Lynne Bradey and Isabel McIver give practical advice tips for trustees and their advisers in dealing with vulnerable relatives.

Office of the Public Guardian publishes new guidance for NHS providers which will aid best interest decision making by attorneys and deputies.

Gifting as attorney under the authority of a Lasting Power of Attorney – the High Court reminds us of the restrictions under the Mental Capacity Act 2

Disabled Adaptations in Leasehold flats and common parts.

We take a look at the increase in hourly rates which deputyship firms can charge from 1st October 2021.

New guidance from the Court of Protection on appointing the Official Solicitor in both personal welfare and property, and affairs proceedings.

We explore the most appropriate way to leave money to a vulnerable young person in your will.

The Wrigleys court of protection team will be delivering a series of webinars throughout March this year.

This issue came up recently in the case of E v London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham [2021] EWCOP 7 and here is what happened.

We are delighted to announce that Wrigleys is now a member of the Brain Injury Group’s Court of Protection panel.

LMS a 21 year old with Sotos Syndrome, significant autism and some learning disability lacked the capacity to manage her own finances.

A long awaited catch up.

The first Child Trust Funds have started to pay out this month.

As we reach the end of the seventh week in lockdown, and the media is full of eager reports about how we might get back to normal, I thought I would reflect on how Wrigleys has managed in this period. Our clients lives have not stopped because of the lockdown and a range of challenges […]

OPG updates guidance for deputies and attorneys during Covid-19 lockdown, emphasizing best interests and alternative communication.

In the recent case of ACC and others [EWCOP9] 2020 the Court of Protection has provided a helpful reminder to deputies as to what falls under the general authority as outlined in the deputyship order and also when to seek specific approval for contentious litigation and instructing other departments in a professional deputy’s firm. The […]

This case involved concerns raised by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) about the way an attorney was looking after his father’s affairs.  There is nothing unusual in that and the OPG often brings cases to Court where their investigations of an attorney’s behaviour have found problems.  In this case, the attorney felt aggrieved […]

Deputies are required to provide the OPG with an report each year detailing how they have managed the funds of their loved one.

Social care may force sale of parents' home for fees. Understanding legalities can ease family stress.

The Court of Protection was asked by TQ a former carer of P to make a health and welfare deputy order under Section 16 in her favour. P has a life long diagnosis of a severe form of epilepsy, has severe global delay, is unable to verbally communicate and cannot walk. P requires 24 hour […]

It is not unusual for the Court to look at a person’s capacity to deal with a number of areas of their life.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is responsible for supervising deputies and it has an important role in investigating allegations of wrong-doing by both deputies and attorneys. The OPG also keeps registers of all deputyship orders and Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs). These registers can be searched by member of the public. The OPG […]

In circumstances where a deputy or attorney is acting for someone (I will call them ‘P’ because that is the way they are referred to in the Mental Cap

How to make a successful start as a deputy or attorney Acting as a property and affairs attorney or deputy for a loved one can be a daunting task, but it is one that more and more of us are facing. You have the job of looking after some else’s finances and you very much […]

As the holiday season dawns upon us, a newly elected government takes office following a general election with a turnout of around 32 million voters.

A lot of people understand that the Court of Protection makes decisions about people’s finances.  The Court’s powers are much wider than this though.

Some of the Wrigleys team recently attended the excellent Capacity, the Internet and Social Media conference organised by the Brain Injury Group.  We were treated to very practical and helpful sessions from an eclectic mix of speakers. The main takeaway points for us were: The concerns we have over vulnerability aren’t unique to the internet […]

The national Court of Protection team are delighted to have been recognised in the national legal directory Legal 500, 2020, for a new ranking of tier 2. The team’s new profile reads: “Wrigleys Solicitors LLP covers all aspects of property and financial affairs and currently manages 101 deputyships and over 300 trusts. The specialist team […]

The Court approved Allied Services Trust as a deputy for TWAH, confirming its compliance with legal and regulatory standards.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has released guidance about its complaints and feedback procedure. The guidance can be found here. The guidance only relates to services the OPG provides and not any other body such as the Court of Protection or the High Court. The guidance details the information you will need to […]

The recent case of FL v MJL [2019] EWCOP 31 looked at the authority of a deputy to make gifts from the surplus income of the person whose funds he manages. MJL is a very wealthy individual with wealth of around £17,000,000 resulting in an income in the region of £123,000 but the court’s decision […]

The Office of the Public Guardian has just published guidance on how it deals with safeguarding concerns. Lynne Bradey explores the guidance note.

