Discovering that you’ve been left out of a loved one’s will can be incredibly distressing and confusing, leaving you wondering what options you have moving forward. If you find yourself in this situation, know that there are steps you can take to address your concerns and there are potential claims you may have against an estate.
In the absence of a will, the distribution of your estate is governed by the laws of intestacy. Here’s a breakdown of who stands to inherit:
The lawyer’s answer is “It Depends”.
There are two basic ways to challenge a Will – the first way is to say that the last Will is invalid – for example because the parent lacked testamentary capacity to make a Will when they made it.
This is an easy question to ask – but quite a complicated question to answer
There are two types of “Contentious Probate Claim”.
An individual can make a claim on a variety of different legal grounds including…
If you have been left out of a will and wish to make a claim, here are some general steps to consider…
Joel Wattis’ Tip for clients who don’t get early legal advice in a contentious probate matters.
One of the most bitter and increasingly frequent Wills disputes cases we are currently seeing is that where the children of a deceased parent seek our advice after suspecting their step-parent has changed the Will they created whilst their parent was alive and disinherited them in favour of their (the step-parent’s) own biological children.
A widow whose husband of 66 years excluded her and their four daughters from his will, and left everything to their two sons, has won a high court case for a share of an estate worth more than £1m.
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