The Today's Wills and Probate Podcast welcomes back Dan Warburton, a law firm consultant and trainer who specialises in helping individuals delegate work more effectively; in the process junior staff are elevated, the individual has a happier work/life balance, and ultimately the firm can be more profitable.

It's a soapbox Dan has jumped on before having appeared previously on the podcast to discuss “the skill of profitable delegation;” creating leaders who can deliver high levels of performance across their team. Few partners achieve what Dan describes as a “transition out of being a technician in the business to being a business owner"; it should be their objective to remove themselves from a position where the structure and success of the organisation relies on them.

This discussion centres on the launch of Dan's book "Delegate Now to Supercharge Your Profits" in which he outlines the secrets to his methodology;

• including the key differences between "delegation" and "profitable delegation" - "It’s easy to delegate work away ineffectively... It’s a very different skill to delegate work away and have it handled to a high standard whilst gaining a great reputation and making a firm reliably profitable.")
• Proactive and reactive management - "I’ve come to see that there really is no other way than leading regular one-on-one calls to lead and manage team members effectively."
• Leading teams in a way that makes them loyal to you

Throughout the podcast Dan discusses tips and tactics for how to work with individuals in the business to help them become more efficient, effective and confident members of the team which in turn enables leaders to lead, rather than remaining forever in the The Law Technician’s Valley of Doom - It’s where partners are all burned out from working long hours and cannot see how to increase their firms’ profits without working even longer hours.

They cannot stop working, and they cannot take breaks to recharge their batteries very often. They take holidays infrequently because their firms rely on them so much to keep operating.

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast is available on your preferred podcast provider, and at www.todayswillsandprobate.co.uk. Subscribe today to hear all the latest news and views across the wills and probate sector.

In the second episode of the fourth series of the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast, host David Opie sat down with Taz Khalid, CEO, and Jean Ward, COO of My Probate Solicitor (MPS), to discuss the launch of the new business and the introduction of ZENA—an AI-powered “warrior princess” designed to streamline probate services for an ageing and growing population.

MPS was founded as a tech-centric firm with AI at its core, offering a fixed-fee solution for probate. Ward, who transitioned from a background in personal injury to the private client sector, saw an opportunity to create a more efficient and controlled process. By commissioning AI and training it with carefully curated data, the team has successfully developed ZENA to enhance their services.

MPS specialises in probate, wills, and trusts while maintaining a transparent, fixed-fee model. They describe their process as being 'streamlined and AI-powered' guiding clients through each step with precision and ease.

Khalid and Ward emphasised their vision for MPS is as a leader in legal tech placing the client at the centre of the experience; they will, for example, provide direct phone support where clients can receive immediate assistance.

Looking ahead, Khalid expressed a desire for the probate market to move towards fixed fees, ensuring fairness and transparency for consumers. As an SRA-regulated firm, MPS hopes to set an example for the legal industry, encouraging other professionals to adopt a more tech (and consumer) friendly approach.

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast is available on your preferred podcast provider, and at www.todayswillsandprobate.co.uk. Subscribe today to hear all the latest news and views across the wills and probate sector.

In the first episode of the fourth series of the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast, host David Opie is joined by Alison Hesketh of TimeFinders; a service best described as providing later life admin support.

Filling the "yawning gap" between the legal and financial professions, and the care sector, Timefinders was set up in 2010 following Alison's own experiences of supporting her family.

Initially focused on retirement downsizing, the business rapidly widened its services to help people 'live in the right place at the right time.' There is little information about care options and contingency planning, says Alison. And as we are regularly reminded, when only c.60% of the adult population have a Will, encouraging people to think about what happens in later life can be challenging.

"What happens if you can't drive any more; what happens if you can't get upstairs and you don't have facilities downstairs... these questions are things people don't want to think about but what we find is when we guide them through that process, every single time clients say they feel so much better because it's been a worry in the back of my mind."

TimeFinders works with legal and financial advisors to ensure people are properly prepared with up to dates Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney as an example. Their advocacy service is designed to help clients make important decisions about their future while they can; and often work with people whose own family is unable to provide that dedicated support, whether through distance or other commitments.

