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15 February 2007 / Paola Fudakowska , Abigail Palmer-page , Paul Hewitt
Issue: 7260 / Categories: Features , Wills & Probate
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Wills and probate

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VALID TESTAMENTARY GIFTS >>
ESTATE ADMINISTRATION COSTS >>
BOUNTY HUNTERS >>

FROM HMRC

Practitioners should be aware that as Capital Taxes no longer exists as an entity, in future it will be known as HM Revenue & Customs Inheritance Tax and, over time, all references to Capital Taxes, CT and CTO will be removed from letters, forms and guidance.

CONSTRUCTION
Gibbs v Harding [2007] EWHC 3 (Ch), [2007] All ER (D) 28 (Jan)

Sister Joseph Harding made a will dated 25 March 2003 which included the following provision:

‘I…wish to revoke my last will and testimony made previous to todays (sic) date…If I should die in the meantime before making another will it is my wish that everything I possess be taken over by the Diocese of Westminster to hold in trust for the Black community of Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Tower Hamlet (sic).’

The question was whether this paragraph created a valid testamentary gift.
On 4 November 2002 Sister Joseph had made a will which left the residue of

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap
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’
NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads
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
NLJ this week: Do Mandelson and Mountbatten-Windsor meet the misconduct bar?
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
NLJ this week: Supreme Court unlocks ‘lost years’ windfall for injured children
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
NLJ this week: Finality trumps freedom in arbitration showdown
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
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