The fee to make an application to the Court of Protection will reduce to £365 from 22 July 2019.

We are pleased that the Lord Chancellor has announced the discount rate for personal injury lump sum compensation payments. The discount rate governs the amount of money a client should receive when they are paid compensation now for expenditure that will happen in the future.  That could be to purchase an adapted vehicle or equipment […]

Earlier this year this blog analysed the case of Re B: (Capacity: Social Media: Care and Contact) [2019] EWCOP3 in relation to social media. Those who read the judgement will have noticed that the judge also made findings in relation to other questions of capacity that appeared somewhat paradoxical.  There has now been an appeal […]

The Liberty Protection Safeguards are now law. Learn about the highlights of this new legislation.

People who become the subject of Court of Protection proceedings often do so at a time when their life has been impacted by a significant event.

The Office of the Public Guardian has issued guidance for attorneys and deputies thinking of investing money for the person whose affairs they look after. The note reminds attorneys and deputies that they can’t do whatever they like with the person’s money, that the person should be supported to make decisions themselves where possible, and […]

When applying to be appointed as someone’s financial Deputy or awaiting a registered Lasting Power of Attorney to be returned from the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) it may feel like the hard work is over once the document arrives in the post. In reality however, registering the document with financial institutions and utility […]

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) for England and Wales has just published a six year strategy to improve safeguarding of adults at risk https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-strategy-2019-to-2025-office-of-the-public-guardian. This includes developing a fully online service for users to register a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). Whilst more adults than ever now have a registered LPA, EPA or […]

Wrigleys Trustees Limited, our trust corporation at Wrigleys Solicitors, remains a Court of Protection approved panel deputy, available to support people who lack mental capacity. Some professional deputies are called “panel deputies”.  A panel deputy is a deputy appointed from the Court approved list (who have undergone a stringent application process). It is often the […]

Find out if the Court of Protection can send you to jail for breaching an injunction. Read the latest case update on this controversial issue.

The internet, and particularly social media, can provide disabled persons with a great opportunity to express themselves, learn new skills and information, locate support, and interact with others. Sadly, it is not without its dangers. The NSPCC reported this month that over 5,000 online child grooming offences were recorded by police in England and Wales. […]

You might remember the case where the outsourcing of Deputyship duties went wrong? In the second round of litigation in this case following the Court’s decision that Matrix had acted not in compliance with either its statutory or fiduciary duty (as mentioned in our Lynne Bradey’s article here “Trust corporation fails vulnerable clients” – link […]

The meaning of the phrase “nursing and other healthcare” Executive Summary There is a substantial and growing disconnect between the public who see their relatives suffering from profound disability and illness, often involving neurological disorders such as dementia and stroke, and the view of NHS continuing care teams in Clinical Commissioning Groups that such patients […]

A court decided the estate of CJF, a 13-year-old with birth injuries, among his mother and foster carers.

Can a deputy withhold knowledge of the amount of a personal injury settlement from P? Learn about the implication from recent case law.

You might be surprised to find that the answer is yes.

What happens if you instruct your attorney to assist your suicide in your Lasting Power of Attorney.

The tax system is not the most straightforward thing in the world.  Many people with full mental capacity and the ability to access the internet still find they need help to make sure they understand the HMRC policies and regulations. Who helps vulnerable people with their tax? This isn’t just about paying the right amount of […]

A qualified person can be appointed as deputy for property and financial affairs by virtue of holding an office in an approved organisation. The appointment will continue even if the office holder is replaced by another person. The Office of the Public Guardian should be informed of a change in office holder or other relevant […]

Before there is a flurry of over excited gifting, let me make it clear that this gift was only approved by the Court after a thorough consideration of the situation and a best interest assessment. Attorneys have very limited powers to make gift without the Court’s approval.  For example, an attorney can buy a birthday […]

