Inheritance disputes take many shapes and forms, but few can have been as tragic or unusual as that concerning an elderly couple who were found dead in their home from hypothermia in circumstances which gave rise to bitter disagreement between their children as to which
The formalities that must be met when making a will are strict and failing to adhere to them to the letter can result in your wishes being frustrated after your death. That is exactly what happened in one case in which a generous mother’s final
A man succeeded in refuting claims that he brought pressure to bear on an elderly friend before she made a will in his favour. However, he would have found that task a great deal easier had he engaged a practising solicitor to draft the document
Making a will without professional advice is a positive invitation to dispute after you are gone. That was certainly so in the case of a vulnerable alcoholic who had a pint of beer in front of him when he signed will forms in a pub,
Making a valid will involves a free exercise of choice by someone who understands the effect of the bequests they are making. A judge emphasised those points in finding that a mother’s independent wishes were overborne before she cut her five daughters out of her
Engaging solicitors to both draft your will and store it safely until it is needed really is the only sensible course to take. In a case where such wisdom did not prevail, the High Court had to decide whether a missing will had been deliberately
Those who fail to make reasonable provision for their dependants in their wills can have their wishes overridden by judges after they are gone. However, in one case, a woman failed to increase her share of her aristocrat father’s £1.3 million estate after a judge
Appointing loved ones as executors of your will may seem the natural thing to do, but there are very good reasons why it is often wiser to employ professionals. A case on point concerned two sisters who fell out bitterly after one of them arranged
Elderly people who depend on others for companionship and care are vulnerable to exploitation, and that is why it is so vital that they have access to independent legal advice. In a case on point, a judge came to the aid of a widow whose
Where people fail to make professionally drafted wills, so-called heir hunters provide a valuable service in tracking down potential beneficiaries. However, as a High Court case showed, their activities are unregulated and they cannot always be relied upon to act with the utmost care and
