Richard Hall of Aldridge Brownlee Solicitors highlights the importance of regularly reviewing your will.
Families are being urged to talk sooner, rather than fight later, following the recent high profile case of disinherited university lecturer Christine Gill, who won back her family’s £2.3million farm when the court declared her mother’s will invalid.
Richard Hall, Partner at Aldridge Brownlee Solicitors in Bournemouth and chair of LawNet’s Private Client Group said: ”The outcome of this case is really the exception, not the rule. Generally it’s very expensive to contest a will; the occasions on which it’s successful are few, and sadly it often signifies the end of relations between family members. People need to talk and perhaps more importantly, they should regularly review their will. “
The judge gave the verdict after hearing that Christine Gill was given repeated assurances that she would inherit the family farm in North Yorkshire and had shown years of devoted support and care for her ageing parents.
The High Court in Leeds ruled that her reclusive mother had been bullied into making the will, leaving everything to the RSPCA, by her over-bearing husband before his death. The judge was satisfied that Mrs Gill had “an avowed dislike” of the RSPCA and wanted her daughter to inherit the farm, but that she had been unduly influenced by her husband.
Hall added: “We really need to get inheritance out of the closet. There’s often a rather British reserve about discussing these things, but it would be better all round if families were more open at the time.”
“It’s also very important to regularly review your will, rather than thinking it’s a one-off final document. Things change, new children are born and perhaps old grudges settled. In this case, if the mother had thought to review the will after her husband died, things could have been resolved quite simply.”
