Probate Fees Jump 75 Per Cent From 13 July 2026 — What Executors and Families Need to Know

by johnireland | Articles

The Change at a Glance From 13 July 2026, the fee for applying for a grant of probate (or letters of administration) in England and Wales will increase from £300 to £526 — a rise of more than 75 per cent. The increase was announced by the Ministry of Justice and...

The Administrative Burden Families Inherit After Poor Record Keeping

by johnireland | Estate Planning Essentials

Estate planning failures are often administrative rather than legal. Families frequently inherit confusion, delays and financial friction because asset information, liabilities and ownership structures were never organised during the owner’s lifetime. Most estate...

The Administrative Chaos Families Face Without Asset Visibility

by johnireland | Estate Planning Essentials

Estate problems are not always caused by tax. Increasingly, the greatest delays arise from fragmented information, inaccessible accounts and incomplete asset records that leave families struggling to identify what exists. Modern wealth rarely sits in one place. A...

Personal Guarantees: The Estate Planning Risk Many Directors Overlook

by johnireland | Legal Spotlight

Personal guarantees attached to borrowing, leases, and commercial agreements can materially affect estate administration and reduce family wealth if left unmanaged. A director’s estate can appear exceptionally strong on paper while remaining dangerously exposed...

Probate Delays Often Begin Long Before an Application Is Submitted

by johnireland | Legal Spotlight

Probate Delays Often Begin Long Before an Application Is Submitted Many probate problems are caused not by the court process itself, but by poor preparation, missing information and disorganised records before the application is even made. Probate is often spoken...