The Law Commission has today published its recommendations to reform the law of wills in its Report: Modernising Wills Law . The report includes a draft Bill for a modern Wills Act to replace the Wills Act 1837. This marks a historic change to wills law in England and Wales – the first in nearly… Read More New report heralds first changes to wills law in England and Wales since 1837
The UK has a long history of charitable gifts in wills – from William Shakespeare, who left the princely sum of GBP10 to the ‘poor of Stratford’ to the lesser-known Henry Greene, who died in 1679, leaving money to clothe four women in green waistcoats (to be worn at Christmas). Legacy giving became more widespread… Read More Attracting and retaining values-led clients through gifts in wills
The UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has proposed reforms that would see original paper wills dating back to 1858 converted into digital form, with the original then destroyed. The only wills that would be kept in paper form, if this reform goes ahead, would be those of famous people. Historians and others have criticised the… Read More Reforms to storage of wills in the UK: STEP’s view on the challenges and solutions
STEP is responding to the House of Commons’ Justice Committee’s inquiry into the probate service of England and Wales and the causes of delays. The consultation examines resource and capacity of the probate service to process applications, while considering long-lasting solutions to alleviate future case backlog. Background The quality of the probate service has declined… Read More Justice Committee’s inquiry into probate service of England and Wales
The Law Commission of England and Wales has announced a public consultation on its 14th Programme of Law Reform and has published a scoping document providing background on the programme and ideas for potential projects. STEP is hosting a joint webinar with the Law Commission on 19 May to discuss the proposals in further detail.… Read More Invitation to STEP/Law Commission free webinar on its 14th Programme of Law Reform
Last week, STEP held the first of its Thought Leadership webinar series which examined the issue of remote witnessing of wills, and whether it would continue after COVID-19-related social distancing measures are lifted. Emily Deane TEP, Technical Counsel at STEP, was joined on the panel by Peter Glowacki, Partner at BLG; and Anatol Dutta, Professor… Read More STEP launches Thought Leadership webinar series with a look at remote witnessing of wills, and asks whether it’s here to stay
Update 21 November: HM Courts & Tribunal Service (HMCTS) has announced this week that all legal professionals’ probate calls have been centralised and are now dealt with by the Birmingham Courts and Tribunals Service Centre (CTSC). You will no longer be required to contact a local registry if you need an update on your client’s… Read More EW probate delays: September update
STEP has received an unprecedented number of enquiries regarding Mr Steven Long and the companies of which he is a Director, namely Universal Tax Solutions of Dencora House, 34 White House Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 5LT, which traded as Universal Wealth Preservation. Associated companies include Universal Asset Protection Ltd and Universal Trustees Ltd. Mr Steven… Read More Are you a client of Universal Wealth Preservation?
The Law Commission of England and Wales is holding a public consultation on reform of the law of wills. The current law, largely derived from the Wills Act 1837, is understandably antiquated and requires an overhaul. The Commission notes that 40 per cent of people in England and Wales die without leaving a valid will,… Read More Will-writing reforms proposed
UPDATE 21/04/2017: the Ministry of Justice has abandoned the new fee regime due to lack of parliamentary time prior to the 2017 General Election. See more information. What is probate? When someone dies, you need to get the legal right to deal with their property, money and possessions, and to do so you need a grant… Read More New probate fees: a guide for the public
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