Inheritance tax ‘too complex and needs to be simplified’
April 6th 2021The Treasury has agreed to make changes to the administration of Inheritance Tax following complaints from the public that it is too complex, old fashioned and needs to be simplified. Sarah Heal Private Client Executive provides an update. The announcement comes after more than 3,500 people responded to a public consultation carried out by the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) on behalf of the government. Many of those who responded…
New recruits join legal firm
March 23rd 2021A LEADING legal firm has recruited two new staff members to its growing team. Holly Berwick and Sarah Heal have joined Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors as part of its continued expansion. Holly is a solicitor with the Agriculture team, based at the firm’s office in Cockermouth. Sarah is a private client executive with its Wills, Probate and Inheritance team based at the Rosehill office in Carlisle. Holly Berwick, has returned to…
People making a will urged to include a Lasting Power of Attorney
March 1st 2021People making or renewing their will are being urged to consider arranging a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) at the same time to protect their interests into the future. Megan Wilkinson Solicitor in our Wills, Probate & Inheritance team provides an update. It follows research carried out by the Law Society, which showed there had been an increase in the number of people drawing up a new will during the…
Woman written out of father’s Will wins right to inherit his estate
January 28th 2021A woman has won the right to inherit her father’s estate after a “DIY Will” supposedly signed on his deathbed was ruled invalid. Rebecca Armstrong Solicitor in our specialist Will Claims team reports on this recent case. Terri Tibbles had been the sole beneficiary of a Will her father William wrote a year before he died. In a letter of wishes attached to that Will, Mr Tibbles said that Terri’s…
Government issues advice on Lasting Powers of Attorney
November 30th 2020The government has provided brief but useful advice on Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) and how they can be used to help people who are no longer able to make decisions for themselves. Michelle Hayes, Solicitor, provides an update. An LPA is a legal document that you can draw up when you’re fit and healthy authorising someone you choose to make decisions on your behalf if you are no longer…
Siblings overturn their mother’s Will after family dispute
November 19th 2020Rebecca Armstrong Solicitor in our will claims team reports on this recent case. Four siblings have succeeded in overturning their mother’s Will after the court agreed that she had not fully understood its consequences when she signed it. The case pitted the mother’s first four children against her youngest child, the defendant. In 2004, the mother and her husband had executed mirror Wills, which meant that if the husband died…
Vulnerable woman’s Will upheld despite daughter’s challenge
October 26th 2020The High Court has upheld a vulnerable woman’s Will and rejected a claim by her daughter that she had been subjected to undue influence. By Rebecca Armstrong Solicitor The case involved two sisters, Teresa Ann Coles and Heather Christine Reynolds. In 2002, their mother made a Will leaving her estate to be divided equally between them. However, the relationship between the two sisters deteriorated in 2009. In 2012, the mother…
Leading legal firm expands as new solicitor joins team
October 21st 2020A LEADING legal firm has welcomed a new solicitor to its growing team. Michelle Hayes, 33, has joined the wills, probate and inheritance department of Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors and will be based at the company’s Rosehill office in Carlisle. Originally from Bolton, Michelle is looking forward to the new challenge. She said: “Cartmell Shepherd is a well-established law firm which is embedded in the community and I’m excited about developing…
Leading legal firm launches nationwide wills dispute service
October 20th 2020A LEADING legal firm is maximising its expertise by branching out to offer a specialist wills dispute service nationwide. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, the only legal firm in Cumbria to be a member of the innovative UK200Group, has launched a wills dispute resolution website. Peter Stafford, Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ managing director, explained why the firm, which has traditionally concentrated on mainly serving communities across Cumbria and Northumberland, has made the move…
Solicitor joins hospice board
October 9th 2020A SOLICITOR at a leading legal firm has joined the board of a hospice to help her local community. Claire Wilson 37, has become a trustee of Hospice at Home West Cumbria which provides palliative and end of life care. Claire, who is an Associate Solicitor at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, said she was looking forward to helping support the charity’s work. Claire said: “Hospice at Home does amazing work, and…