It's disappointing, concludes Alison, successive governments have kicked the social care can down the road and we have to do something to protect the most vulnerable in society.

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast is available on your preferred podcast provider, and at www.todayswillsandprobate.co.uk. Subscribe today to hear all the latest news and views across the wills and probate sector.

What is the current sentiment across the profession around wills, probate, client experience, speed of administration, attitude toward financial services... that is the topic of the latest Today's Wills and Probate which delves into the recently published "Bereavement Index"; an annual report tracking the key issues facing individuals and firms dealing with the administration of death.

It is a "state of the nation" says Aleks Tomczyk, the report's author and co-Founder and Managing of Exizent, covering three key areas of death administration; the individuals and families going through bereavement; the legal profession; and financial services.

This latest version of the report, which is now in its 4th year, covers the attitudes of legal professionals, identifying a marked increase in the percentage of legal firms who think the probate process is "slow and inefficient"; which has increased from 67% in 2022, to 94% this year.

In the first part of this year's report, released earlier in 2024, reassuringly for the profession, 94% of people who turned to a professional for help, would do so again. So, says Tomczyk, the profession is doing something right! But inefficiency and capacity are major issues for firms.

57% of respondents said government need to be better; with delays at HMRC and HMCTS, not to mention the Probate Registry, a constant frustration. And that frustration is increasing, with over 65% of respondents saying they believe probate cases are delayed more than 50% of the time, compared to 39% in 2023.

And then firms themselves could be looking inwardly at investment in dedicated software and technology which will reduce admin. "Software is good at that stuff", say Tomczyk, "putting in information once and using it multiple times to populate court forms and estate accounts for example."

And technology has a huge role to play in the recruitment and retention of talent who are, says Tomczyk, digital natives, regaling a story from a recent university presentation where the room was filled with laptops and tablets, not pen and paper, for note taking.

The report is a fitting end to the latest series of the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast with some useful thoughts and takeaways for firms to think about into 2025 and beyond. The latest report can be downloaded via this link.

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast is available on your preferred podcast provider, and at www.todayswillsandprobate.co.uk. Subscribe today to hear all the latest news and views across the wills and probate sector.

Legal Services Director at Kings Court Trust Charlotte Toogood joins the latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast to impart her experience of working in estate administration over the last 16 years.

With contentious probate on the rise Charlotte shares her thoughts on what we can do as practitioners, and how we can better advise families to either avoid disputes, or deal with them constructively and to the benefit of all.

"There is a lot of information in the national press about estate planning; I don't agree with it all but people believe what they read and as professionals we have a responsibility to educate clients on the complexities, and realities of estate administration."

Take caveats as an example; they are so easy to place electronically and are incredibly impulsive; people simply don't realise the impact and the ensuing delays.

Asked how practitioners can pre-empt disputes Charlotte suggests we need to encourage families to have conversations in their lifetime; rather than wait when it's too late and the decision can't be explained. Clients need to be encouraged to be open about family dynamics; it is the role of the professionals to ask the right questions and encourage open communication from the outset of the relationship, says Charlotte.

She adds where disputes arise, staff can end up bearing the brunt of client frustrations and explains how as a business they have fine tuned their support for staff through line management, regular file review meeting, and the introduction of mental health first aiders at Kings Court Trust.

The podcast finishes with a case study of a complex matter in which Charlotte explains the scenario, and how, through working collaboratively as a business and with their clients and peers, they succeeded in bringing the matter to fruition .

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast is available on your preferred podcast provider, and at www.todayswillsandprobate.co.uk. Subscribe today to hear all the latest news and views across the wills and probate sector.

Today's Wills and Probate Host David Opie is joined by Birketts' Head of the Private Wealth Dispute Team Bernadette Baker and Partner in the team Kate Harris to discuss the case of Leonard v Leonard; a convoluted and disputed probate case concerning the estate of Jack Leonard and the validity of two separate Wills.

Bernadette leads with a comprehensive outline of the case, including considerations for Jack's blended families, his extensive business interests and in later life, failing health.

