Recent updates
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News
Melinda Giles, PCS committee member, featured on BBC Breakfast to discuss LPAs
Following a report about lasting powers of attorney and dementia, Melinda Giles pressed the importance of sorting an LPA early, picking the right attorney and getting advice from a specialised solicitor.
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News
Law Commission restarts wills reform project
Paused in 2019, the Law Commission have restarted a project to review proposed reforms to laws around making a will
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News
Probate fee rise must reflect changes to the service
The Ministry of Justice has announced a fee increase for all users.
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News
Remote witnessing of wills extended by two years
The government has extended the legislation to January 2024.
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Surviving the perfect storm: how client funding options will improve your bottom line
With law firms anticipating a drop in income of up to 20%, Jim Sisson, finance director at Tower Street Finance, explains how working with an innovative probate lender that truly understands the sector benefits both your private client practice and your client.
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Podcast: Professor King’s spotlight on the Law Society’s video wills guidance
Professor Lesley King puts her spotlight on the new video will witnessing process and the Law Society’s guidance. She explains the background, impact and risks to consider related to the video execution of wills plus suggested solutions.
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News
HMCTS says probate delays coming to an end
The probate system should be back to normal in a matter of weeks, HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has claimed – but solicitors still complain of long delays.
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Law Society welcomes u-turn on probate fees hike
On 12 October, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland announced that the proposals to increase probate fees will be withdrawn. The news was welcomed by the Law Society of England and Wales, which ran a campaign to stop the fee hike
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News
Birmingham District Probate Registry to close at the end of August
It has now been announced on the GOV.UK website that the registry will close on 30 August 2019, and work will be transitioned to Newcastle District Probate Registry
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News
Statement of truth: common errors to avoid
HMCTS has provided a list of common errors it has found in statement of truth applications.
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News
What is happening with probate fees? HM Courts & Tribunals Service Q&A
In March 2019, it was announced that the statutory instrument bringing the revised probate fee scheme into force would be delayed. HM Courts & Tribunals Service has published more information on what practitioners should be doing until the scheme is implemented.
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News
Probate registries to close under plans to centralise HM Courts and Tribunals Service
The Ministry of Justice has begun work on closing down regional probate registries and moving the service under one roof.
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Law Society produces new podcast on online probate system and probate fees
Law Society policy adviser Emily Weidner speaks to Ian Bond about the new online probate service introduced by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and what this means for solicitors.
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News
Probate fee increase to be delayed
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that the controversial probate fee increase will no longer take place on 1 April 2019.
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News
Write to your MP about the new probate fees
The government is attempting to raise probate fees – we are calling on our members to write to their local MP to urgently raise concerns regarding this stealth tax
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News
Clear probate
The new regulations requiring law firms to publicly display their prices will be going ahead – rules that apply to probate work. The Law Society’s Michael Lonergan summarises the new requirements and where more advice can be had
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News
Keeping wills shipshape and Bristol fashion
Roman Kubiak discusses the plight of mutual wills and will disputes following family rifts.
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News
Variation on a theme
Lesley King rounds up the latest developments in the world of private client, including an application under the Variation of Trusts Act, and a will in favour of a long-term carer being overturned by disappointed relatives.
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Update
SRA issues guidance on will-writing
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has issued guidance for solicitors preparing wills, to remind solicitors of their responsibilities and the outcomes that should be achieved in chapter 1 of the SRA Code of Conduct 2011.