Our specialist inheritance and trust disputes team has been successful in challenging another invalid Will.
It was a complex case involving a heated dispute between siblings over the validity of their parent’s Will. There was strong disagreement over the factual background concerning the role that each had played in their parent’s care and the updating of the Will when the parent was unwell.
The protracted case was settled out of court at mediation after seemingly being destined to go to trial.
Even at the mediation, the prospects of getting a settlement over the line remained in the balance until deep into the afternoon when a change in the mechanism of settlement put forward by Hayley was taken on board.
After the mediation, the conducting solicitor commented, ‘This was a case where thinking outside the box really helped and where the benefit of having a specialist solicitor, experienced in challenging a Will, made all the difference.’
Our client was pleased to have reached a negotiated settlement and relieved that the stress of the case had been lifted from their shoulders.
We acted on a no win, no fee basis in this case, which meant that her client did not have to worry about funding legal fees upfront.
Settling such claims out of court can sometimes be tricky. The legal validity of a Will is black and white, in the sense that if a dispute goes to trial, the court will either declare the Will to be valid or invalid, with no middle ground. Naturally, the parties themselves often tend to also view the case in these terms, which can make it difficult to help the parties find common ground and avoid the stress, uncertainty, and costs of taking a case to trial.
However, our contentious trusts and probate team has an enviable track-record of resolving even the most difficult and entrenched invalid Will cases through the use of mediation.
A law firm you can feel confident using
Our solicitors have a five star rating on the independent legal review website, ReviewSolicitors, are recommended by The Legal 500 – the clients’ guide to the best law firms – and are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The SRA Code of Conduct requires us to:
- act in your best interests at all times
- provide competent legal advice
- act with honesty and integrity
- keep your affairs confidential
- explain legal costs clearly
This provides clients with important protection when pursuing a contested will claim.
Free consultation
If you would like a free consultation to discuss how our expert lawyers can help you with challenging an invalid will on a No Win, No Fee basis, then contact our free helpline.
