by johnireland | Legal Spotlight
A valid Will can still be challenged. Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, spouses, civil partners, former spouses who haven’t remarried, children, stepchildren, dependants, and cohabitees of two years or more can claim the Will...
by johnireland | Articles
Your Will can be perfectly legal and still end up in court. Most people assume that once a Will is signed and witnessed, that’s the end of the story. It isn’t. In England and Wales, a valid Will can still be challenged after death, either because someone...
by johnireland | Articles
Sideways disinheritance is the term used when assets intended for one family end up passing to another — typically when a surviving spouse remarries or enters a new relationship after the first spouse’s death. It is one of the most common and most devastating...
by johnireland | Estate Planning Essentials
Most people do not know this: in England and Wales, marriage automatically revokes your Will. The moment you say “I do,” your existing Will is treated as though it never existed — unless it specifically says it was made in contemplation of that particular...
by johnireland | Articles
Every year, thousands of families across England and Wales discover a legal rule that most people have never heard of: marriage automatically revokes your Will. It does not matter how recently you wrote it. It does not matter how carefully it was drafted. The moment...
