Baby boomer remarriages – is your will up to date?
STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners), the global professional association for practitioners who specialise in family inheritance and succession planning, today urges remarried couples with complex family arrangements to ensure their Wills are up to date, as analysis shows that couples from the remarriage boom of the 1990s and early 2000s are now likely […]
7% of respondents made or updated their Will during the first COVID-19 lockdown
New research unveiled today by the Law Society shows 7% of respondents made or updated their Will during the first UK-wide COVID-19 lockdown but many have yet to put their affairs in order. “The coronavirus pandemic has made people reflect on how vital it is to make sure their loved ones are taken care of […]
Festive monetary gifts
Many parents and grandparents want to help younger members of the family financially – whether to help fund an education, a wedding or a deposit for a first home. Christmas is a time for giving so what better gift to make to your children or grandchildren than a gift that has the potential to grow […]
Why power of attorney is all-important during the Covid-19 pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic and its impact on health means it is more important than ever for financial advisers to make clients aware of the benefits of having a lasting power of attorney (LPA). Getting an LPA can save families undue stress and expense if they are worried about the health or mental capacity of a […]
Why you should set up a business Lasting Power of Attorney
Most people understand the benefits of a lasting power of attorney, which allows an individual to nominate someone to take decisions on their behalf, if they become incapacitated in some way. Less well known is the ability to put an LPA in place for a business, which makes a lot of sense in the current […]
Remotely witnessed wills officially declared valid in England and Wales
The law of wills in England and Wales is to be amended to allow the remote electronic witnessing of wills under certain conditions. The change is to be backdated to 31 January 2020, in order to reassure the public regarding any wills that may have been remotely attested during the coronavirus epidemic. The existing law […]
Solicitors braced for contentious probate spike caused by lockdown wills
Lockdown wills could prompt a wave of contentious probate claims, solicitors have warned, as video conferencing sows confusion about the witnessing of documents. The Wills Act 1837 requires wills to be signed in the presence of two or more witnesses. In guidance published in April, the Law Society of England and Wales – unlike that […]
Practitioners warn banks against releasing large sums before grant of probate
Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) has warned that some financial institutions are releasing as much as £125,000 from estates to a deceased’s relatives without requiring a grant of probate. SFE’s Chairman Michael Culver TEP says that, in recent years, the cash limit has risen steadily from the traditional £10,000, under pressure from bereaved families dealing […]
England and Wales High Court issues warrant for apprehension of elusive executor
The England and Wales High Court (EWHC) has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Stephen Frejek, son and former executor of the late Brenda Frejek, because he has failed to obey previous court orders requiring him to account for his dealings with the estate. Stephen Frejek became his mother’s executor after her death […]
Government comments on calls to relax witnessing rules for Wills in England and Wales
The Ministry of Justice has commented on suggestions that it should ease the requirement in the Wills Act 1837 for two independent witnesses to be physically present when a Will is executed in England and Wales. Parliamentary under-secretary Alex Chalk told the House of Commons this week that ‘the constraints of the COVID-19 situation must […]