Wills & Probate

Helping your kids to buy a house

With the average house price now at almost £380k, the dream of buying a first home feels ever more out of reach for Generation Z.  As a result, many young people are understandably turning to their parents to help them out.  If you are a parent considering helping your kids to buy a house, there…

DYING MATTERS AWARENESS WEEK 5-11 May 2025

There seems to be an awareness day or week for everything these days, and perhaps ‘Dying Matters Awareness Week’ does sound a little strange, but it nevertheless bears an important message as Solicitor Alice Vage discusses. Tackling a tricky subject to bring peace of mind Many of us are understandably squeamish about discussing matters around…

How do I contest a Will?

The death of a loved one is one of the hardest things in life to go through. If there is also a dispute over their Will, this can make it even more distressing. You may feel that they were not of sound mind when they made their Will or perhaps even were unduly influenced or…

Diddly Squat? IHT, Trusts & Clarkson’s Farm

“People like me will simply put it in a Trust and, as long as I live for seven years, that’s fine.” Jeremy Clarkson So said Jeremy Clarkson when clashing with the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire in typically flamboyant style when protesting with farmers about Labour’s changes to IHT relief for farmers. A substantial increase of tax…

Wills and Divorce – What you need to know.

Our team often get asked about the impact of divorce on existing legal arrangements such as Wills. Rachel Macwilliam, Solicitor in our family law team, explores the topic of Wills and Divorce. Should I wait until after my divorce to update my Will? When you’ve made the momentous decision to get divorced, making a new…

How to prevent your Life Insurance increasing your IHT

Taking out life insurance is something many of us do to protect our families in the event of our death.  However, doing so can unwittingly tip your Estate over the inheritance tax threshold, and mean that your beneficiaries will have to pay HMRC a chunk of the money you had intended them to receive. Solicitor…

Estate Planning for Blended Families

family walking their dog through a field

An estimated 1 in 3 families in the UK now fall into the category of being described as a blended family (or step-family, i.e. one in which a couple lives together with children from their previous relationships). Whilst often having many positive benefits, such families are increasingly involved in bitter inheritance disputes that could have…

What is a Flexible Will?

lady with a child on her back kissing her cheek

Lucy Wilton, a solicitor in our Wills, Trusts and Probate team talks about Flexible Wills – What they are, why you might choose one, and how they work. A Simple Will You wouldn’t believe the number of people who contact us saying they would like to make a ‘Simple Will’. The reason most people make…

Meet Lucy Wilton, Solicitor at Penderlaw

Lucy Wilton

We’re proud of our team at Penderlaw Solicitors. Both knowledgeable and friendly, they are at the heart of our firm, what we do and the service we provide. In the second of our Meet the Team series of blog posts, we introduce Lucy Wilton (nee Duffin), from our Private Client team who deal with matters…