HMRC investigates 3,574 IHT accounts in bid to claw back revenue
Law firm Pinsent Masons confirms that HMRC opened 3,574 investigations into Inheritance Tax (IHT) in 2020-21 resulting in £254 million in revenue. The firm also revealed that more people are now filing their own returns rather than seeking professional IHT advice in a bid to cut down expenses. But with more scope for error, HMRC […]
‘Product in Focus’ article: Financial Asset Search
In Estatesearch’s third ‘Product in Focus’ article, we look at the Financial Asset Search and why this should be conducted on every case when carrying out estate administration. Investigating a deceased’s finances is a large part of an estate administrator’s job during the process of estate administration and this is one of their primary and […]
“Simple Wills” not so simple
A rise in contentious probate is anticipated as a result of research which shows that many Wills provided by online providers may not provide enough protection for the testator or testatrix. The research was conducted by independent research and consultancy firm Funeral Solution Expert who identified that 65% of UK consumers who believe their affairs […]
Digital support rollout for HMCTS users
The digitisation of HMCTS, a £1bn programme of reform, is being supported by a new national service following an extensive pilot and tender process. Beginning in October, a £10m investment will see We are Digital manage a new national service, delivering support across England, Wales (including support in Welsh) and Scotland (for tribunals only). During the […]
Taking mediation on-line
Following the outbreak of the pandemic last year I have had just two face-to-face mediations, all the rest have been via Microsoft Teams or Zoom. I spent hours in March through May 2020 testing out various video conferencing platforms and dealing with all the issues around security and confidentiality (security on both platforms has been […]
Former Scottish Financial Enterprise CEO joins Exizent
Exizent, the Glasgow-based law-tech whose innovative platform is transforming bereavement by connecting legal services firms with banks and the wider financial services community, has announced the exciting appointment of Graeme Jones as a Senior Adviser to the Board. Jones brings invaluable insight as a champion of the Scottish financial services industry, with decades of senior […]
“Digital Assets: A call to action” legacy report released
STEP and the Microsoft-funded Cloud Legal Project at Queen Mary University of London have collaborated on a joint research project into estate practitioner views on, and experiences with, digital assets. The aim is to understand the: Extent to which practitioners deal with digital assets, Risks and challenges posed by digital assets to estate planning and […]
Online Will writing service now offers solicitor checks
An online Willwriting service has moved to strengthen its service offering by introducing an additional layer of protection for its clients by ensuring all of its Wills are checked by a solicitor. FreeWills.co.uk was launched in 2018 by Carl Christensen and is one of a new breed of online will writing businesses offering low and […]
Digital vault launched to “add value and create ‘stickier’ clients”
A new digital estate planning service has launched to “help solicitors add value and create ‘stickier’ clients” according to it’s creators. Zenplans is a new digital estate planning service has been launched enabling solicitors to help their clients securely organise, maintain, store, and selectively share all their most important personal and financial information. The cloud-based […]
Cryptocurrency and Inheritance: What Investors Need to Know
Despite the often volatile nature of cryptocurrency, there is no denying that this form of digital currency has made huge strides over the past decade. Once considered a fad or even a scam, the global blockchain market is now expected to be worth over 57 million US dollars by 2025. In June, the Financial Conduct […]
Online Wills – Why you SHOULD be offering these to clients
The stigma attached to the provision of online legal services and in particular online wills can be traced back to the fundamental misunderstanding of their implementation. Implementing technology into almost every facet of everyone’s lives is a daily occurrence. Consumers accept and in some cases expect technology to make life easier so the logical question […]
£167,000 technology investment to address regional inequalities in access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has won a further grant from the latest round of Regulators Pioneer Fund (RPF) to help connect those using new legal technologies with those who need their services. The award of £167,856 from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will be used to create a new network […]
MoJ to investigate standardisation of e-signatures
An Industry Working Group of experts has been formed to improve standards, reliability and security in electronic signatures. The Ministry of Justice has published details of a newly-formed Industry Working Group of experts that aims to improve standards, reliability and security in electronic signatures and other means of legally executing documents. The group was created […]
LPA Consultation: Have you had your say?
Practitioners are being reminded to submit their thoughts on the Ministry of Justice’s consultation on the future of LPAs in a blog on the OPG website. More than 140 responses have already been received, with many coming from members of the public. The consultation was launched in July with the ambition of “(making) the service […]
Automated discovery report makes estate discovery quicker
Legal technology firm Exizent has announced the launch of automated estate discovery process for solicitors through its partnership with Experian, one of the world’s leading global information services company. The new functionality addresses a major challenge for legal services practitioners by making the process of identifying key banking assets and financial liabilities associated with an […]
Estatesearch acquires Landmark Information’s Financial Asset Search business
Estatesearch, award winning, legal technology providers to private client practitioners, announces the acquisition of the Financial Asset Search business. The acquisition and integration of Landmark Information’s Financial Asset Search into Estatesearch was finalised on 30th August 2021. The past few months have seen Estatesearch’s expert team support the transition of Landmark’s valued clients to Estatesearch’s […]
Technology and innovation at the forefront of the legal industry
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) recently commissioned research with the University of Oxford about technology and innovation in the legal sector. The ‘Technology and Innovation in the Legal Services’ report has revealed some interesting findings that Title Research explore in their latest blog post. The blog post looks at the key findings of the research, […]
Free webinar: ‘Challenges in estate administration: Intestacy, overseas assets and missing beneficiaries’
Wednesday 22nd September at 1pm, Kings Court Trust will explore a handful of complications that are commonly faced by clients during the estate administration process. They will walk through various case studies to illustrate how they have helped families overcome these common challenges and will cover: Handling overseas assets Intestacies and when to seek help […]
Secure document sharing and electronic signing for clients is now live in Countrywide Legacy!
Here at Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation Ltd, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve in technology and innovation. We are constantly researching and developing new ideas that will make our processes better and more efficient. We hope that in turn, this will allow you to offer an improved service to your clients. […]
Changes to LPA’s risk “undermining vital safeguards for vulnerable”
With eyes firmly focused on the crisis in social care, the Law Society of England and Wales today issued a warning that proposed changes to Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) risk undermining vital safeguards for some of the most vulnerable people. The statement comes as changes to Lasting Powers of Attorney are being proposed through […]
