Wills And Estates

Legacy gifts to the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland can be matched at 50 per cent under the first initiative of its kind in Northern Ireland.

The government has been urged to exempt the cost of making a will from VAT when a charitable bequest is included in order to encourage personal acts of kindness. My Legacy, an umbrella group of 80 Irish charities, published its Budget 2022 submission this week to coincide with International Legacy G

A new online probate portal, which aims to simplify the application process for people dealing with a person’s estate after their death, has gone live. The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service (NICTS) developed the new online service as part of its modernisation programme and launched

The Court of Appeal has upheld the validity of a homemade will despite the fact that several parts had not been properly executed by the testatrix. The deceased, Ms Mary McEnroe, had made her own will and had altered it before she died by scribbling out certain words so that they became illegible. T

A new online process for filing and processing an application for probate or administration has been introduced. The new online Statement of Affairs (Probate) (Form SA.2) replaces the old Inland Revenue Affidavit (Form CA.24).

The High Court has refused an ex parte application to admit a will to probate on the grounds that there were two obliterations on its face. Background

A new online application process for grants of probate and letters of administration is set to be rolled out from September. The Courts Service of Ireland has said it will "modernise and transform the current process, making it easier and more efficient to complete".

Proposals to double the amount of money that may be released to the beneficiary of a deceased person without probate from £10,000 to £20,000 have gone out to consultation. The Department of Finance said it believes that raising the sum would result in a quicker and more efficient process

Solicitors have been advised that they can witness the signing of wills through windows and car windshields during the coronavirus pandemic. The Law Society of Ireland circulated advice to solicitors last week following an increase in the number of people seeking to make a will as part of contingenc

A man who was left a 55-acre farm in his uncle’s only will, which was made a few days before his death, has won an appeal against the finding of the Circuit Court that the will was invalid. Overturning the finding that the deceased did not have the requisite mental capacity to make his will, M

Newtownards and Belfast firm Worthingtons Solicitors raised more for Will Aid than any other law firm in Northern Ireland last year. The firm raised a total of £2,390 for the Will Aid scheme in its 30th anniversary year last November.

Belfast solicitor Linda Johnston of Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors appeared as a guest speaker at a Macmillan NI legacy event at Belfast Castle. The event was organised to highlight the cancer charity's work within Northern Ireland and to emphasise the positive impact that leaving a legacy gift i