Leah Woodlee

I recently read a news article highlighting yet another case of someone abusing their power as a Property and Financial Affairs attorney and stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds from a vulnerable relative. Geraldine Skevington-Roberts has been...

Gordon Ramsay and his wife, Tana, welcomed their sixth child at the end of last year. He has recently spoken out to say that despite being millionaires, they will not be financially spoiling their children during their lifetime. He commented that the...

A judge has ruled that a grandad was entitled to give his grandchildren just £50 each out of his £500k estate. Frederick Ward died aged 91, splitting his estate equally between his two surviving children, Terry and Susan. Frederick had...

A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a document which appoints attorneys to act on your behalf in relation to your property and financial affairs, or health and welfare in the event that you cannot make decisions yourself. It is imperative that you take...

Protect Your Stepfamily's Financial Future If you are a parent and your child has remarried and their new partner has children already from a previous marriage or relationship, now is a good time to consider whether or not you should update your...

Protect Your Inheritance in Blended Families It is becoming increasingly common for two families to merge together, as nuclear families are becoming a thing of the past. Often, clients in blended families put off putting in place a will as they do not...

Protect Your Assets Through Conversation Often, it is seen as taboo to talk about what inheritance you are likely to receive, as it is human nature to avoid uncomfortable situations. Parents are sometimes oversharers when it comes to talking about...

Protect Your Future by Rethinking Wills As a wills lawyer, I often hear young people say, “I haven’t got much” and that they think they don’t need to put in place a will. A misconception is that you need to be extremely...

"Protect Your Legacy and Plan Ahead" Gap years are becoming more popular both before and after educational studies and usually contain some form of travelling around the world before they have to settle down and start on their career ladder. ...

You may have watched the documentary on Netflix ‘ Anna Nicole Smith: you don’t know me’, or perhaps you’re already familiar with her story? Anna was probably best known in the public eye for being a Playboy model and for marrying the...

Do you have a plan like Jackie Chan? The famous actor has reported that he will not leave any of his $400 million pound fortune to his son. Jackie has written in his autobiography that he plans on leaving his entire estate to charity and that his son...

Many of you will be familiar with the character Dot Cotton from the popular TV show Eastenders. Dot’s character has received a lot of attention recently from the public due to the large Inheritance Tax bill which was payable on her death. ...

As many of you will know, the actor Heath Ledger sadly passed away in 2008 at just 28 years old. What you may not know is what happened to his £12 million estate. Heath executed a will stating that 50% was to be split between his parents into equal...

Going into the New Year knowing that you are getting your financial affairs in order by executing a will, will give you peace of mind for the rest of the year! Did you know that 59% of adults in the UK do not have a will? This equates to over 31...

Sir Michael Butler died in 2013 and was a collector of 17th-century Ming porcelain and had over 800 individual items estimated to be worth over £8 million. 500 of the items were left to his four children in equal shares by a Deed of...

Roy Panther who famously discovered the “Comet Panther” died in 2016 and a dispute has arisen about who his £400k estate passes to. Roy was a keen amateur astronomer who had always loved space and created a homemade observatory in his...

Jeremy Hunt recently announced in the Autumn Statement (17 November 2022) that the Government is delaying the cap on care costs, in order to save the Government money. What is the cap on care costs? The reform was first...

It is estimated that 40% of the UK want to leave a gift to charity when writing a will, but only 6.3% actually do. The organisation, Remember a Charity, has recently carried out a survey to uncover how many people leave gifts to charities in their wills....

Executors are responsible for dealing with the estate of someone who has died. They are the people that have been legally appointed by a person in their will to administer their estate. The role of an executor can be demanding, so when you make a...

Businessman, Hamish Ogston, has recently announced that he is leaving his £130m fortune to various charities and will not be leaving anything to his children. Parents are often referred to as “the bank of mum and dad” but for Hamish it is...

I recently visited the Old Park Meadow Natural Burial Ground in Chelmsford which is a private natural burial ground which specialises in eco-friendly burial and ash interments. Old Park Meadow has over 34 acres of wildflower meadows and young woodland...

Did you know that one of the best ways to support charities is to leave a legacy to them in your will? Charities often rely on donations made under a deceased’s will to keep the charity going financially, as most charities do not receive lottery...

Daniel Craig has recently made the news, as he has commented again that his children will not inherit his £117 million estate when he passes away. His philosophy is “get rid of it, or give it away before you go”. Daniel, along with many...

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) announced that severe delays in processing Lasting Powers of Attorney applications are due to social distancing rules limiting the number of people in the office. The OPG has stated that once the court fee is received,...

You may have watched a recent episode of the BBC One show, the Repair Shop, where a lady was stunned after finding out a painting that had been passed down to her by her grandparents, was one of the earliest paintings of King Charles II. Often family...

Kate Garraway’s situation regarding her husband, Derek Draper, and his battle with COVID-19 has hit the headlines several times over the past year. Derek has been in hospital struggling with the long-term effects of COVID-19 for over a year....

If you pass away without leaving a valid will and no known family to inherit your estate, then your estate by law passes to the Crown as ownerless property. Ownerless property is often referred to as “Bona Vacantia”. If you have ever watched...

Many people find it tough to hear that in most cases there is no getting away from the fact that you will have to pay for your own care needs. You work hard your whole life and then when the time comes and you need care assistance, your assets can easily be...

Many people do not know that if you get married, this automatically revokes your last will prior to the marriage. To ensure that your assets pass in accordance with your wishes, you will need to update your will once you remarry. ...

The Nottingham Crown Court has announced recently that a deceased’s daughter, Susan Johnson, has pleaded guilty for fraud. After Susan’s mother passed away in 2016, Susan forged her mother’s will by imitating her mother’s signature...

If you have been appointed as a Financial Affairs Attorney under a lasting power of attorney , then you have the responsibility to the donor to act in their best interests. In many instances, the donor appoints a family member or close friend to look after...

When considering making a will , people automatically think about what people or charities they would like to leave their assets to. But what happens to your pets? Pets are often thought of as one of the family and your pet deserves to be looked after in a...

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, presented the 2020 Budget on 11 March 2020 and announced that the government will be increasing the Capital Gains Tax allowance for the 2020/2021 tax year. What is Capital Gains Tax? ...