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCOP/2018/17.html Readers might remember that Mr Fitzgerald, a very persistent maker of Court of Protection applications, reappeared a few weeks ago when his latest application was dismissed as without merit.  The last instalment can be found here It seems that Sir James Munby had not heard the last of the tireless Mr Fitzgerald after all.  […]

Following the recent appointment of Sir Andrew McFarlane as President of the Family Division of the High Court comes the announcement of Mr Justice Hayden’s appointment as the new Vice-President for the Court of Protection. The team at Wrigleys wish to congratulate both on their appointments and look forward to the future development of the […]

In case some of you may have missed it, there has been a long awaited reduction in #COP fees from last Wednesday 25 July 2018. The application fee has reduced from £400 to £385 & Appeal fee from £400 to £320. The Hearing fee remains the same. For further information click here  

Son's relentless legal battles against mother's deputy dismissed.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is about to launch a mediation pilot scheme to deal with family conflicts about powers of attorney.   The scheme will apply to Enduring and Lasting Powers of Attorney.  The mediation will be face to face as far as possible.  The views of the person who made the power […]

Case reference ET v JP 2018 EWHC 685 Ch Which Court? If you want the Court to vary a trust with minor beneficiaries but one of those beneficiaries lacks capacity, do you go the Court of Protection or the High Court? Answer – the High Court every time. In this case, the parties could have […]

This is the third edition of Austin Thornton’s publication on Paying for Residential Care. More than ever, due to the continuing care funding crises, practitioners are being regularly contacted by clients for advice on paying for care for themselves or their loved ones.  Austin has been a solicitor for nearly 23 years and has worked […]

A huge thank you to all that attended our second “Through the Maze” Conference, last Wednesday 7 March in Leeds. We heard from five excellent speakers, including our own Austin Thornton. Austin along with Stephen Knafler QC of Landmark Chambers gave interesting talks in relation to the issues surrounding Direct Employment of carers specifically regulation, […]

Did you apply for a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) or Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) to be registered between 1st April 2013 and the 31st March 2017? If you did then you may be eligible for a refund. The Ministry of Justice has embarked on a £69,000,000 refund scheme for people who may have […]

Last week saw the publication of Senior Judge Hilder’s review of the appointment of trust corporations to act as a property and affairs deputy for a protected party, and in particular what information is necessary for the Court to be satisfied that a trust corporation is a fit and proper person to be appointed as […]

Hot on the heels of the PP case, in January 2018 the Office of the Public Guardian has offered an updated practice note for attorneys and deputies. There are some very helpful reminders for attorneys and deputies in this note. The definition of a gift is wider than many people would think and the OPG […]

Citation numbers [2015] EWCOP 93 and [2016] EWCOP 65 Case Impact in Brief If you are acting as an attorney, there are very clear rules about what you can give away and what you can’t. Unfortunately not everybody seems to know them.  In this case the attorneys seem to have sought advice but not from […]

On 7th March 2018, Wrigleys are holding a conference which will look at the regulatory structure underpinning the direct employment of carers.

It’s vital to check “under the hood” when requesting the appointment of a Trust Corporation as deputy. Overview: In a recent case, Matrix Deputies Limited admitted breaching their fiduciary duty by accepting commissions on sales of residential properties belonging to vulnerable clients. They also accepted “failures in administration”. The allegations against Matrix Deputies Limited were […]

New OPG guidance on Court of Protection visitors and the release of their reports. Learn how to request a copy of a report.

This has been hitting the headlines and law reports again recently. We look at the recent cases and include 3 tips for litigators to get the best value out of professional Deputies

wef 21st July 2017, all non-financial orders produced in the Court of Protection will be endorsed with an electronic seal – in place of the current ink fed manual seals.

Notes from the annual OPG Annual Panel Deputy Conference Once a year the Office of the Public Guardian (the OPG) hold their annual conference for professional Deputies who are on their approved panel list. This year’s conference was held in Birmingham on Thursday 6th July and featured some interesting speakers from the OPG, the Official […]

Reflections on an enjoyable and interesting 2017 Conference

The case of JR v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides useful guidance from the Court on what costs are reasonable.

