What is the current sentiment across the profession around wills, probate, client experience, speed of administration, attitude toward financial services... that is the topic of the latest Today's Wills and Probate which delves into the recently published "Bereavement Index"; an annual report tracking the key issues facing individuals and firms dea…

Legal Services Director at Kings Court Trust Charlotte Toogood joins the latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast to impart her experience of working in estate administration over the last 16 years. With contentious probate on the rise Charlotte shares her thoughts on what we can do as practitioners, and how we can better advise families to either …

Today's Wills and Probate Host David Opie is joined by Birketts' Head of the Private Wealth Dispute Team Bernadette Baker and Partner in the team Kate Harris to discuss the case of Leonard v Leonard; a convoluted and disputed probate case concerning the estate of Jack Leonard and the validity of two separate Wills. Bernadette leads with a comprehen…

As one of the disruptors in the wake of the Legal Services Act 2007 QualitySolicitors (QS) was launched in 2009 with the ambition to help the high street fight back against the anticipated onslaught of major brands entering the legal market - so-called 'Tesco Law.' QS grew rapidly, with firms up and down the country adopting the familiar black and …

Free and low cost will schemes are an established part of the wills and probate sector, providing charities with valuable legacy income streams, and practitioners with their largest source of lead generation. The latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast welcomes Richard Millar of Capacity Marketing on to discuss the value of free and low cost will …

Dean Morgan is the Managing Director of a franchise of Grey Matters Consultancy; a business founded with the aim of meeting the needs of those in retirement at the point they need additional assistance, and for offering guidance to those who have the responsibility for their care. Dean is himself a franchisee based in Cardiff with a background in s…

Helen Stewart, Partner and Head of Probate at Thomson, Snell & Passmore joins the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast to discuss the launch of a new association to support collaboration and best practice amongst independent administrators (IAs) and estates in conflict. The National Association of Independent Administrators (NAIA) brings togeth…

Tim Hewson joins the Today's Wills and Probate podcast to discuss LegalWills - his Canadian-based technology company providing will writing and estate planning services in Canada and North America. The business started in a bar in Ottawa where Tim and his colleagues were discussing whether any of them, all successful tech high-flyers, had a will or…

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has recently requested law firms complete an anti-money laundering and sanctions data collection exercise. The SRA is required by Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) to take a risk-based approach to supervision and is requesting firms complete the requested information as …

Behaviour change campaign Remember a Charity is a consortium of around 200 charities dedicated to growing the legacy market; helping charities develop what is an increasingly vital long term revenue stream. In the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast, host David Opie is joined by Lucinda Frostick, Director at Remember a Charity and Chris Millwa…

Ashley Rowthorn, CEO and Kath Horsley, Senior Consultant at Legacy Futures join the Today's Wills and Probate podcast to discuss their latest piece of research on the investment charities make in their marketing. The Legacy Marketing Benchmarks report provides insight into helping charities understand what legacy marketing is enable charities to be…

Regulation, collaboration and the response to the Competition and Markets Authority review of will writing services all form part of the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast. Host David Opie is joined by Antony Brinkman; CEO of the Willwriting Partnership and Chair of the Professional Standards Board (PSB). At the outset Antony explains the rol…

The five most expensive words in the English language - "it's a matter of principle." Because principles cost money. And this increasingly plays out across contentious private client matters, in inheritance and probate disputes. joining host David Opie on the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast is Hayley Gaffney, an associate at Coodes Solicit…

People who were born between 1946 and 1964, the so called Baby Boomer Generation, is a cohort of 16.8 million people; and due to favourable financial conditions in that time are the wealthiest generation in human history, holding somewhere in the region on 80% of the UK's wealth. With the older baby boomer now 78 years old, and against a backdrop o…

In this specially recorded podcast, the Today's Wills and Probate podcast joins forces with its sister podcasts from the Today's Conveyancer and Today's Family Lawyer online news publications to discuss the topic of mental health and wellbeing ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, from 13th May 2024. Podcast host David Opie welcomes Managing Direc…

Dylan O'Brien, the founder of BePrepared, joins the latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast to discuss his take on the increasingly challenging issue of managing digital assets in estate planning, and what role technology has to play in supporting practitioners. BePrepared was launched in Australia and has expanded into the USA and UK in the time …

Joining the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast is Dan Temple, an expert in acknowledging and understanding the human impact of working, and managing employees and businesses. The discussion centres on creating effective and high performing teams, and what steps law firms can, and should, be taking to enable this in their business. Dan leads C…

