3 May 2017
Lord Chancellor drops plans to raise probate fees after General Election called
The government has announced that its controversial plans to increase probate fees by an considerable 12,900% have been shelved. Under the plans, the fee for applying for a grant of probate was to increase from a flat fee of £155 to up to £20,000 on an estate worth over £2 million. Payable before the process of distributing an estate can begin, the increase was set to give rise to significant problems for executors dealing with asset heavy, cash poor estates.
1 March 2017
Probate Fees; Take a Hike … a new inheritance tax by stealth?
Unfortunately, and regardless of overwhelming opposition, probate and estate administration lawyers are dismayed to see that the Government is pushing through a massive hike in probate fees.
15 February 2017
Death in the Digital Age
As much as we may try to fight it, we’re in an increasingly digital age. Social media now extends into every aspect of our lives, from those notorious repetitive baby pictures to ‘in memory of’ pages to remember loved ones. We collect and share moments of our lives in the digital world.
10 November 2016
Absolute Discretion - the right to be unreasonable?
Many modern trusts are fully discretionary. The trustees might be empowered to apply the trust assets “...for such one or more of the beneficiaries, in such shares, at such ages, and on such trusts as my trustees shall, in their absolute and uncontrolled discretion, decide".
26 October 2016
Did "Fifth Beatle" know his Will would cause family rift?
A dispute over the will of the man who once produced the Beatles throws light on some of the issues that arise and may suggest how room for argument can be kept as narrow as possible though intelligent preparation.