Call for evidence to avoid “Unnecessary” litigation
A major call for evidence has been launched by the Government seeking views on the best ways to settle family, business and other civil disputes away from the court room. The Responses will shape future reforms to civil, family and administrative justice, with Ministers determined to help more people resolve their issues without the stress […]
Legal oversight regulator’s arrangement processes are headed in the right direction
The Legal Services Board’s (LSB) proposed new rules and guidance for changes to regulatory arrangements are a significant improvement, the Law Society of England and Wales said today. The oversight regulator is seeking views from the ten approved legal services regulators on how they seek the LSB’s approval for alterations to their regulatory arrangements. The […]
MyHMCTS: planned improvements to online probate service
The Law Society has issued a press release on behalf of MyHMCTS detailing improvements and changes that will be made to the online probate service, effective from 19 August 2021. The changes are based on feedback from probate practitioners, and are as listed below. Changes from 19 August 2021 You can amend all parts of […]
Technical Corner: Here Comes the Sun!
Our ‘Technical Corner’ brings you information that will help you to continue to grow and develop in your career. This month’s technical corner article comes from Amy Bell, Director at Teal Compliance If you have any questions for our panel of experts, please submit them using the contact form below. We will publish the questions […]
Post Pandemic Probate Litigation
The future Conduct of Hearings With lockdown it became clear that Courts would have to operate remotely. Hearings by Microsoft Teams and electronic bundles became the new normal in the Business and Property Courts. An astonishing amount of business was conducted without too much difficulty or too much footfall on the HMCTS Estate. Without the […]
CMA to get new powers of enforcement
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has announced a major shake-up of the Competition and Markets Authority’s powers. The CMA has been instrumental in the drive toward greater pricing transparency for consumers and more recently has intervened in the leasehold ground rents scandal that has resulted in Aviva and Persimmon Homes announcing they would remove certain terms […]
OPG outline vision for reform of LPAs
Following the release of a consultation on the future of LPA’s the OPG has outlined their vision in a blog on their website. Calling for proactive engagement with the consultation from around the community, the OPG have said “Our ambition is to use technology to improve our LPA services, without compromising safety or limiting access […]
Lawyers Losing Out: the UK’s Hidden Estates
When individuals pass away, families and friends of the deceased will be grieving. Unfortunately, there are also a number of tasks that have to be carried out at this difficult time. These include planning the funeral, packing up the belongings and winding up the affairs of the deceased. Winding up financial affairs involves identifying and […]
New guidance for courts post “Freedom Day”
The government has confirmed that the legal requirement for social distancing in England will be removed from Monday 19 July 2021, as well as the detail of which other aspects of step 4 on the roadmap will be adopted. In Wales, meanwhile, it is hoped most restrictions will be lifted on 7 August 2021. In […]
Major reforms for LPA registration on their way
The government has launched a consultation examining the mainly paper-based process of creating and registering Lasting Powers of Attorney with a view to using technology reform the process of witnessing, improve access and speed up the service The consultation will propose widening the OPG’s legal powers to check identities and stop or delay any registrations […]
FCA regulation of funeral plans – cutting out the cowboys
The FCA recently confirmed rules funeral plan providers must follow when they come under FCA regulation from 29 July 2022. They include a ban on cold-calling, commission payments and require providers to adhere to strict guidelines on how products are structured and marketed. If providers fail to gain authorisation they will have to exit the […]
Contentious Probate: What’s It All About (Alfie)?
“Contentious probate” is one of those commonly-used phrases in the world of wills and probate which everyone treats as something everyone knows about but actually sometimes it’s helpful to give a bit of a beginner’s guide. What does contentious probate encompass? Non-Contentious Probate Rules (or are they?) Well first off, it’s worth noting that not […]
Plans to increase probate fees “unwelcome” say Law Society
Plans to hike fees for probate applications are unwelcome particularly when grieving relatives are suffering because the service is still subject to significant delays, said the Law Society of England and Wales in a response to an announcement by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The current fees are £155 for professional users and £215 for […]
First funeral plans, next Willwriters
Monday’s announcement from the Financial Conduct Authority provided some insight into the regulatory regime that will be introduced into the funeral planning sector from 22nd July 2022. Under a new regulatory regime, funeral plan providers will need to register with the FCA and will be subject to a range of new rules including funeral instalment […]
Estate Planning for Single clients / Unmarried partners
The Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation toolkit is designed for you to be able to give your clients best advice, via our Estate Planning team, and the best documentation via our in house developed Legacy software. The ability to cater for all clients is becoming increasingly demanding, and thus having everything you need in your […]
FCA confirms measures to raise standards in the funeral plans market
To enhance consumer protection in the funeral plans market, the FCA as confirmed the rules funeral plan providers will have to follow when they come under regulation from 29 July 2022. The new rules will introduce high standards in the funeral plans market and require firms to ensure that plans are sold fairly, perform as […]
Firms warned over security risk of WFH
Law firms jave been warned to rethink remote working policies to avoid cyber attacks and data breaches. The “Future of Working from Home” white paper has found that 41% of data breaches are caused by a lost or stolen device, highlighting the requirement for many legal firms’ IT departments to carefully consider working from home policies […]
Technical Corner: Negative interest rates may be on the horizon
Our ‘Technical Corner’ brings you information that will help you to continue to grow and develop in your career. This month’s technical corner article comes from Robert Blech, SRA Sector Specialist Director, MHA Macintyre Hudson If you have any questions for our panel of experts, please submit them using the contact form below. We will […]
LSB pushes legal regulators to put consumers first following BSB governance review
Today, the Legal Services Board (LSB) published the findings of its review of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) under the ‘Well-led’ standard of the LSB regulatory performance assessment framework. The oversight regulator found concerns about leadership and governance at the BSB and little evidence of a focus on the needs of consumers and the public interest. In response, […]
Probate Case Journey
The probate process is complicated, archaic and time consuming for all concerned. The pressures of dealing with the administration involved when someone dies can become all-consuming, and sadly for two in five (40%) people, dealing with the bereavement process causes mental health problems. Due to this 62% of individuals recently surveyed will seek a solicitor […]
