Blog
Rebuilding lives after brain injury: the role of the Court of Protection
Jemma Garside
2 April 2019
Find out if someone has an attorney or deputy acting on their behalf – search the OPG register
Sometimes it is unknown whether somebody has a registered lasting power of attorney (LPA), an enduring power of attorney (EPA) or whether they have a court appointed deputy. The Office of the Public Guardian (the OPG) has a legal duty to maintain registers of LPAs, EPAs and court orders appointing deputies.
1 April 2019
Probate fees: Brexit brings some good news (for now)
The new probate fee structure, which was set to be introduced in April has been delayed due to the time demands of on-going Brexit discussions in Parliament; we’ve blogged previously about the Government’s introduction of a new ‘ stealth tax’ here.
20 March 2019
English assets, overseas owner - resealing foreign grants of probate in England and Wales
How do you secure English assets when there is a foreign grant of probate? The English Probate Registry can re-seal a foreign grant provided the deceased was from a current or former commonwealth country. This will give the executor named in the foreign grant the legal power to deal with the English asset.
4 March 2019
What if you’ve been left an inheritance, but not in the way that you want?
On 8 November 2018, almost 17 months out of time, Mary Jane Cowan made an application under Section 4 of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 for permission to make an application under Section 2 of that Act against the estate of her deceased husband, Michael Anthony Cowan (Cowan v Foreman, [2019] EWHC 349 Fam).
8 February 2019
Act quickly! The new probate fee ‘stealth tax’ moves a step closer
The House of Lords has voted through the proposal which will introduce a new stealth death tax for the middle classes from April 2019. The fees payable to the Probate Registry will be dramatically increased from a flat rate of £155 for a solicitor application or £215 for a personal application for estates above £5,000 to a maximum of £6,000.