Professional executors: how expert support can protect estates and families
Executors must collect and protect assets, settle liabilities, manage tax obligations, and ensure the estate is distributed correctly to beneficiaries. Throughout the process, they must comply with strict requirements. Many people appoint a family member or friend to take on this complex and demanding role. However, even the most well-intentioned executors can encounter difficulties, and […]
TWM Solicitors expands mediation offering with specialist services in private client and property disputes
The new services build on the firm’s established family mediation practice, led by Partner Sarah Archibald, and reflect a continued focus on supporting constructive, out-of-court resolutions across a broad range of disputes. Specialist-led, independent mediation The new mediation services are led by experienced practitioners Stuart Downey and Simon Burdett-Dixon, combining subject-matter expertise with accredited mediation […]
50 years of the Inheritance Act 1975: is it time for reform?
At the time, the Act was revolutionary. For the first time, it recognised that surviving spouses – particularly women – deserved a fairer share of an estate, helping to prevent many from falling into financial hardship. The Act made the law fairer, but 50 years on, does the legislation still meet the needs of families […]
Rising estate values drive hike in contested Wills: what families need to know
As estates grow in value and family arrangements become more complex, more people are willing – and able – to dispute a Will when they feel they have not been treated fairly. While inheritance disputes can be stressful, costly and emotionally draining, many of them are preventable with careful planning and the right advice. Why […]
The underutilised weapon: why Financial Dispute Resolution should be standard in Chancery disputes
While the Family Division routinely uses the Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) model to achieve swift, cost-effective settlements, its Chancery equivalent remains a valuable, yet significantly underused, resource. As the costs and delays associated with full trials in the Business and Property Courts continue to rise, now is the time for solicitors and litigants alike to […]
The hidden role of executors: when executors become the problem
“Wills are uncanny and electric documents. They lie dormant for years and then spring to life when their author dies, as if death were rain. Their effect on those they enrich is never negligible, and sometimes unexpectedly charged. They thrust living and dead into a final fierce clasp of love or hatred. But they are […]