Number of will disputes on the rise
24 September 2008
The number of disputes over wills and trusts have trebled over the past few years, according to head of contentious trusts and probate at law firm Wedlake Bell, Fay Copeland.
Miss Copeland said that previously the firm had just been asked questions regarding the validity of wills but that people were increasingly choosing to pursue will claims through the courts.
According to a Telegraph report, there are two main reasons for the rise in the number of court-pursued claims.
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Firstly, people are leaving larger amounts of money when they die, according to Damian Bloom, partner of trusts and personal tax at Berwin, Leighton and Paisner, as well the number of people getting divorced meaning family structures are now more complex, which leads to problems deciding "who should get what".
According to Coffin Mew, a will can be challenged in a number of ways, including if it had not been signed or properly witnessed, lack of knowledge by the person making the will or if the agreement was signed under coercion.
