by johnireland | Articles
A holiday home in Spain, an apartment in France, a farmhouse in Italy — for many British families, owning property abroad is the reward for decades of hard work. It also raises an entirely reasonable question: can a UK Will actually deal with it? For property in...
by johnireland | Estate Planning Essentials
Yes — a UK Will can deal with a property you own in Europe. Under the EU Succession Regulation, known as Brussels IV, a British national can elect in their Will for the law of their nationality to govern their whole estate, including a home in France, Spain or Italy....
by johnireland | Articles
Most people assume that once someone has died, their Will is fixed and final. In most cases that is true, and it should be — a properly drafted Will is meant to be the last word on how an estate is shared out. But UK law does allow for one important exception. Within...
by johnireland | Legal Spotlight
Estates used to be found in a filing cabinet. A great deal of the modern estate exists only as a login, protected by security designed to keep everyone out — including the Executor who is legally entitled to deal with it. Digital assets fall into four groups. Things...
by johnireland | Estate Planning Essentials
This is the decision parents postpone longest. Fees and Executors get dealt with quickly; the question of who would raise the children if both parents could not is left open for years — which leaves it to be settled by other people at the worst possible moment. What...
