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Where there’s a will; there’s a way

04 June 2020 / Nicholas Bevan
Issue: 7889 / Categories: Features , Wills & Probate
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Is it a misconception that a witness needs to be physically present at a will signing? Dr Nicholas Bevan reports

Life is short and we all take an occasional shortcut now and then. In our private lives we do not hesitate to rely on the trusty sat-nav instead of undertaking the map-reading for ourselves. Some authors might even resort to a tired cliché for their article’s headline!

As busy professionals, most of us will occasionally have substituted a case header for the judgment we know we should have read. Sometimes we adopt the opinion of a trusted commentator, particularly when it is plausible.

However, this kind of referential behaviour can lead us badly astray. Even the most esteemed institutions and authorities, just like our sat-navs, can have a bad day. The present controversy over whether it is possible to execute a valid will over the internet using remote video technology, is a prime example of the blind leading the blind.

There is a near uniform consensus within

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Partner joins family law team inLondon

Jackson Lees Group—five promotions

Jackson Lees Group—five promotions

Private client division announces five new partners

Taylor Wessing—Max Millington

Taylor Wessing—Max Millington

Banking and finance team welcomes partner in London

NEWS
The landmark Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd—along with Rukhadze v Recovery Partners—redefine fiduciary duties in commercial fraud. Writing in NLJ this week, Mary Young of Kingsley Napley analyses the implications of the rulings
Barristers Ben Keith of 5 St Andrew’s Hill and Rhys Davies of Temple Garden Chambers use the arrest of Simon Leviev—the so-called Tinder Swindler—to explore the realities of Interpol red notices, in this week's NLJ
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] has upended assumptions about who may conduct litigation, warn Kevin Latham and Fraser Barnstaple of Kings Chambers in this week's NLJ. But is it as catastrophic as first feared?
Lord Sales has been appointed to become the Deputy President of the Supreme Court after Lord Hodge retires at the end of the year
Limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are reportedly in the firing line in Chancellor Rachel Reeves upcoming Autumn budget
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