Crafting wills is a fundamental aspect of private client practice. This topic offers expert guidance on drafting, executing, and contesting wills, ensuring your clients' wishes are clearly articulated and legally sound, while addressing potential challenges and disputes.
The following Private Client news provides comprehensive and up to date legal information on Private Client weekly highlights—5 February 2026
Question of the week: Can executors pay inheritance to a beneficiary who is subject to a debt relief order? Are there are any additional precautions the executors should take?
The following Tax news provides comprehensive and up to date legal information on FTT finds HMRC validly assessed taxpayer to CGT and penalties as a UK resident (Kearney v HMRC)
The following Tax news provides comprehensive and up to date legal information on FTT decides joint and several liability notice is a criminal charge and it has jurisdiction to consider public law arguments (Hall v HMRC)
Nature and classification of trusts—the three certaintiesCertaintyIn order for a settlor to create a private express trust the three certainties must...
ProtectorsWhat is a protector?A protector is a person who holds powers under a trust but who is not a trustee. A protector is a person who is...
Preparing the application form PA1P/PA1A for probate or letters of administrationFORTHCOMING CHANGE: The postal application forms PA1P and PA1A for...
Administration actions—personal representatives and the deceased's liabilitiesAn individual may assume obligations, for example in respect of...
Revocation of WillsA Will is revocable at any time during the testator's lifetime. A Will may only be revoked by automatic operation of law (involuntary revocation) or by a deliberate act of the testator (voluntary revocation). Apart from these methods, and where there has been an obliteration under
Personal representatives and trustees—power of appropriationAppropriation is a process by which a personal representative (PR) or a trustee uses a specific asset in the estate or trust fund to meet, in full or in part, a beneficiary’s entitlement or interest.Personal representatives' common law and
Contents of Wills-secret and half-secret trustsA secret or half-secret trust may be useful where a testator wishes to keep the identity of a beneficiary of a testamentary gift outside the text of their Will.Types of secret trustsThere are two kinds of secret trusts:•secret or fully secret
Conditional and dependent relative revocation of WillsIf a testator revokes the Will and that revocation is shown to be subject to a condition, the revocation is ineffective if the condition is not satisfied. Revocation will not be held to be conditional unless there is clear evidence what the
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