The Today's Wills and Probate Podcast welcomes Andrew Buchan, Managing Director of James McKenzie Wills, to discuss the ups and downs of running an estate planning business. Andrew has been with the business for 14 years and has seen the development of the sector first hand. He explains his role and responsibility both to his staff but also to his …

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcome Dan Warburton on to discuss the topic of leadership. Dan works with law firms leaders and partners to elevate their leadership skills to enable them empower staff to be more efficient and effective. Dan describes his work as "the skill of profitable delegation;" to create leaders who can deliver high le…

Hamza Hafesji, Group Product Manager at Advanced Legal, joins the latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast to discuss the importance of implementing a culture of performance management in a business. For years the only time most employees receive any sort of constructive feedback has been in an annual appraisal. For Hamza, something has to fundamen…

The first Today's Wills and Probate podcast on 2024, and the start of series 3, explores the perennial question on the minds and lips of most businesses... what do clients really want? A report from Law Firm Marketing Club does just that. Now in it's 4th year, "What Clients Want" is an extensive piece of research which asks consumers of legal servi…

"Two nations divided by a common language" is a phrase often connected to the relationship between the UK and the USA; but it could be just as easily applied to England and Scotland at times, especially when it comes to legal matters like the probate process. Joining Today's Wills and Probate Podcast host David Opie to de-mystify Scottish probate i…

Recorded in the week before the British Wills and Probate Awards 2023, this latest podcast explores the role faith plays in Yasmin Hoque's legal career. A practicing Muslim, Yasmin explores the way her faith has shaped her career to date firstly as a lawyer based in London, and later as the founder or AL-HQ Law & More, based in Southampton. The dis…

The latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcomes Simon McCrum to discuss the contents of his latest book "The Perfect Lawyer" with host David Opie. There isn't much Simon McCrum doesn't know about running a law firm having been there, done it, and got the t-Shirt. In this discussion Simon shares a little about his background and how he came to…

The latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcomes Laurelo on to talk about the current challenges facing probate practitioners. Michael speaks with host David about the origins of the business and his ambitions to support those going through the probate process. Describing their approach as "old school," Michael ensures all clients are seen fac…

In this edition of the Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie speaks with Professional Standards Board member Nick Ash about plans to beef up their oversight of Society of Will Writers members. Ahead of the Society of Will Writers (SWW) Conference in Lincoln on Monday 9th October Nick provides insight into the proposed changes to the Cod…

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcome Ian Bond on to discuss the life and times of a private client practitioner in 2023. Ian is a partner in the Lifestyle and Estate Planning Team at Irwin Mitchell having joined in January 2023 and is a vocal advocate for the private client profession. Recorded in July 2023 Ian shares a little bit about hi…

Following a Summer break the Today's Wills and Probate podcast returns to discuss the challenge of generating new and consistent leads sources for will writing and legal business. A perennial challenge, host David Opie is joined by social media lead generation specialist Matt Jones, founder of Shed Social a digital lead generation agency to discuss…

If we thought branding was about logos and then we’re absolutely wrong... it's about reputation, meaning, culture, service and so much more according to Matt Davies who joins host David Opie on the latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast. Matt lives and breathes branding and his enthusiasm for the subject comes across through this discussion which…

The latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast is an exclusive interview with Dan Garrett, founder and CEO of Farewill. In an unusual twist of fate, an experience at a Japanese residential home plunged Dan into the world of wills and probate and in 2015 he launched Farewill with the ambition to make the process of dealing with death simpler. The disc…

Scott Walker, a consultant solicitor with Richard Nelson LLP is the latest guest on the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast, joining host David Opie to discuss the ups and downs of his working life as a private client practitioner. Scott is one of a new breed of consultant lawyers who effectively work for themselves whilst operating under the umbrell…

In this latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast host David Opie is joined by Exizent co-Founder Aleks Tomczyk. In 2018-19 Aleks and Nick Cousins, his fellow co-Founder of what was to become Exizent, went through their own bereavement journeys and found the whole process frustrating. They also had friends of theirs in similar situations, sparking t…

On the latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie welcomes Clive Ponder on to discuss his journey from miner to running one of the largest estate planning businesses in the country. CTT Group, formerly Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation, now spans technology and software, accountancy and conveyancing alongside its estate planning b…

