The granddaughters of a farmer have lost their shares in his farm because of complications that arose when their father died without making a will. The grandfather had died in 1992, leaving behind a wife and four children. His will stated that the farm was to be left to his wife and two of his
With no cure for dementia diseases like Alzheimer’s likely to emerge soon, health organisations across the world are stressing the need for people to take preventive measures to protect themselves as they get older. The NHS official guidance says: “There is currently no ‘cure’ for dementia. In fact, because dementia is caused by different diseases
The new digital service for grant of probate applications has achieved a 92% satisfaction rating in its first 12 months, according to HM Courts and Tribunal Service. The service was introduced in July last year to streamline applications by dealing with them centrally at the Birmingham Courts and Tribunal Service Centre. It’s part of a
A woman has been committed to prison following a dispute with her brother over their late father’s estate. The court heard that neither of the siblings had been named as executor of their father’s will but the sister had taken the role without authority to do so. The brother applied to have the sister removed
The Court of Protection has stepped into safeguard the interests of an elderly pensioner who was unable to handle his financial affairs at a time when he was facing complex legal action. The case involved a 75-year-old man who had various medical conditions. He struggled with alcohol abuse and suffered with short-term memory loss and
A woman has won the right to her receive her late partner’s military pension, after a legal battle that lasted several years. Jane Langford had been in a relationship with Air Commodore Christopher Green for 15 years when he died suddenly in 2011. Ordinarily, she would have been entitled to a bereavement grant and her
A woman has been awarded £1.2m despite being written out of her father’s will after they fell out in the later years of his life. The judge found that the woman was entitled to the sum because she had worked on the family farm for 30 years on the understanding that she would inherit it.
A judge has ruled that a son was entitled to a share of the family farm, despite having fallen out with his parents, because he had worked for more than 30 years on the understanding that the land would pass to him. The High Court heard that in 1981, the parents made wills under which
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure people taking out Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) are given the help and protection they need. LPAs enable you to nominate someone such as a family member or trusted associate to make decisions on your behalf if you ever lose the ability to do so yourself in
A leading lawyers’ association says that cohabiting couples should have automatic rights to inherit if their partner dies without making a will. Under current law, a surviving partner must apply to the court to obtain financial provision or a share of the estate if their partner died intestate, that is, without having made a will.