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Expert Comments
Opinion
Doing Death Differently: A Guide to Modern Funerals
Coming to terms with the end of your life can be a challenge in itself, let alone planning your own funeral to take the pressure off anyone guessing what you…
June 13, 2019
Blog
Valid Wills: C-O-R-R-E-C-T? Find out what it needs to be…
It was originally thought that the late great singer Aretha Franklin had died without a Will following her battle with pancreatic cancer. However, it has been announced in recent news...
May 22, 2019
Opinion
Predatory Marriages: Till death do “you” part
For the most part, the motives of people entering into a marriage or civil partnership are genuine in that couples pledge vows and their love to one another, with the…
April 30, 2019
Opinion
The Digitalisation of the Probate Registry
The Probate Registry have recently announced that, from 4 March 2019, the style of the grant of probate (the Grant) will change. Previously, the Grant was personally signed by a...
March 28, 2019
Opinion
A tax by any other name- proposed changes to probate court fees
Just under two years after the threat of huge probate fee increases were dropped, they are back on the horizon. Instead of a flat fee of £215 for personal applications...
Taking the complexities out of inheritance tax – Surely it’s time for change?
The Chancellor has written to the Office for Tax Simplification (OTS) asking them to review and simplify the inheritance tax (IHT) regime noting that it and the ‘system within which...
This week, a significant award was made to the family of an 81 year old woman who was kept alive by a hospital, against her will. This case highlights the...
Nicola Waldman highlights circumstances in which you might consider challenging a Will. The story of Sam James, a man suing his mother and sisters after he was disinherited, hit the…
The formalities of making a will – is a change of law on the horizon?
The BBC recently reported on a rather bizarre story coming out of Australia. A court decided that an unsent text message found within a deceased man’s mobile phone was enough...
October 19, 2017
Opinion
Possible remedies for the disinherited
The case of a son, who is suing his mother and sisters after he was cut out of his dementia suffering father’s will is widely reported in the press this...
In the recent case of Vucicevic v Aleksic, the High Court has managed to interpret a homemade, handwritten will, made by a testator with poor written English, which had a...
Denzil Lush (former Senior Judge of the England & Wales Court of Protection) has been widely quoted in the press, talking about the lack of safeguards with Lasting and Enduring...
Clarifying who will make decisions for you if you can no longer do so
Lasting power of attorney and advance decisions are two ways you can ensure your wishes are fulfilled if you are no longer capable of making decisions yourself explains Nicola Waldman....
May 31, 2017
Blog
Inheritance tax – what you need to know
As with the making of a Will and other estate planning considerations, time spent understanding your estate’s tax liabilities and planning for them will give you peace of mind, writes…
The proposed increase in probate court fees may now be delayed, if not abandoned, after stumbling at their final hurdle. The parliamentary committee on statutory instruments have said that the...
In the case of Wilson v Lassman, the High Court has upheld the validity of a will that was witnessed on the bonnet of the testator’s car. The background to...
Not only have the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) decided to press ahead with a significant rise in probate fees, but it seems that the Treasury is considering a compulsory levy...
Lasting powers of attorney – it is easy to make a mistake
The Office of the Public Guardian have published a blog citing common mistakes in Lasting Powers of attorney (LPA’s): Using the wrong form i.e. using a health and welfare form…
Landmark inheritance case set for the Supreme Court
Next week, for the first time, the Supreme Court will hear a case under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (‘the 1975 Act’). The case relates to…
