Ensuring your inheritance ends up in the right hands

The Times (31/12/16) looked at the growing number of inheritance disputes that are hitting the courts and quoted Kingsley Napley lawyers Jim Sawer and Kate Salter. Not only did 2016 see a spate of high profile family disputes but in  December the Supreme Court also heard a case (Heather Ilott) brought under the  1975 Act  for the first time ( judgement awaited).

Jim Sawer was quoted on the reasons for the rise in disputes: “The generation of people that is now dying is the wealthiest this country has known,” he said. Yet the courts are also moving away from simply protecting the vulnerable and increasingly ruling in favour of middle aged people. “It is a major shift... If you have adult children who are in financial need, there may be a reasonable expectation that you would leave something to them, to assist with their financial protection,” Jim says.

The article also covered some of Kate Salter’s advice in her recent blog on how to protect yourself from an inheritance dispute.

The Times article is available in full to subscribers here:

Further information

For more information on the issues raised, please contact Jim Sawer, Kate Salter or a member of our Private Client team.