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30 October 2020
Issue: 7908 / Categories: Legal News , Covid-19 , Wills & Probate
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NLJ this week: Remote wills

Wills can be witnessed using video conferencing technology, thanks to an emergency COVID-19 executive measure. It defines ‘presence’ in statute for the first time

However, the Justice Secretary’s Order facilitating this has some ‘curious features’, solicitor Nick Bevan writes in NLJ. He scrutinises the legislative move, the run-up to it and the manner with which it was communicated.

Bevan identifies some mixed messages, half measures and missed opportunities. Moreover, he writes, there appear to be ‘two concurrent video will execution regimes in force’. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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