The latest Red Kite Law legal column from the Carmarthen Journal
‘The Business Brief’ is the new column from Red Kite Law in the Carmarthen Journal. By Dymphna Powell, solicitor, Red Kite Law Here’s a big question for you to consider today: Inheritance claims - can you avoid them? Courts are increasingly required to deal with disputes arising from a lack of financial provision made by a deceased person for their unmarried partners. English Law does not provide an automatic right for a spouse or cohabitee (unmarried partner) to benefit from a deceased’s will. However, the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 allows the court to make orders to give financial provision to a spouse or cohabitee, in estates distributed by either a will or intestacy (an estate administered without a will). Intestacy is a common cause of court proceedings for financial relief by a spouse or cohabitee (the intestacy rules makes only limited statutory provision for a spouse). A cohabitee wishing to make a claim against a deceased partner’s estate must