Private Client Archives - Lyons Davidson Solicitors

Blog News Private Client

February 28, 2023
by Lyons Davidson

Pesky PETs and Gruesome GROBs

Pesky PETs and Gruesome GROBS – are they cute and fuzzy or do they bite? You don’t need to wait until your death to gift assets to your loved ones. In fact, gifting assets during your lifetime can be a really useful way of reducing your potential Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill whilst also providing financial … Continued

Blog News Private Client

July 27, 2020
by Lyons Davidson

Wills witnessed by video link to be made legal

2020 is the year of change – nothing that any of us does is really the same as it used to be and the Wills Act 1837 is no different. For nearly 200 years, one of the requirements for a will to be valid has been that it should be witnessed by two adult, independent … Continued

Blog News Private Client

June 3, 2020
by Lyons Davidson

Signing a Will during COVID19 restrictions

Arranging for the distribution of your estate to ensure that your loved ones are supported once you pass away is one of the most personal and important aspects of people’s lives. Unfortunately, with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, this has taken on an even greater importance – especially for those brave key workers on … Continued

Blog News Private Client

April 15, 2020
by Lyons Davidson

How can I register a death and plan a funeral with the Coronavirus restrictions in place?

We are living in extraordinary times and as we all come together to do our bit to get through this crisis as quickly as we can, all of us are having to work out how to do difficult things in even more difficult circumstances. Death is a part of life and very sadly we continue … Continued

Blog News Private Client

March 10, 2020
by Lyons Davidson

Daughter gives up job to challenge validity of father’s Will

Brian Cole was a former lifeboat captain and he had one daughter, Sonya Young. Mr Cole had made a few Wills during his lifetime with Mrs Young as the main beneficiary of his 2008 Will. In his 2012 Will, Mr Cole’s then partner was favoured over Mrs Young. In Mr Cole’s 2013 Will, Mrs Young … Continued

Blog News Private Client

June 27, 2019
by Lyons Davidson

Law thoughts: writing a will gives you the last word

A will is a legal document that enables an individual to set out wishes as to what they would like to happen to their property and assets when they die. The Wills Act 1837 is the legislation in place that governs this area of law, although the creation of a last will and testament is … Continued

Blog News Private Client

May 30, 2019
by Lyons Davidson

Law thoughts: choosing the beneficiaries of your will from the phone book

Luis Carlos de Noronha Cabral de Camara was a childless bachelor. At the time of his death, his estate comprised a 12-room apartment in central Lisbon, a house in the north of Portugal, a car and 25,000 euros. When he came to write his will, he didn’t have close family he wanted to leave anything … Continued

Blog News Private Client

April 25, 2019
by Lyons Davidson

Law thoughts: marriage automatically invalidates wills

There’s a general principle in law that marriage automatically invalidates wills made by either party before they get married.

Blog News Private Client

February 6, 2019
by Lyons Davidson

Probate fees restructure: who will benefit?

The government has put forward draft proposals to change the current probate fees structure – but who will benefit from these changes? The public purse? Beneficiaries of an estate? The straightforward answer is that in some circumstances, both will. Current probate fees The people who deal with an estate after someone has died are known … Continued

Blog News Private Client

January 24, 2019
by Lyons Davidson

Bad moos for cow haters: if you hope to inherit a farm, it won’t help your case if you don’t like cows

If you’re hoping to inherit a farm, it won’t help your case if you hate cows. Clive Shaw sued his parents in order to force them to let him inherit their farm but the judge found that Mr Shaw’s (reported) opinion that cows are “stinking, horrible, rotten creatures” made it unlikely that his future would … Continued

Blog News Private Client

July 20, 2017
by Lyons Davidson

Is the future of wills digital?

At the present time, the requirements for wills to be declared valid are set out in the Wills Act 1837, which came in to force just over 20 years after the Napoleonic Wars ended and the same year that Queen Victoria ascended to her throne. Under the current law, in order for wills to be … Continued

Blog News Private Client

March 16, 2017
by Lyons Davidson

Inheritance wars: parents v children

When Melita Jackson died in 2004, it’s highly unlikely that she could ever have imagined that her estate would become the basis for one of the most hard-fought and lengthy legal battles for many years, resulting in a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court on 15 March 2017. Mrs Jackson refused to leave her estate … Continued

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