The latest episode of The Today's Wills and Probate podcast considers the tricky challenge of generating leads and converting sales de organisations across the legal services spectrum. Joining host David Opie is Adam Stevens of The Law Superstore and Reallymoving.com. Experts in lead generation, the platforms generate thousands legal service enquir…

In this latest episode of The Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie is joined by The National Will Register's Astrid Bowser to discuss the release of a wide-reaching report into the culture of Will writing in 2023. The report follows a survey commissioned by The National Will Register into public perception about Will writing and what p…

The True Worth Expert Vanessa Ugatti joins host David Opie on the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast. Vanessa works with professional services individual and organisations to help them understand their true value, and explain that better to clients to help them get paid their true worth, unapologetically. In her work Vanessa sees individuals …

The latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcomes Emily Robertson, Associate from Burgess Mee, to talk about the impact her job has on her mental health and wellbeing. Emily is part of the private client team dealing with Wills, Trusts, Probate and Court of Protection. She explains that each of the disciplines bring with them their own individu…

This episode of The Today's Wills and Probate podcast sets out to myth-bust the relationship between probate practitioners and legacy managers; who up until more recent years might have been described as "frenemies!" A profession who deliver £3bn in charity revenues and enable the final wishes of somebody to be fulfilled is a rewarding career and j…

Michael Culver, founder and director of Culver Law and Chair of Solicitors for the Elderly joins Today's Wills and Probate Podcast host David Opie to discuss his experiences of setting up Culver Law in 2021. Michael shares his motivations for setting up on his own and the the ups and downs of the set up process, from applying for professional indem…

In this latest episode of Today's Wills and Probate host David Opie is joined by Giles Wilson Founder and Managing Partner Melinda Giles. With over 25 years experience in private client, Melinda brings a wealth of experience to a discussion which considers her expertise in financial abuse and associated issues with capacity; alongside reform and he…

In this latest episode of the Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie is joined by National Association of Licensed Paralegal's (NALP) former CEO and now Patron Amanda Hamilton Starting out running paralegal training programmes in the 90's, at a time when the term "paralegal" was starting to be used more regularly in the UK following its …

In this first Today's Wills and Probate podcast of 2023 host David Opie is joined by founder of Finders International, Danny Curran. In 2022 Finders International celebrated its 25th Anniversary and in this podcast Danny discusses the challenges of running a business that has seen so much change since 1997, the changing face of genealogy services a…

In this latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie is joined by Arken.legal CEO Dave Newick. A "technologist" in an industry where technology adoption has traditionally been slow, Dave shares his thoughts on whether the private client is ready for a technology revolution, or whether it will be more of an evolution. Add in to the mix a…

In this latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie is joined by Aubrey Dawson, Managing Director of Dawson's Auctioneers. Aubrey shares his experiences and expertise as an auctioneer along some wonderful stories about house finds. They do say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in one example Aubrey shares the story of some …

In this special edition of the Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie is joined by Will Aid Chair and Head of Legacies at Save the Children, Jonathan Jacques, and Campaign Director Peter de Vena Franks to discuss Will Aid month 2022. For the month of November, Will Aid promote the opportunity for consumers to have a their wills written b…

In this latest podcast Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie is joined by RICS Surveyor Bill Wilkinson to discuss property valuations and imparts his expertise on how important professional "red book" valuations are when taking into consideration the tax implications. In the podcast Bill discusses the difference between a Surveyors and …

In this latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie speaks with Anglia Research's Joe Lander about the pitfalls of missing beneficiaries, and how practitioners might best use resources available to deliver the best possible client service. Joe discusses the options open to practitioners and draws on 20 years experience in the insurance…

In this latest episode of The Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie is joined by Director General of the Society of Will Writers Anthony Belcher. Recorded just before the latest announcement by the Legal Services Board that there is no intention to review unregulated legal services at this time the podcast explores what role the SWW pla…

For probate practitioners the sale of property left as part of an estate can be complex. Lengthening timescales, beneficiary conflict, property clearances are just some of the often arduous parts of the task. In this latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie speaks with Property Solutions Group's Managing Director Barry Mattock and G…

In this latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast David Opie is joined by the CEO of Probate Protect, Chris Cauvain. Chris discusses the professional, and personal, journey which has led him to setting up a prepaid probate business alongside his business partners. With the regulation of funeral planning nearly upon us, is prepaid probate the next "w…