Wills - Legal Articles

Trusts – Court Relieves Family of Severe Tax Consequences of Drafting Error

Trusts are delicate and often complex legal instruments and any flaws in the wording of documents relating to them can have grave tax and other consequences. As a High Court case showed, however, inadvertent drafting errors can be corrected. The case concerned two trusts of which a widow and her son, her only child, were trustees and beneficiaries. They contained […]

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Court of Appeal Rejects Tangential Attack on Will Dispute Judgment

Wills

Judges are wary of those who attempt to pull the wool over their eyes but, if a court judgment is obtained by fraud, it is very unlikely to survive an appeal. As a Court of Appeal ruling in the context of a bitter will dispute showed, however, allegations that justice has miscarried are easier to make than they are to

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No Spouse, Child or Other Dependant? You Should Still Make a Will

Featured, Wills

If you have no spouse, child or other dependant you might think there is little point in making a will. However, as a High Court case showed, any such an assumption would be seriously wrong if it takes no account of your wider family and the potential for conflict between them after you are gone. The case concerned one of 10

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Brothers Battle It Out in Court After Their Mother Fails to Make a Will

Featured, Wills

Failing to make a professionally drafted will is a positive invitation to family strife after you are gone. In one case, a spectacular falling out between two brothers could have been averted had their mother taken the time to consult a solicitor. The woman died intestate, with the result that her entire estate passed by default to her two sons

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Is Your Home Owned by a Loved One? What Happens if He or She Dies?

Wills, Featured

If your home is owned by a loved one you may feel secure, but you can be left in an extremely precarious position if he or she dies. As an instructive High Court ruling showed, however, the law is fully capable of coming to your aid if you received lifetime promises of a permanent roof over your head. The case

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Legacies and Entitlement to Means-Tested Benefits – High Court Ruling

Probate, Wills

When making a will, most people would wish to provide for loved ones in need. As a High Court case showed, however, means testing of many state benefits creates a very real risk of such good intentions coming to nought and that is one very good reason why professional will drafting is so important. The case concerned a woman aged

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