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Fraudulent Wills and disputed Wills are very serious cases and we would advise you to contact us at your earliest opportunity to discuss any concerns you might have. For expert legal guidance regarding contesting a Will please call Stephensons today on 0203 816 9314.
If you have any concerns about a loved one’s Will or you are currently disputing the validity of a Will our solicitors will be able to review the Will and confirm whether or not it is valid. If we find proof that the Will is invalid we will then be able to advise you on the next steps.
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Unfortunately, fraudulent Wills are not uncommon. Here at Stephensons, our solicitors have vast amounts of experience in dealing with a variety of Will fraud cases in the UK. If you want to challenge the Will of a loved one on the basis that it may have been forged, we may be able to help you.
There are a number of examples of fraudulent Will cases, including (but not limited to):
If you believe that the signature of a loved one on their Will is not theirs, you may be able to challenge the Will on the basis of it being forged. In order to prove this, you would have to obtain original examples of the deceased’s signature. As a person’s signature may naturally change over time and degenerate as they get older, the signatures should be those dated from around the time that the Will was made. It may be necessary at some point to obtain a report from a handwriting expert.
It is vital that you are aware that you can also be penalised by the court if you allege fraud without reasonable evidence, and are unsuccessful, as it is considered to be a very serious allegation under UK law. Under these circumstances, the court could order that you have to pay your opponent’s legal costs. This is a very complex area of law, and we would strongly advise that you seek legal advice at the very start of your case, to minimise the potential of costs being ordered against you. Stephensons have a specialist inheritance dispute team who will be able to advise you in relation to your dispute.
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In order for a Will to be valid, it must comply with certain strict formalities. For example:
In some cases, Will disputes occur if there have been significant changes to a person’s Will a short time before their death. For example, if the deceased’s Will left their estate to a partner or family member but this was changed shortly before their death, you may be questioning the validity of the new Will. If you need to obtain a copy of the Will, you should apply for a standing search.
The most common grounds for a Will to be disputed include:
If you have any concerns about a loved one’s Will, or you are currently disputing the validity of a Will, Stephensons’ specialist UK solicitors will be able to review the Will and confirm whether or not it is valid. If we find proof that the Will is invalid we will then be able to advise you on the next steps.
For expert legal advice regarding fraudulent Wills or disputed Wills, please contact Stephensons today by calling 0203 816 9314. Alternatively, you can complete our online enquiry form and someone will be in touch with you as soon as possible.
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