Private Client

The Octopus Group, the £13bn financial services and energy business, has launched a law firm to handle probate and estate administration work, Legal Futures can reveal.

The SRA is to question probate solicitors who “simply listed” in their training records what they had done, rather than providing “evidence of reflection”.

A young lawyer who changed dates on lasting powers of attorney and misled clients about when they were sent to the Office of the Public Guardian has been struck off.

Supporting clients who have opted to use an online divorce provider can be challenging for family lawyers, but they can offer valuable assistance to protect their clients’ interests. Educating clients about the limitations and risks of online divorce services is essential, especially to avoid pitfalls like those in Vince v Wyatt [2015] UKSC 14.

Big increases in grants of representation and powers of attorney applications have increased the growth rate of the wills and probate market to 7% but 500 firms left it too.

Law firms handling probate work could do more to guard against the risks of a conflict when administering estates and also acting as the executor, the SRA has cautioned.

An Essex law firm at the centre of a BBC investigation into possible abuse of LPAs has described it as “inaccurate” and “based on second or third-hand hearsay”.

A solicitor has been ordered to pay costs of £5,700 after she had to be summonsed to be cross-examined over a contested will that she drafted.

Solicitors dealing with clients where their mental capacity could be in question should record their meetings electronically, a judge has suggested in upholding the deathbed revocation of a will.

By Debra Burton, partner in the inheritance disputes team at Lime Solicitors The will-making process has seen a significant transformation in recent years, driven by technological advancements and a growing demand for accessible, user-friendly services. The Covid-19 pandemic was a… Read More