• March 29, 2024
 Modernisation of Wills Law confirmed as law commission project of reform

Modernisation of Wills Law confirmed as law commission project of reform

The Law Commission has this week issued an update on its latest programme of reform.

As well as providing an overview of the current work that the Commission is undertaking, the document details the potential need for reform in an area, summarizing the potential benefits and gives a timescale of when the associated work would be completed.

Announced by the organization last year, the Commission stated that the modernization of trust law would be among the projects in the 13th programme of reform.

The focus, it stated would be on reforms which will reduce unfairness for citizens, in addition to those which could improve competitiveness on an international scale.

One of the key projects highlighted relates to Wills; drawing attention to the importance if the document, the Commission states that around 40% of people do not have a valid Will when they die, setting out the often distressing consequences which can occur as a result.

Referencing the fact that a significant aspect of the current law governing Wills dates back to the 19th Century, the Commission states that this needs to be modernised in order to reflect changes in society, developments in medical understanding as well as technology.

The project, it sets out, is wide-ranging, with the key issues being:

  • testamentary capacity and what happens when these rules are not followed properly
  • making wills electronically
  • protecting vulnerable testators

Having consulted on these matters during 2017, the Commission state that they expect to complete the project by mid-2019.

It’s also worth noting that, when detailing potential future work A Modern Framework for Disposing of the Dead and Modernising Trust Law for a Global Britain and were listed. It states that whilst the Lord Chancellor’s support has been secured, definite plans in order for work to commence are not yet in place.

Georgia Owen

Georgia is the Senior Content Executive and will be your primary contact when submitting your latest news. While studying for an LLB at the University of Liverpool, Georgia gained experience working within retail, as well as social media management. She later went on to work for a local newspaper, before starting at Today’s Wills and Probate.