Ilott v Mitson Supreme Court decision: UK testamentary freedom reasserted

Last week, the Supreme Court brought to an end a 13 year legal battle over the late Mrs Jackson’s Will.  The Will left virtually all of Mrs Jackson’s assets (some £480,000) to three UK charities, cutting out entirely her only child (Mrs Ilott), who was for many years estranged from her mother but who lived in very financially straitened circumstances with her husband and five children.

How to manage UK probate fee increases

Currently most applications made by solicitors for a UK grant of representation for a deceased’s estate incur a flat fee of £155 payable to the Probate Registry.  However, perhaps within a little over two months’ time, a grant could cost as much as £20,000!  How did we get here and, more importantly, what can be done about it?