Recent changes to the legal profession have meant that certain activities in the industry are currently being reviewed for deregulation, the Solicitors Journal notes – something we are very interested in keeping up-to-date with. Probate has since become the latest activity to be deregulated; according to a statutory instrument issued in parliament this August, chartered accountants are now allowed to undertake probate if they have passed the required exams, are properly licensed and it is not a contentious case.

We were very happy to discover recently that Legacy Foresight figures showed its members received a combined income of £1.16 billion in the 12 months leading to June of this year, Third Sector reports. Legacy Foresight are analysts of the legacy and in-memoriam sectors and gather data from 67 charities.

Bath is one of the ten most expensive places in the UK to be cremated in, according to a report into soaring funeral costs.

We recently came across an article on Money Observer which discussed the possible reasons behind why the number of will disputes has been steadily rising over the past few years – information we at Kings Court Trust are of course very interested in.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) will soon step into the role of license issuer for alternative business structures (ABSs) that provide probate services, Legal Future reports. The UK Parliament approved the order allowing ICAEW to assume the role in late July.

As an industry, we do struggle to get the right message across with regards to appointing the right executors. Quite often we are aware that acting as an executor for the lay person could be time consuming and perplexing even for the most capable of people. We also know there can be immense risks in tax liability and distribution liabilities if the executor gets it wrong, not to mention the risk of deliberate mishandling.

Law Society announced it had been providing the public with legal aid for 65 years.

Clients are significantly more likely to find a solicitor through the internet than by asking friends or family, a major study of over 2,000 people has found.

In a bid to keep up with the latest news regarding inheritance tax and death duties, we came across new figures published in the Solicitors Journal, noting that HMRC recently revealed it has received more than £3.4 billion from inheritance tax (IHT) and death duties in the last 12 months.