The legislation governing the creation of wills is 180 years old this year, and, surprisingly, much of it does remain useful and applicable. However, there have been significant changes over the course of the last two centuries, meaning that some aspects are outdated.
Unsurprisingly, technological advancements have impacted on how documents are generated, communicated and stored; something that the legislators back in 1837 could not have imagined or accounted for. More importantly, society has developed a better understanding of mental health and mental capacity. Despite this, the case law that determines whether a person has the necessary capacity to make a will is Banks v Goodfellow of 1870.
Today, the Law Commission has launched a consultation, "Making a Will", which you can find here, and will be open until 10 November.
The areas that this consultation aims to address include:
As solicitors, the proposed change to the law on ademption is particularly welcome. If a testator makes a gift of property that they no longer own at the time of their death in their will, the gift fails and the beneficiary is disappointed. This failure of a testamentary gift is known as ademption.
Unwittingly, many attorneys create this problem. In the instance that a person’s house is left to a specific beneficiary in their will, but their attorney sells their house to pay for their care home fees, the gift can no longer take effect on death.
Under the current law, if the attorney wishes to avoid the gift being adeemed, they must make a specific application to the Court of Protection for authority to sell. The proposed change in the consultation is to create an exception in the law if the assets have been disposed of due to events beyond the control of the testator.
If you have any questions in relation to this consultation, you wish to make a will or lasting power of attorney, or need advice as an attorney, please contact Sheree Green or our Personal Planning Team on 0121 214 3728. To find out more about the other services we offer at Anthony Collins Solicitors, please visit our website.
The snappily named Assured Tenancies and Agricultural Occupancies (Forms) (moratorium Debt) (Consequential Amendment) (England) Regulations came into force on Monday 3 May 2021.
What is a post-nuptial agreement and why do people enter it? Find out more in this ebriefing.
This ebriefing considers the Government’s proposals to simplify the procurement procedures, as set out in Chapter 3 of the Green Paper entitled “Using the right procurement procedures”.
In the second of a two-part episode, trainee solicitors Tom Corrigan, Precious Melia and Sike Olawale discuss what a training contract looks like at Anthony Collins Solicitors.
Cases involving large-scale IT contracts are quite rare and the recent case provides a useful judgement for matters involving digital transformation projects which have gone wrong.
From 4 May 2021, The Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space) comes into force. This scheme provides debtors with the right to legal protection from their creditors.
Birmingham-based Anthony Collins Solicitors (ACS) has announced a raft of new promotions, including appointing three new partners.
EOTs have been aggressively marketed as a tax-free share sale, but that should not deter practitioners from raising EOTs.
Remuneration for the supply of goods and the power to award equitable allowances.
The government did not accept two of the Law Commission’s recommendations - as they saw them as important safeguards in protecting charities interests in property.
To receive invitations to our events, as well as information and articles on legal issues and sector developments that are of interest to you, please sign up to Newsroom.