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NLJ this week: Next gen wealth planning meets modern family reality

30 January 2026
Issue: 8147 / Categories: Legal News , Family , Divorce , Wills & Probate
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The next generation is inheriting more than assets—it is inheriting complexity. Writing in NLJ this week, experts from Penningtons Manches Cooper chart how global mobility, blended families and evolving values are reshaping private wealth advice

Traditional structures may offer protection, but they are not immune from divorce, capacity challenges or post-death disputes. The authors warn that nuptial agreements, while increasingly popular, remain vulnerable without transparency and full disclosure. International surrogacy, cross-border estates and immigration status add further layers of risk, while late-life relationships and remarriage frequently trigger litigation. Informal promises—the ‘Bank of Mum & Dad’—can unravel into proprietary estoppel claims if expectations are disappointed.

The message is clear: plan early, document clearly and think internationally. Without proactive advice, even sophisticated families may find that certainty proves illusory when it is needed most.

Issue: 8147 / Categories: Legal News , Family , Divorce , Wills & Probate
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Freeths—Ruth Clare

Freeths—Ruth Clare

National real estate team bolstered by partner hire in Manchester

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Partner appointed head of family team

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

Firm strengthens agriculture and rural affairs team with partner return

NEWS
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has launched a recruitment drive for talented early career and more senior barristers and solicitors
Regulators differed in the clarity and consistency of their post-Mazur advice and guidance, according to an interim report by the Legal Services Board (LSB)
The Solicitors Act 1974 may still underpin legal regulation, but its age is increasingly showing. Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Morrison-Hughes of the Association of Costs Lawyers argues that the Act is ‘out of step with modern consumer law’ and actively deters fairness
A Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruling has reopened debate on the availability of ‘user damages’ in competition claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Edward Nyman of Hausfeld explains how the CAT allowed Dr Liza Lovdahl Gormsen’s alternative damages case against Meta to proceed, rejecting arguments that such damages are barred in competition law
The next generation is inheriting more than assets—it is inheriting complexity. Writing in NLJ this week, experts from Penningtons Manches Cooper chart how global mobility, blended families and evolving values are reshaping private wealth advice
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