Wellbeing, later life lending, attorney duties, regulation and contentious probate
This week’s roundup brings together five recent stories reported by Today’s Wills and Probate, highlighting some of the key issues currently affecting legal professionals, Willwriters, estate planners and private client practitioners.
Source: All stories summarised below are based on reporting by Today’s Wills and Probate.
Story 1 Threefold increase in solicitors seeking wellbeing support
The Solicitors’ Charity has reported a significant increase in demand for support, with three times as many solicitors seeking help with their wellbeing compared with three years ago.
Its Big Report 2025–2026 highlights increasingly complex needs, often involving overlapping financial, emotional, professional and physical pressures. The report also found that two thirds of clients, and nearly three quarters of new clients, are women.
More than four in five people who contacted the charity said its support helped them feel better able to cope.
For the wider profession, this is a reminder that wellbeing cannot be treated as a side issue. Sustainable practice, good client care and professional standards all depend on people being properly supported.
Practitioner takeaway: Firms and professional bodies should continue to make support visible, accessible and normalised across the sector.
Story 2 Later life lending reaches a critical evolution point
The Financial Conduct Authority’s market study into later life lending is now underway, with Equity Release Group describing the sector as being at a “critical evolution point”.
The review will examine whether the market is working effectively for consumers, including product suitability, accessibility, consumer understanding and overall outcomes.
With many people under-saving for retirement, later life lending may play an increasingly important role in how clients manage property wealth, retirement income and long-term financial planning.
For Willwriters and estate planners, this matters because later life lending decisions can sit closely alongside inheritance planning, care funding, family expectations and estate value.
Practitioner takeaway: Estate planning conversations are increasingly connected with wider financial planning, particularly for clients approaching or already in retirement.
Story 3 Undue influence found in property gifts, but Will upheld
In a significant High Court case, a daughter and son-in-law were ordered to return substantial assets to an estate after the court found they had unduly influenced Jeanne MacDougall into transferring three properties to them.
The court rejected claims that Mrs MacDougall’s final Will was invalid, finding that she had genuinely wished to reward her daughter and son-in-law for their care. However, the court found that property transfers and use of bank accounts during lifetime were a very different matter.
Both attorneys were found to have breached their fiduciary duties, with the judge finding that the deceased’s accounts and assets had been used as if they were their own.
The case highlights the important distinction between testamentary decisions and lifetime transactions, particularly where powers of attorney, family control and property transfers are involved.
Practitioner takeaway: Attorneys must understand that they are fiduciaries. Ignorance of their duties is not a defence.
Story 4 SRA chair steps down after saying mistakes have been made
Anna Bradley has stepped down as chair of the Solicitors Regulation Authority after eight years in the role, acknowledging that mistakes had been made and apologising to the profession.
Her statement recognised that the regulator had not kept pace with changes in the legal market, with consequences for both consumers and professionals.
The SRA has identified four key priorities: operational excellence, proactive risk identification, focusing on the biggest issues and improving collaboration.
The appointment of a new chair will coincide with the development of the regulator’s next three-year corporate strategy, making this an important period for the future direction of legal regulation.
Practitioner takeaway: Regulation must evolve alongside changing risk, consumer expectations and legal service delivery models.
Story 5 High Court declares trust documents a sham in £5m estate dispute
In another significant contentious probate ruling, the High Court found that declarations of trust relating to several London properties were shams and had no legal or equitable effect.
The documents had suggested that properties in the deceased’s name were owned in one-third shares by him, his brother and their mother. The court found that this was a fiction designed to give a false impression of the true value of the estate.
The ruling restored properties worth up to £5 million to the estate and provides important guidance on the role of professional independent administrators.
The judgment makes clear that independent administrators are not always passive observers. Where estate assets may have been diverted, concealed or placed beyond the estate through questionable documentation, administrators may need to take an active position.
Practitioner takeaway: Suspicious documents and asset arrangements should be carefully scrutinised, particularly where they significantly reduce the apparent value of an estate.
Final thoughts
These five stories cover very different areas of practice, but together they show a profession dealing with increasing complexity.
Wellbeing pressures, evolving later life lending, attorney misconduct, regulatory change and contentious probate disputes all point to the same wider message: professional judgement, clear advice and robust processes matter more than ever.
For Willwriters, estate planners and probate practitioners, staying informed is not just about following the news. It is about understanding how wider developments affect client advice, risk management and professional responsibility.