Our contested will claim lawyers are in the news

Our specialist lawyers recently took a contested will claim to trial and hit the news headlines. Our highly experienced lawyers offer a free case assessment service and no win, no fee funding. Call 0333 888 0409 or email us at info@contesting-wills.co.uk 

We were the claimant’s lawyers in the famous case of Ames v Jones. The case made the newspapers because of the judge’s comments on the claimant’s decision not to work.

It involved a daughter’s claim for reasonable financial provision from her late father’s estate under the Inheritance Act. The claim was dismissed by the judge on the grounds that her lack of employment was a “lifestyle choice”.

Her father had left his entire estate to his second wife. His daughter, the claimant, was an unemployed 41 year old woman with two children and struggling to make ends meet. She made a claim against her dad’s estate under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 on the basis that his will failed to make reasonable financial provision for her.

The Inheritance Act enables an adult child of someone who dies to bring a claim for reasonable financial provision from their estate if the will (or the intestacy rules, if there is no will) fails to provide. The claimant must be able to demonstrate that reasonable financial provision has not been made for their maintenance.

One of the factors the court will consider is the financial needs and resources of the claimant. In this case, the claimant was in a poor financial position, but the court considered that she was capable of working to meet her own needs. The stepmother by contrast was a pensioner with limited income and whose working life was behind her.

The judge ruled that the claimant’s father had been justified in making no provision whatsoever for his daughter and leaving his whole estate (worth nearly £1m) to his widow.

The newspapers picked up on the judge’s comment that the Claimant’s lack of employment was a “lifestyle choice” which was refuted by the claimant.

The decision was naturally a disappointing for the claimant, particularly as she had a good relationship with her father and every expectation that she would be left something from his substantial estate. It does however serve as a timely reminder that contested will claims usually involve an element of risk and outcomes are invariably uncertain.

This particular claim did not go in the claimant’s favour, but many do (especially where the estate is large enough for more than one person to be provided for) and it reinforces the advantages of mediation to resolve contested will disputes.

If you would like advice on making a contested will claim and the availability of No Win – No Fee funding then call us on 0333 888 0409 or email us at info@contesting-wills.co.uk

Our contested will claim lawyers are in the news

Client Testimonials

Review Solicitors 5 Star Contested Wills
The Legal 500Lexcel

Case Studies - A track record of success to be proud of

View All

We are proud of our track record of success in the complex area of contesting wills. We have achieved successful outcomes in a vast range of scenarios. If you take a look at our case studies you will see the breadth of our experience and our numerous successes. You may find a case that directly mirrors your own, but if not, the chances are that someone in our team will have dealt with a similar case.

Frequently Asked Questions

0333 888 0412Ask a Question

Some of the questions our specialist contesting wills solicitors are most frequently asked. Please feel free to contact us to ask any questions related to your case, we also offer a free 30 minute consultation.

A mirror will reflects the contents of another will made at the same time. They are commonly made by spouses (and sometimes unmarried couples) who wish to leave their estate to the other, with the combined estates then being left to named beneficiaries (generally children) on the second death. The terms of each will ‘mirrors’ the other, but the survivor is free to make a new will if they choose to do so.

Mirror wills should not however be confused with mutual wills. While they are similar in that each will reflects the contents of the other, a mutual will goes one important step further. It creates a legally binding agreement that the terms of the wills must not be changed when one of the will makers dies. Mutual wills are effectively an enforceable contract, with the surviving will maker being legally bound not to alter or revoke their will.

Mutual wills are far less common than mirror wills. While they provide certainty after death, they do not allow flexibility or testamentary freedom once the first person has died. They are also open to challenge upon grounds such as undue influence.

The most common grounds relied upon to contest a will are as follows:

Failure to comply with the Wills Act

A will must comply with all the formalities of the Wills Act. This means it must be in writing, and it must be signed by the deceased in the presence of two witnesses who signed the Will in the deceased’s presence.

Lack of Testamentary Capacity

The maker of a Will must have sufficient mental capacity (known as testamentary capacity). The law requires that they understood:

  1. That they were making a will and that it had the effect of carrying out their wishes upon their death;
  2. The extent of their property and what it consisted of; and
  3. The claims on the estate which they ought to give effect to.

Undue Influence

If the deceased had pressure placed upon them to make a will or change the terms of an existing will, then it may be legally invalid. The signs of undue influence include:

  1. Last minute changes to a Will
  2. Family members being disinherited and people who were only close to the deceased for a short time being named as beneficiaries
  3. A handmade Will that was drafted without the use of a solicitor
  4. A deceased who was vulnerable
  5. A deceased who stopped contact with loved ones prior to their death

Lack of Knowledge and Approval

The maker of the will must have had 'knowledge and approval' of the will's contents for it to be legally valid.

Forgery or Fraud

This occurs where a will has been falsified in its entirety, or parts of it have been altered or forged in some way. It includes cases where the deceased’s signature on the will is not genuine.

Fraudulent calumny

This involves beneficiaries who poison the mind of the person who made the will in order to persuade them to disinherit other potential beneficiaries.

Alternatives to challenging the validity of a Will

Aside from disputing the legal validity of a Will, you could also consider making an Inheritance Act claim or pursuing an action for proprietary estoppel if a promise has been broken.

It is difficult to assess what it will cost to contest a will at the outset of a case. There are so many different factors that impact legal fees, including the complexity of a case and the steps that will be required to obtain the evidence to support it. The conduct of your opponent can also have a great bearing.

Because legal costs are usually calculated on an hourly basis, the longer a case goes on, the more work that is required, and the greater the costs will be.

Another key factor is the seniority of the solicitor who deals with your case. The more senior the lawyer, the higher their hourly rate will be.

We have a large team of specialists who deal exclusively with this area of work. This means that we can offer specialist representation at all levels. Our team of qualified lawyers includes

We will be happy to discuss which member of our team will be best suited to your case and provide details of their hourly rate.

Because we specialise in contested wills, we trust our own judgment and are therefore willing to work No Win, No Fee basis. Not all cases are immediately suitable for No Win, No Fee funding, of course. We can only offer this funding scheme where the prospects of success are good. Sometimes this will be clear from the outset and an immediate decision can be made. Other cases might not be quite so clear at the outset, and investigations will need to be carried out. This could include:

  • Obtaining the deceased’s medical records;
  • Speaking to the witnesses of the will;
  • Obtaining will preparation file; and
  • Requesting a statement’ from the solicitors who drafted the will.

Once these investigations have been carried out we will be in a better position to make an informed decision on whether No Win, No Fee funding can be offered. We may be able to carry out that investigatory work for a fixed fee.

We are also able to deal with cases on a deferred fees basis, where you are guaranteed to receive monies from an estate that will be sufficient to meet the legal costs.

New Channel 4 legal series

If you are involved in a legal dispute, then the production company behind Who Do You Think You Are? and Long Lost Family is keen to hear from you.

In a first for British television, a legally binding alternative to the congested, lengthy, and costly court process is being offered. Each side’s case will be prepared by an independent solicitor and presented to an impartial arbitration judge by a leading barrister. This process will be free to all who take part, with the cost of legal representation being covered.

If you would like to discover more about taking part in this first-of-its-kind series, click here or send us an email.