Thank you to everybody who attended an excellent conference yesterday in Leeds.

We heard from 6 excellent speakers and enjoyed some interesting debate on current issues and future developments.

Details of all the speakers are below.

Recent case highlights the importance of attorneys acting in the best interests of their donors, even when making investments to save on IHT.

Her Honour Judge Hilder will be the successor to His Honour Judge Denzil Lush

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) published new guidance on 3 March 2017 for professionals who are appointed to act as an individual’s attorney under an LPA.

Law Society guidance on disclosing an incapacitated person's will to attorneys or deputies, with key points.

As all PI litigators are aware, when victims of life-changing injuries accept lump sum compensation, the actual amount they receive is adjusted  down to take into account of the potential for investment gains following accelerated receipt of damages. The discount rate has been set at 2.5% for over 15 years, during which time interest rates […]

Not in this case, which involved a statutory will application brought in accordance with a previous court-approved compromise agreement

A Judge orders independent advice on the appropriateness of a PI Trust and warns that courts won’t merely “rubber stamp” settlements.

A short list of tips to pass on to your clients that should make a helpful difference to them and their trustees.

‘Yes’ says the court in the matter of Mrs Ann Clarke

In this case the Court of Protection looked at whether a person who lacks capacity should have a trust or a deputyship. The Court also gave some guidance on what evidence it expects to see in similar cases.

We feature the Court’s summary guidance and our own comment below.

LPA donors are now able to appoint attorneys through advance specification in their LPA so that a surviving jointly appointed attorney can continue to make decisions on their own should the other co-attorney be unable to act.

Congratulations to Charlotte Dyson for her place on the definitive annual list of young private client practitioners across the UK

Not-for-profit organisations who act as deputies should ensure that the fees they charge are in accordance with the terms of the deputyship order.

How NOT to behave as a litigant in person: Learn from the mistakes of Mr Fitzgerald, who made false allegations against his solicitor.

The conduct of this professional deputy is rather mystifying and it is unsurprising that the Court removed him.

Professional deputies need to follow the new guidance closely when claiming deputyship general management costs as OPG /SCCO tighten up costs regime.

Yes, says the Court of Protection in the case of Re D.

This decision shows that CoP judges will give considerable weight to the source of a testator’s wealth and how it is being preserved when approving the execution of a Statutory Will.

Not necessarily, said the Scottish Court of Session (Inner House).

Yes, says the Court of Protection.

A daughter continues as health and welfare attorney for her father, though the Judge partially revoked the property and affairs LPA.

The Public Guardian has issued new guidance about gifting for someone acting as a deputy or attorney.

The Public Guardian has issued new guidance on family care payments.

Yes, says the Court of Protection.

This case is very significant for professional deputies. There are immediate implications for deputies and their clients. There are also costs implications.

Clarion’s annual Court of Protection Masterclass is held specifically for court of protection practitioners in order to address the issues faced by Deputies on a day to day basis. This full day event will provide updates in respect of Court of Protection case law, costs and a number of issues from dealing with cases arising […]

Wrigleys is pleased to announce the promotion of Court of Protection solicitor, Jane Netting to partner.

A new study has shown that there was a 20% drop in incidence in the incidence of dementia in the study group, driven by a reduction in men across all ages above 65. Austin Thornton of Wrigleys’ Health & Care team comments here

No, says the Court of Protection. In this case a husband, who could speak a little English but could not read and write English, was appointed Deputy for his wife.

Comment – This is another sad case involving an attorney who seemed to be looking out for his own interests rather than Alma’s.  A panel Deputy is now in place and things are being put right.  Be careful who you appoint as your attorney! Case Details An attorney who took almost £80,000 from his aunt’s […]

No, says the Court. Readers might recall that in March 2015, the Court of Protection had indicated that an application needed to be made to that Court every time the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority were requiring a trust to be put in place.  That point was appealed.  The outcome of the appeal is that a […]

Comment Here we see another sad family dispute. The practice point for us to take from this though is whether somebody who has been acting for one of the parties can switch to a different role and become an independent professional deputy. The answer, quite rightly, is no. There may be non-contentious situations where a […]

The Court of Protection sets guidelines for attorney support payments. Attorneys can be paid for care and expenses, but not for general administration

In this case an attorney who seems to have taken rather too fluid a view of the interaction between his finances and those of his incapacitated mother was removed by the Court of Protection. Comment Here again we see an attorney who seems to have confused the fact that he was receiving his mother’s money […]

Explore a Court of Protection case where a father, initially dismissed as deputy for his daughter, was reinstated by Senior Judge Lush.

