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26 November 2009 / Michael Tringham
Issue: 7395 / Categories: Features , Wills & Probate
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2010: the Year of the Will?

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Michael Tringham predicts the future for inheritance law

If 2009 was the year of contentious probate, perhaps 2010’s sobriquet will be the Year of the Will.

BBC2 has recruited Sir Gerry Robinson, former chairman of broadcaster Granada, to present Legacy, a 6 x 60-minute TV series intended to help people “confront the emotional dilemmas of writing a will.

Sir Gerry will work alongside a lawyer to guide people through the process and deal with “the taboos of choosing between the people you love”. These include what to do, having remarried, about legacies for step-children. The programme makers were spurred on by research showing that even among the UK’s over-60s, one in four does not have a valid will.

Law Commission reviews intestacy laws

Meanwhile the Law Commission has set a legal cat among some pigeons with its consultation paper reviewing the intestacy laws. Comments are welcome until the end of February next year via the Law Commission’s website: www.lawcom.gov.uk.

The declared intention is to “bring inheritance law up to date to meet the needs and expectations of modern families...”. Cohabitation

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