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When an estate is to be administered, an application for probate must first be made if the deceased left a will. Once probate is granted, the process can begin. However, the mere granting of probate does not mean that all is said and done on the matter, as a will can be contested. Normally, wills are contested on the grounds that the person making the will was mentally incapable or under the 'undue influence' of someone else, or that the will is invalid for some other reason (such as being...

In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled that a bakery in Northern Ireland's refusal to make a cake bearing a slogan in support of same-sex marriage was not discriminatory. The legal battle began four years ago after Ashers bakery, a family-run business based in County Antrim, refused to make a cake decorated with the Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie, with the message 'Support Gay Marriage', that had been ordered by gay rights activist Gareth Lee. The branch in Belfast where Mr Lee had placed his order originally accepted...

The perceived generosity of English judges in big money divorce cases has made the UK the venue of choice for some – but anathema for others. However, as one case showed, judicial priorities have more to do with fairness than finance. The case concerned a Swiss-born billionaire businessman, much of whose wealth derived from his father. Prior to his marriage to his British wife, the couple signed a pre-marital agreement that sought to protect his family property from any future financial claims she might make if the marriage ended in...

If you are approaching pension age, unless you are one of the increasingly few with a salary-related pension scheme, you would be wise to take professional advice before you take any irrevocable action. The decisions taken at certain points in managing your pension will affect the whole of your retired life and may also impact on how much of your estate passes to your family. Under the current pension system, those who have 'money purchase' type schemes will typically either take an annuity or manage their own pension fund using...