First Light is a charity dedicated to supporting people impacted by domestic abuse, sexual violence, and church-related abuse. They offer a range of services across the South West, and England & Wales. Every year, thousands of people — including family members, friends, colleagues, and children — are affected by sexual violence and domestic abuse. Their...

The increase in blended families i.e having children from more than one partner can have a knock-on effect on estate planning and Will writing. It is natural to want to provide for you current children and any children you have from previous relationships, there are two established ways that Will drafters use to cover this...

Economic/Financial abuse is more likely to affect the elderly, some due to their vulnerability and disabilities which make them dependant on others. Some of these helpers will have access to their assets – including online banking and shopping apps. Where can Economic/Financial abuse be found in Private client? This type of abuse can be seen...

When administrating someone’s estate or writing your Will, the subject to consider in modern day society is what will happen to your digital assets? Digital Assets are now an essential and an issue that is likely to have an impact on the majority of our society. Currently, the law for guidance and structure on digital...

The Government has had its report stage on the 27th February 2024 for the amendment to the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill. The Bill will introduce a ban on the sale of new leaseholds properties so that properties will be freehold from the outset other than in exceptional circumstances. The Bill will also make long-awaited...

The legislation came into place in 2020 under S9 of the Wills Act 1837, amending it to adapt to all affected during the pandemic. Signing and attestation of Wills (1) No will shall be valid unless— a) it is in writing, and signed by the testator, or by some other person in his presence and...

Linking The Charities Act 2011 (CA 2011) gives the Commission the power to link two or more closely related charities ‘for all or any purposes of this Act’, and their guidance states: ‘In practice, we will usually link charities for both registration and accounting purposes and we will occasionally link charities for registration purposes only.’...

There are no rules nor law as such for these matters as each case will be driven by its own unique facts. It is a matter to discuss with potential personal representatives and to consider in the light of any specific policies laid down by the firm as well as general professional ethics but, ultimately...

We refer you to section 9 of the Wills Act 1837 (WA 1837) which sets out the requirements for a valid Will. That section states: ‘No will shall be valid unless— (a) it is in writing, and signed by the testator, or by some other person in his presence and by his direction; and (b) it appears...

The requirements for a valid Will are set out in Wills Act 1837 (as amended by the Administration of Justice Act 1982) and are as follows: The Will must be in writing and signed by the testator or by some other person in his presence and by his direction It must appear that the testator...