Your Digital Footprint Post Death Many of us would have already come across or received notifications from ‘ghost’ accounts (where someone has died but their online account is still open) on one social media platform or another. It can be a little disconcerting and sometimes distressing to receive a message reminding you of the birthday […]
The Wills & Trusts Team at rhw recommend that you review your Will at least every 5 years. The last few years have shown that large scale change can happen in a dramatically short period of time. If your Will isn’t reflecting your present circumstances it doesn’t have much chance of reflecting your wishes when […]
You may think you don’t need to make a lasting power of attorney, because your money is held in a joint bank account with your partner. Most people assume that if they were to suffer a stroke or develop dementia, their partner would be able to carry on operating the account and would continue to […]
Imagine waking up one morning to find your bedroom full of smiling, expectant family and friends, albeit all looking a bit older than your remembered them, poised for a celebration, with champagne corks popping the moment you utter your first words: “Where am I?” What you mean to say, though, is ‘WHEN am I’, and […]
March is again being marketed as ‘Free Wills’ month. The idea is to sign-up with a participating charity, then be directed to solicitors willing to provide a free will. So, what is the catch? Well, charity involvement is probably not one of them, as the scheme raises money for some great causes. At rhw we […]
There are many things we will all take out of this last year and probably bore our grandchildren to death over. A lot of them have been fairly awful, some just tedious and a few, just a few, positive! One of the positive things to come out of the pandemic (and not for good reasons […]
Sometimes you comes across a legal case that touches on a number of different areas that are of interest to the teams at rhw and their clients. In this particular case we have the elements of a second marriage, estrangement from children from a previous marriage, the emergence of a previously unknown will and a […]
With COVID-19 taking centre stage for much of 2020, it is easy to forget the other huge health-based challenges that face people in the UK and internationally. During the summer and into the autumn there have been some very alarming statistics released over the impact and likely impact on cancer rates in the UK, as […]
Arguments over what has been left by the relatives of someone who has died have been around for centuries. The main disputes were restricted to the wealthy elite as they were the few who had anything of value to actually pass on to others. In the last few decades disputes over the distribution of assets […]
About 70% of the population do not have a Will. That is a fairly astonishing figure when you think about it. Sadly, quite a few people who do have a Will have not updated it recently, so it no longer reflects what they wish to happen after their death and also does not reflect the […]
The recent case of ‘the guiding hand’ demonstrates once again, the advantages of using an experienced legal adviser when getting a Will and Lasting Power(s) of Attorney put in place to avoid costly probate disputes or abuse by third parties. We not only advise it for high-net-worth individuals but for all and everyone. Basically, documents should […]
The Evolution of Wills A recent law commission consultation paper on wills detailed the potential for wills to become electronic. With the unfathomable developments in technology since the Wills Act 1837, it seems long overdue that this sort of proposal is being made and our outdated system is restructured to meet current digital capabilities. There […]
We have previously commented on the plans from the Government to overhaul the charging bands relating to how probate fees are paid. The last couple of days have proved to be interesting times for the proposals, as the joint committee on statutory instruments has suggested the changes many not be legally enforceable. The report from […]
On Wednesday 15 March 2017, the Supreme Court handed down the long-awaited judgement in Ilott v. The Blue Cross & others, the first case under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 to reach the UK’s highest court. It is a keystone of the law that a person is able to leave their estate […]
Digital Assets And Death – 5 Top Tips When thinking about what happens to your assets on death, you most likely think of your property, your bank accounts and any savings/investments you may have. However, in this digital age that we live in, have you stopped to think about what happens to your ‘digital assets’ […]