Is Covid changing how we plan for the future?
Writing a Will has three major benefits: You can ensure your wishes are carried out. Personal bequests got to the people and charities that you want to benefit. You don't leave a stressful situation for family and friends to sort out after your death. The difficult...
Simple or complicated, what’s your will type?
Search online for ‘simple’, ‘free’ or ‘cheap’ will writing and you’ll be presented with a range of website results including sponsored adverts promising that you can sort everything in five minutes flat. In theory, you could scribble who you want to leave your earthly...
Who cares?
Care homes are increasingly asking potential residents of their homes to ensure that the resident has Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) in place. We have had a number of cases recently where clients have asked us to assist with this due to requests from the care home...
Boomerang kids?
We all know things have changed when it comes to children flying the nest. The price of property is a serious hurdle and many ‘children’ are remaining in, or returning to, the family home into their late 20s and 30s. But what would happen if you died? Would...
Should I get a solicitor to write my will?
The ongoing pandemic has understandably caused many people to make Wills for the very first time. “Do It Yourself” Will-making kits have become an increasingly common means of creating a Will in recent years. They are a cheap alternative to a professionally prepared...
Lasting powers of attorney (refund fees deadline)
We reported previously that the Office of the Public Guardian are making partial refunds to people who had paid to register their Lasting Powers of Attorney between the 1st April 2013 and the 31st March 2017. This was due to the Office of the Public Guardian...
The small business (online and copyright)
On Thursday 4th June, Four Oaks Legal Services Director, Stuart McIntosh, ran an online Zoom session aimed at small businesses. The session covered copyright issues that affect small businesses online. The feedback from the session was fantastic, so for those of you...
Stuart McIntosh and EBM are inviting you to another webinar…
After the success of last week's webinar, Stuart is back this week with another session for small businesses. This time the topic will be "Your Website and Social Media Output – it is your property ?" The webinar will take place via Zoom on Thursday 18th June at 9am....
Online seminar invitation
“THE SMALL BUSINESS ONLINE and COPYRIGHT.” Because of the pandemic, small businesses should be looking carefully at the way they do business and how they may benefit from increasing use of online facilities. Stuart McIntosh, from Four Oaks Legal Services in Lichfield,...
Disposing of personal items in your will
During our lifetime, we collect many personal items (or chattels as we lawyers like to call them), such as our breakfast bowl, jewellery, cars and, perhaps even, works of art. We dispose of some of these items too, as they either wear out; cease to be of interest to...
‘Lost’ wills following closure of law firm
It is not uncommon through the passage of time, that law firms re-locate or sadly close down. This can result in other law firms inheriting their Will Banks and on occasions, this can sometimes result in the original Will Writer not knowing the current location of...
Homemade wills are ok? Aren’t they?
We often get asked to comment on Wills that a person has drawn up themselves or has prepared via an internet based provider. The number one question asked is “Are they legally valid?”. The second is “Are they worth the paper they are written on?”. To be...