Wills And Probate Articles

You missed Will Aid month, but you can donate to charity in your Will

Delays to Probate should be over by Christmas say Probate Registry

Solicitor, Ruth Jewell, outlines the main points of interest for Executors and Trustees of Estates when a contentious probate claim has been made against an Estate

IHT is the tax applied to a person’s estate (their money, properties and possessions) after they have died.

A Beginner's Guide to Attorneyship - Everything you need to know if you are appointed as a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA).

The common understanding of a Will is a document that leaves your property and money to others when you die, but it actually does much more than that.

Lawyers Vicky Jones and Christian Jenkins support local Leicestershire charity LOROS at the Market Harborough Innovation Centre

A recent article in the Times newspaper stated that five prosecutions a week are being brought due to alleged abuse through a Lasting Power of Attorney. They also quoted a figure of over 2,000 cases a year being investigated. But although this sounds high, it is suspected that 1 in 6 Lasting Powers of Attorney will be abused.

A landmark ruling in a contentious probate case has recently been reported upon by Gordon Exall, Barrister, Zenith Chambers, Leeds & Hardwicke, London. The case, in which a ‘limitation amnesty’ was agreed between parties in reference to a claim that the monies left on trust by her late husband, were not sufficient to meet her needs, has hit the legal press following a statement in the ruling by Mr. Justice Mostyn.

On the 6th November 2018, the government reintroduced the idea of a “banded” probate court fee; charging those with a lower estate value a lower amount than those with a higher estate value. The date for these increases was announced as the 1st April 2019, and those of us making applications were working harder than ever to ensure applications were in before this date.

The new year is full of resolutions and everyone is keen to get themselves organised and cross off jobs they have been putting off. An important one that doesn't take a lot of effort and is extremely worthwhile going is getting your will written if it isn’t already.

The second attack against government’s plans to introduce a sliding scale for probate fees has been lobbied by a parliamentary committee, laying claim that the Lord Chancellor is acting beyond his powers with the new strategy.

The Government have posted a “Written Statement to Parliament”, announcing a change to the Probate Fee System from a simple fee of £155 (with solicitors), or £215 (without solicitors), to a banded system. This system was proposed last year, and a petition opposing it amassed 38,425 signatures, before being closed due to the upcoming general election. It seems this change has now been approved

You may have heard the terms “Will” and “Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)”, or “Executor” and “Attorney” be used interchangeably, but they are actually very different things. It is important to distinguish between them, as they are both significant documents that provide for your wishes at different stages of your life.

Have you ever thought about the different words used to describe death? I have heard lots of expressions used, from “passed away” and “lost” all the way to “kicked the bucket” and “popped their clogs”. People often use these phrases to avoid saying the word “death” in the hope it will make the idea more palatable, or easier to comprehend.