Private Client
Will invalidated after solicitor failed to check “delusional” client’s capacity
The High Court has invalidated a will prepared by a solicitor who was aware of the client’s “paranoid delusions” but did not investigate whether they affected his testamentary capacity.
Accountancy body can finally exit legal services regulation
The Legal Services Board has granted permission for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants to formally pull out of probate regulation, having refused it in January.
Electronic signatures instead of witnesses for LPAs stay on the table
The government has refused to rule out replacing the witnessing of lasting powers of attorney with electronic signatures despite widespread opposition in a consultation.
Exclusive: Co-op Legal Services eyes £100m turnover in growth push
Co-operative Legal Services – the poster child of the alternative business structure era – is planning major expansion over the next five years to become a £100m operation.
Specialist contentious probate law firm launches network and tech
A fast-growing law firm specialising only in contentious probate is launching a network to support non-specialist firms later this month, to be followed by two tech products.
Wills and probate market tops £2bn with contentious work on the rise
The value of the wills, trusts and probate market topped £2bn for the first time last year, with contentious work on the rise, and law firms’ grip on will-writing work continuing to slip.
Judge excoriates “reckless and quite possibly dishonest” solicitor
The way a solicitor went about preparing a £100m will was “reckless and quite possibly dishonest”, the High Court ruled yesterday.
Immigration solicitor certified LPA without checking client’s capacity
An immigration solicitor certified a lasting power of attorney for a walk-in client without checking his capacity, allowing the man’s son and attorney to misuse some of his money.
Accountancy body refused permission to exit probate regulation
The Legal Services Board has refused to ‘de-designate’ an accountancy body as a probate regulator over concerns that its members are now practising unregulated.
Lawyers back Raab decision to extend remote witnessing of wills
Lawyers have welcomed yesterday’s government’s decision to renew the temporary legislation allowing for the remote witnessing of wills for another two years.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
