Two sisters who were cut out of their mother’s will after making allegations that they were sexually abused by their father have failed in their claim to inherit some of her estate. The mother and her late husband had 11 children. The two sisters and their brother became estranged from the rest of the family
One of Britain’s leading judges has called for living wills to be made compulsory to prevent disputes about the kind of medical treatment offered to patients who are unconscious or unable to make their feelings known. A living will, also known as an advance decision, enables you to write down how you wish to be
Many people are tempted to make DIY wills to save money but it can often lead to confusion and extra cost for grieving families, as in a recent case before the High Court. It involved a man who left three houses, one in London, one in Cardiff and one it Montenegro, to the Serbian Orthodox
A woman who was estranged from her father has been awarded £30,000 from his estate even though he disinherited his children in his will. The court heard that Stanley Nahajec had left all his £265,000 estate to a friend. His three children got nothing. Elena Nahajec, the only child from Mr Nahajec’s second marriage, made
A woman who was estranged from her father has been awarded £30,000 from his estate even though he disinherited his children in his will. The court heard that Stanley Nahajec had left all his £265,000 estate to a friend. His three children got nothing. Elena Nahajec, the only child from Mr Nahajec’s second marriage, made
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has posed the question of whether we might find a cure for dementia in near future. Speaking on World Alzheimer’s Day he said: “This is the question that for years no one has dared to ask. We assumed – wrongly – that dementia was just part of the ageing process instead
Three sisters have won a dispute with their father’s widow over the validity his will, which he made shortly before he died. The case involved a man who lived in Grenada with his second wife. In 2014, he had visited England to see his three daughters from his previous marriage. While he was there he
The law governing the writing of wills needs to be updated to reflect modern understanding of dementia and mental capacity. The government should also consider the introduction of electronic wills and reduce the age for making a will from 18 to 16. Those are some of the recommendations from the Law Commission in a public
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is to refund nearly £90m to thousands of people who’ve been overcharged when taking out lasting powers of attorney (LPA) in the last four years. The errors occurred between April 2013 and March 2017. In its annual report, the MoJ said: “More people have been registering for lasting powers of
Families in the UK have paid more than £5 billion inheritance tax in a single year for the first time ever. The record figure reflects the increasing value of estates, largely fuelled by rising house prices. HMRC says that £5.1 billion was collected through inheritance tax receipts in the 12 months to May. That was