probate

Feb

2024

Failing to Make a Professionally Drafted Will Risks Tearing Your Family Apart

Written by Megan Heger

Many grieving families have sadly been torn apart by a loved one's failure to make a professionally drafted will. Exactly that happened in a High Court case concerning two brothers who fell out bitterly over which of them should take charge of...

Jan

2024

High Court Shows Compassion in Inheritance 'Mercy Killing' Case

Written by Tracy Creed

Where one person unlawfully kills another, the killer usually forfeits their right to inherit any part of the deceased’s property or estate. This “forfeiture rule” is clearly set out in section 1 of the Forfeiture Act 1982. However, as a High Court...

Jul

2023

Declaration of Death Opens Way for Administration of Missing Teacher’s Estate

Written by Tracy Creed

When a person goes missing without trace, the fact that their assets are left in limbo often adds to the agony suffered by their loved ones. However, as a High Court ruling in a very sad case showed, such impasses can if necessary be broken by a...

Mar

2023

Making a Will? Thought About Appointing a Professional Executor?

Written by Charlotte Jones

When you die, it is the executor or executors of your will who will bear the burden of distributing your estate to your chosen beneficiaries. You are perfectly free to appoint a family member or friend to that important role but, as a High Court...

Jan

2023

Think Hard Before Changing Your Will – High Court Cautionary Tale

Written by Katie Maxwell-S...

Keeping your will up to date is a very good idea, but making changes that are likely to disappoint members of your family who might expect to inherit can be a recipe for disaster after your death. That was certainly so in a High Court case...

Jan

2023

Bequests to Disabled Relatives – Professional Advice is Essential

Written by Lorna Payne

Leaving money to a disabled relative in your will is obviously a worthy act. As a High Court ruling showed, however, in the absence of careful drafting and professional advice, your generosity may have serious and unforeseen legal implications. The...

Jul

2022

When Should You Make a Lasting Power of Attorney?

Written by Megan Heger

Lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) enable thousands of vulnerable people to have their financial and other affairs managed by others whom they trust. However, as a High Court case showed, it is vital to remember that they can only be granted by those...

Feb

2022

Moral and Legal Obligations are Different – Family Inheritance Dispute

Written by Hayley Caprani-...

There can be a world of difference between a moral obligation and a legal one. The High Court made that point in rejecting a daughter's claim that part of her deceased mother's stake in a residential property was held on trust for her. By the...

Jan

2022

Disinherited Widow Can Pursue Reasonable Provision Claim Despite Delay

Written by Sydney Mitchell

If someone on whom you depend financially dies without reasonably providing for you in their will, you should contact a solicitor straight away. In a High Court case on point, a delay in seeking legal advice very nearly stymied a disinherited widow'...

Nov

2021

Inheritance and the Impact of Intestacy on Stepchildren – Guideline Ruling

Written by Samantha Elsmore

In an era of increasingly fluid family relationships, many children are brought up by step-parents – but what is the consequence of that social change in terms of inheritance? The High Court addressed that issue in a guideline ruling. The case...

Search form

probate

Failing to Make a Professionally Drafted Will Risks Tearing Your Family Apart

High Court Shows Compassion in Inheritance 'Mercy Killing' Case

Declaration of Death Opens Way for Administration of Missing Teacher’s Estate

Making a Will? Thought About Appointing a Professional Executor?

Think Hard Before Changing Your Will – High Court Cautionary Tale

Bequests to Disabled Relatives – Professional Advice is Essential

When Should You Make a Lasting Power of Attorney?

Moral and Legal Obligations are Different – Family Inheritance Dispute

Disinherited Widow Can Pursue Reasonable Provision Claim Despite Delay

Inheritance and the Impact of Intestacy on Stepchildren – Guideline Ruling

Latest News

Subscribe

Connect with us

Contact Birmingham

Contact Sheldon

Contact Shirley/Solihull