News / 01.06.2021 DIY estate administration I have found with people spending more time at home during lockdown, more people are dealing with the administration of the estates themselves when loved ones pass away.  The online probate syste... Read More

News / 29.04.2021 Funeral Disputes What happens when there is a disagreement as to what arrangements should be followed?  Sometimes, the members of someone's family cannot agree as to how their body should be disposed of after th... Read More

News / 02.03.2020 Want to avoid challenges to your Will? Your Will could be challenged after your death by a disappointed family member, possibly under the Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975, or because your Will was incorrectly si... Read More

News / 07.01.2019 Ex-husband Successfully Challenges Ex-Wife’s Will After Instructing Battens The Dispute Resolution department at Battens have recently successfully concluded a case on behalf of an ex-husband against his late wife’s estate. That may seem surprising, but it is possible f... Read More

News / 06.08.2018 Cohabitee whose partner left her nothing in his Will is awarded a cottage and £204,000 by the Court in inheritance claim Earlier this year, the High Court in Cardiff made a substantial award to a woman who had made a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. The case of Thompson v. Ragg... Read More

News / 14.06.2018 Keeping out of the Courts - Farming Disputes Every now and then, there is in every farming community a major fall-out within a family and disagreement regarding who should inherit the farm.   There are many reasons for this. The people inv... Read More

News / 13.06.2018 Can Anyone Successfully Challenge Your Will After You Die? If you sensibly go to the time and trouble of making a Will, do you need to worry that someone may challenge it after you die?   English Law values the freedom of individuals to dispose of their... Read More

News / 29.01.2018 Family Conflict Over Assets Left in a Contested Will Dorset Farm in a contested Will case A recent local contested Wills case has just concluded at court whereby a local farmer and businessman left his entire estate in his Will to his two daughters and... Read More

News / 19.05.2016 Intestacy Rules Do Not Work Well in the Modern World The number of problems and queries being thrown up by the intestacy rules demonstrates that they do not suit the requirements of today's Britain.   Figures released by the charity Citizens... Read More

News / 14.04.2016 Creating a Will for Someone Who Does Not Have Mental Capacity If someone has lost mental capacity, or perhaps never had it in the first place, is it possible to create a Will for them? This may be important where someone is born with learning difficulties, or... Read More