header-logo header-logo

08 August 2013 / Henrietta Mason , Jag-Preet Kaur
Issue: 7572 / Categories: Features , Wills & Probate
printer mail-detail

Where there’s a will...

Jag-Preet Kaur & Henrietta Mason provide a wills & probate update

The recent case of Schrader v Schrader [2013] EWHC 466 (Ch), [2013] All ER (D) 89 (Mar) concerns will validity. On 1 October 1990 Jessica Schrader (the deceased) executed a will (the 1990 will) in which she left the residue of her estate to her two sons Bill and Nick. The will was prepared by the deceased’s usual solicitors, Cullens. The residue included her house.

On 12 April 2006 the deceased made a further will (the 2006 will) leaving legacies of minor value to grandchildren and specifically her house to Nick. The residue (which, without the house, was of little value) was to be divided between Bill and Nick. The 2006 will was not prepared by Cullens, but instead by a will-writing business called Premier Wills. The deceased died aged 98 on 21 January 2008.

The defendant, Bill, sought to prove the original 1990 will, being unaware of the existence of any later will.

Six months after the deceased died,

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
back-to-top-scroll