C-Paid: Contested Probate and Inheritance Dispute Solutions

07/04/2026

A terminally ill father changes his Will in hospital, cutting out two of his three children and leaving everything to one daughter. The family home (worth £600,000) hangs in the balance. Two months later, the father is dead. The disinherited siblings take the matter to court. The result? The deathbed Will is struck down, the previous Will reinstated, and the daughter who stood to inherit everything is left facing legal costs of over £400,000.

This is not a hypothetical. It is what happened in Stewart-Brown v Patel, decided in the High Court in December 2025. And it illustrates, in vivid and practical terms, how the law deals with Wills made in suspicious circumstances at the end of life.

Deathbed Wills: How the Patel Case Shows They Can Be Overturned A terminally ill father changes his Will in hospital, cutting out two of his three children ...

04/02/2026

Why the law should recognise that when stepparents include stepchildren in mirror wills, there must be a deal.

One in three UK families is now "blended" – a term describing households where one or both partners have children from previous relationships. For these families, inheritance planning presents a unique challenge: how do you provide for your spouse while ensuring your own children aren't left with nothing?

The answer, for many couples, is mirror wills. Each spouse leaves everything to the other, with the estate passing to all the children – biological and step – on the second death. It seems fair. It seems sensible. And it is devastatingly easy to exploit...

Read more here:

Why the law should recognise that when stepparents include stepchildren in mirror wills, there must be a deal. One in three UK families is now "blended ...

17/07/2025

14/07/2025

Running into issues getting your rightful inheritance from an estate? C-PAID can help. Get in touch now for a free consultation.

Leave your details on the form at www.cpaid.co.uk or call us directly on 0161 532 8111.

21/06/2024

In the realm of contentious probate, few pieces of legislation carry as much weight as the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, commonly referred to as the Inheritance Act. This crucial law serves as a safeguard for individuals who find themselves inadequately provided for in a deceased person’s will or under the rules of intestacy.

As we await a potentially groundbreaking decision in the case of Hirachand v Hirachand, it’s essential to understand the far-reaching implications this could have on future Inheritance Act claims and the broader landscape of contentious probate...

In the realm of contentious probate, few pieces of legislation carry as much weight as the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, commo ...

19/05/2024

In a bitter High Court battle that highlights the perils of relying on verbal promises in family businesses, Kevin Renaut, 47, is suing his father, John, 67, over claims that he reneged on a promise to hand over ownership of the family's £2 million free-range chicken farm in Norfolk. Kevin claims that he dedicated his life to working on the 50-hectare estate since the age of ten, based on repeated assurances that the lucrative business would become his upon his father's retirement....

In a bitter High Court battle that highlights the perils of relying on verbal promises in family businesses, Kevin Renaut, 47, is suing his father, John, 67 ...

14/05/2024

Probate Fee Increase: Balancing Improved Services and Executor Concerns As of May 2024, the fee for applying for a Grant of Probate in England and Wales has risen from £273 to £300. This change, announced following the government's consultation on "Implementing increases to selected court and tribunal fees", has raised both hopes and concerns among those involved in the probate process....

Probate Fee Increase: Balancing Improved Services and Executor Concerns As of May 2024, the fee for applying for a Grant of Probate in England and Wales has ...

13/05/2024

The rules of intestacy changed on 26 July 2023. If your spouse or civil partner dies without a valid Will after this date, the statutory legacy you will receive has increased to £322,000 plus 50% of the remaining assets. The other 50% will go to any children of the deceased.

But what if you were not married or in a civil partnership with the deceased? Or what if you were a stepchild or grandchild? The laws of intestacy may leave you with little or no inheritance, even if that's not what your loved one would have wanted.

If the laws of intestacy have prevented you from receiving reasonable financial provision from an estate, we may be able to help you make a claim on a No Win No Fee basis. Our latest article explains how the rules work and what you can do if they result in an unfair outcome:

https://www.cpaid.co.uk/inheritance/laws-of-intestacy-what-happens-when-someone-dies-without-making-a-will/

Don't let the laws of intestacy deny you the inheritance you deserve. Contact us today to see if we can help ensure you receive fair provision from your loved one's estate.

Have you been told that you don't inherit anything from a loved-one's estate "because of the laws of intestacy", but don't know wha ...

29/04/2024

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29/04/2024

https://www.cpaid.co.uk/advice/rea-v-rea-court-of-appeal-overturns-high-courts-finding-of-undue-influence-over-2015-will/

The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal against a High Court decision that a daughter, Rita Rea, had procured her elderly mother’s will through undue influence. The judgment in Rea v Rea [2024] EWCA Civ 169 provides important guidance on the high threshold required to prove undue influence in the context of contested wills and inheritance disputes.

If you have your own contentious probate matter or inheritance dispute, please call us on 0161 532 8111, send us a message or go to cpaid.co.uk.

The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal against a High Court decision that a daughter, Rita Rea, had procured her elderly mother's will through undue ...