Beverley Beale, Court of Protection Panel Deputy and Associate at Weightmans LLP, talks about the impact the pandemic has had on those with impaired decision making capacity and the Court of Protection. The last 12 months Read More
Salutary Lessons for Will Writers : Lessons from the Courts
Claire Cox, a solicitor in the Dispute Resolution team at Hedges Law, has a special interest in inheritance disputes and discusses how Will writers can protect themselves from potential claims. Inheritance claims and probate disputes Read More
Holograph will is found invalid during probate battle
The probate for a holograph will has been revoked, following a virtual court hearing at the England and Wales High Court, in which a potential witness revoked their affidavit. A handwritten will, detailing the last Read More
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