The High Court have ruled in the case of Whittaker v Hancock [2018] EWHC 3478 (Ch) that an attorney who was acting under a property and financial affairs LPA could step in to replace a donor who had lost capacity as a personal representative. John Parker (the deceased) had executed a will in 2003 appointing…
Earlier this year the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) was asked by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to conduct a wide review into inheritance tax (IHT), looking into it from both a technical and administrative standpoint. The report received a record amount of responses from a wide variety of people effected by IHT. Over 3000…
We are all aware that Will Writing is not regulated by statute, but that does not mean it’s not regulated at all. Consumers, if they feel they feel that their complaint has not been dealt with properly or that they are being ignored, which appears to be a growing trend, not only among will writers…
Happy birthday to us! The SWW has turned 24. In April 1994 the Society of Will Writers was formed to provide support to members and protection to clients of SWW members. 24 years later we are still here, still providing support to members and still protecting our member’s clients – just on a far bigger…
What is Run-off insurance? It is often seen as being something vastly different to normal professional indemnity insurance however, there is no great mystique to run-off insurance. The key to understanding run-off cover is in understanding the “claims made” nature of the protection. Given that you have probably already been purchasing professional indemnity…
Introduction The GDPR will apply in the UK from 25th May 2018 and is similar in many ways to the existing UK Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). The GDPR applies to personal data processing by organisations operating in the EU and organisations that offer goods and services to individuals in the EU and aims to…
Good morning, It’s the long awaited launch of the new offering from The Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning Practitioners. Sure Will Writer – Professional Will Suite launches today. Interested parties can take a free 7 day trial of the software and begin using the package. The new Sure Will Writer website…
Introduction. The Anti-Money Laundering Regulations 2017 is the latest EU Directive on Anti-Money Laundering, it supersedes the Money-Laundering Regulations 2007 and the EU’s Third Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Approved by parliament on the 26th of June 2017, it’s at the forefront of anti-money laundering in western Europe. It puts greater emphasis on the offences of aiding…
The Law Commission yesterday (13/07/17) published a consultation paper on the law surrounding Wills. The consultation includes various comments, recommendations and areas for discussion. A brief summary of the main provisions of the consultation paper can be found below. Dispensing Power A number of foreign jurisdictions have what is known as ‘Dispensing Powers’ which…
Former Society Member Mark Bonner was sentenced to five and a half years’ imprisonment on Friday, 16th June 2017 for two counts of fraud, amounting to a total of just under £360,000 from two separate clients. Both sentences will run concurrently. Bonner’s Society membership was revoked in 2012 following a previous, unrelated prison sentence. The…