Kate picks up the details of the disputes which found the later Will, written in 2015, was not valid due to Jack's lack of testamentary capacity. But the case is important for practitioners for a number of reasons

• This case confirmed Banks v Goodfellow is still the correct test for testamentary capacity and has not been displaced by the Mental Capacity Act 2005
• Importantly the case re-affirms the test for the validity relates to the understanding of the Will being written; not just the concept of writing a Will.
• Long term illnesses WILL impact testamentary capacity; as opposed to shorter, episodic illness

The discussion also explores the impact of technology on this case, with Bernadette acknowledging in all likelihood there was evidence on Jack's phone and email accounts that would have been useful in the case; but the inability to access such information meant the evidence was lost. There is a message here for practitioners around advising clients on the ability of their loved ones to access electronics and accounts (like mobile phones) when they are gone.

A fascinating insight into the ramifications of a case that was widely reported on in the national and industry press from the team who successfully brought the case to the courts.

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast is available on your preferred podcast provider, and at www.todayswillsandprobate.co.uk. Subscribe today to hear all the latest news and views across the wills and probate sector.

As one of the disruptors in the wake of the Legal Services Act 2007 QualitySolicitors (QS) was launched in 2009 with the ambition to help the high street fight back against the anticipated onslaught of major brands entering the legal market - so-called 'Tesco Law.'

QS grew rapidly, with firms up and down the country adopting the familiar black and pink branding, adding the name "QualitySolicitors" to their firm name to create greater brand recognition. In 2011 an investment of c.£100m saw Palamon Capital Partners take a majority stake in the group.

In the years since QS has remained steadfast in its support for the high street and, after a short stint as part of Metamorph, emerged relatively unscathed following a Management Buyout (MBO) in 2022.

On this latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast, host David Opie welcomes CEO Richard Skelley and Chief Operating Officer Victoria Browning to discuss what's next for QS.

There is still much continuity; Victoria has been with the business since 2016 overseeing much of the work done to support firms with recruitment and business development, employer branding and conveyancing panel services. And equally there are breaks from the past; QS firms no longer need to rebrand their firm for example.

The business is now focused on 4 key principles, explains Richard. The QS Way: A Philosophy for Sustainable Growth covers People, Process & Procedures, Power of Many, and Profile - principles supported by continued to efforts to help firms through the QualitySolicitors consumer-facing website which still generates 1m hits annually.

And membership has been reviewed with a new tiered approach offering free, 'lite' and full options for firms. It is, says Richard, a much more flexible approach than previously.

We've kept the great bits QS had - we have over 100 sites across the country and still have clients that joined right at the start - and augmented it with a range new options based on member feedback, concludes Richard, adding we are always happy to talk to firms interested in learning more about how QS can support them in the growth ambitions.

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast is available on your preferred podcast provider, and at www.todayswillsandprobate.co.uk. Subscribe today to hear all the latest news and views across the wills and probate sector.

Free and low cost will schemes are an established part of the wills and probate sector, providing charities with valuable legacy income streams, and practitioners with their largest source of lead generation.

The latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast welcomes Richard Millar of Capacity Marketing on to discuss the value of free and low cost will networks.

Capacity Marketing is probably one of those companies you've never heard of, but have almost certainly come across in some way. The business runs the National Free Wills Network, set up in 2008, to bring charities, firms and the public together.

The podcast explores the various views around whether free and low cost will services devalue will writing; and how they can be used as part of the wider estate and later life planning conversation with clients.

There is no doubt, says Richard, will writing is seen in some quarters as a loss lead service. Our own statistics show around 85-90% of those who engage with National Free Wills Network will use it to complete a "Standard" will. But it is absolutely the basis for on ongoing relationship.

And of course for charities, will writing is a vitally important source of income. As Richard says, good intentions count for nothing.

The conversation also discusses the recently published CMA guidance which is welcome and should give the public more protection. He suggests transparency is a hugely important issue to address; comparing a comprehensive service from a city centre firm, to an online will writing questionnaire service might be obvious to us, but assumes a level of knowledge from the public they might not have.

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast is available on your preferred podcast provider, and at www.todayswillsandprobate.co.uk. Subscribe today to hear all the latest news and views across the wills and probate sector.