Recent reports highlight how personal relationships, financial vulnerability, and end-of-life planning can intersect in complex ways, often leaving seriously ill individuals more vulnerable to pressure or manipulation, with significant legal consequences.

Can a cat inherit millions? In her latest 'Probate and Pop Culture' blog, Kelsey Jones discusses what happens when a person wants to leave their estate to their pet.

In her latest 'Probate and Pop Culture' blog, Kelsey Jones discusses what happens when the dynamics seen on The Traitors play out in real life?

In the world of contentious probate, many clients are women who have survived domestic abuse, coercive control, financial manipulation, and relationships that were on the brink of collapse long before their partner passed away. In this blog, we recognise their resilience and endurance.

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) or the older Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) gives an appointed attorney authority to make decisions about a person’s property, finances, health or welfare when they cannot manage these matters themselves. Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, attorneys are required to act responsibly and always in the donor’s best interests.

When someone close to you can no longer manage their own finances or make decisions about spending their money, there’s a real risk that money could be misused or essential bills left unpaid. Sometimes, family members try to help without the right legal authority; other times, vulnerable people are at risk of being exploited. Acting early to safeguard assets protects the person and reduces the chance of future disputes, when emotions are high as estates are being distributed and money has been spent.

Contentious probate refers to any dispute about how a person’s estate is handled after their death. These disputes can take many forms, such as concerns about whether a will is valid, disagreements between executors and beneficiaries and conflicts over trusts or claims for provisions from excluded or disappointed beneficiaries.

Succession is a gripping watch because it shows what happens when succession planning is left vague or avoided altogether. The boardroom falls silent, loyalties fracture, and chaos begins. Unlike television, though, real families don’t get a second season to fix probate mistakes. When wills are unclear or absent, disputes erupt, estates stall, and grief turns into litigation.