Legacy Foresight predicts the average annual income from charitable gifts in Wills in the UK will rise by 26% over the next five years. Which would increase to an average of 134,000 – 137,000 bequests per year.

The Society for Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) have recently reported a case in the England and Wales High Court (EWHC) where an executor faces jail time for ignoring their duties and failing to act.

A marriage can be held to be voidable under the Nullity of Marriage Act 1971 where a person enters into a marriage without the mental capacity to do so.

Are you thinking about appointing someone to help with your affairs, either now or in later life? Are you worried about what might happen if you are no longer able to deal with things yourself? It may be a relief to know that there are options available, if you do lose the capacity to manage your affairs yourself or simply feel that you need a helping hand.

Abrdn have surveyed 2,000 of Brits and the results show that instead of retiring, many of us are considering part-time work with two-thirds (66%) planning to remain in some form of employment in 2022 compared to 56% in 2021 and 34% in 2020.

It has been reported that more than 1 in 5 Wills prepared by UK legal advisers (22%) now included a donation to charity.

The Financial Times has reported that as many of 1 million trusts in the UK could be caught by a new requirement to register trusts with HMRC.  Failure not to register could result in the risk of fines and potentially difficulties accessing professional advice.

The OPG is expected to update its LP12 guidance note to confirm that attorneys will not require specific wording in order to instruct discretionary fund managers.

One of the main roles of a personal representative’s role is to identify all the assets and liabilities in the estate.  

It has been confirmed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) that the fee for probate applications is changing and all users of the probate service will pay a higher fee.

The latest family court statistics for England and Wales show 58,642 grants of were issued between July and September 2021, with a record number of 82% being made through the new digital application system, compared to only 46% in the same quarter in 2020.

There are strict rules in place for witnessing Wills.  One of these rules is that if the spouse or civil partner of a beneficiary witnesses the Will then the gift to the beneficiary in the Will is void.