The subject of what family members should be paid for gratuitous care has been very topical recently.  The most recent case gives some guidance. Comment This is another eminently sensible decision from Senior Judge Lush.  Readers will be aware that the question of gratuitous care payments has been very much in the mind of the […]

In this case, there had been concerns about the conduct of one of the sons who was a benefits appointee. Comment This case is reasonably unusual because family circumstances have changed and the local authority, which is normally the Deputy of second last resort before a panel Deputy, did not want to step down.  I […]

In some ways this case is unremarkable but every instance of financial abuse is sad, particularly so when it is perpetrated by those a parent should be able to trust. I get a sense here that because Alan had gone into a home, his daughters no longer saw his assets as his. In this particular […]

An alarming new report reveals the number of people who leave major decisions about housing, assets and care to chance. In a nutshell: 86% of people in the Yorkshire and Humber region are currently living with no control over important later-life decisions around their housing, assets, heath, and care 84% of people in the UK […]

From the start of 2016, a 6 month pilot scheme will test whether CoP cases will be heard in private, in public or just open to the media. Sir James Munby (President of the Court of Protection) explains the reasons for this development here

An attorney who “didn’t have a clue” about her duties was removed as attorney but re-appointed as deputy in an inventive solution from the OPG, being blessed by Senior Judge Lush. This case related to AMH, a widow who lived in Greenwich and retired to Herne Bay. The case involved a very challenging family situation […]

The only son of an elderly lady, who charged her £400 a day for visiting her and acting as her attorney and said that a panel deputy would be a waste of time because his mother’s money was coming to him anyway, has been removed by the Court of Protection. Martin is the only child […]

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has changed its way of supervising deputies. Find out more about the new supervision levels and how they may

Court rules on DoLS party status. Decision: not always necessary.

Wrigleys Court of Protection team are celebrating an entry in the prestigious legal industry rankings in the first year of applying. Paul Nash (Managing Partner) comments “It is fitting acknowledgement of the high regard that Lynne Bradey’s team is held by achieving a place in a national list of experts on the first year of […]

Must a person be barred from acting as an attorney if he or she lives outside England & Wales? No says Senior Judge Lush in the case of DGP Law v DGHP (2015 EWCOP 58) Senior Judge Lush referred to ” …technological advances in communications, such as online banking, digital reporting, mobile phone, email and […]

A lady’s choice of executors was given great weight by the Court of Protection in a dispute over who should be appointed as her deputy. PAW has Alzheimer’s dementia.  She was cared for at home by her husband but as her condition deteriorated he was not able to care for her and she entered a […]

Will this be the case when appointing successive Deputies? Hopefully, says the Court of Protection. It is hoped that when the time comes for successive Deputies  to take over they will “faithfully fulfil their responses”,  likening the position to that of godparents and  English Ecclesiastical Law (Canon B23.2). This unusual case, specific to its facts, […]

Son misuses mother's money, loses power of attorney. Court appoints deputies after finding son's conduct "appalling."

The Dementia Action Alliance brings together organisations committed to transforming the lives of people with dementia and their carers. Organisations whether large or small and across all industries are encouraged to get involved. Wrigleys solicitor Charlotte Dyson lead the activities at Wrigleys that are organised to help raise awareness of dementia in England with the overall aim of […]

This case involved a girl, A, who was 18 at the time of the decision.  She had been born prematurely but a few days after she went home, she had respiratory problems and became extremely pale. Her mother took her to the GP who told her not to worry and to take her home. Soon […]

Court allows attorney financial abuse case to proceed. Defence argued missing details on misused funds, but appeal rejected.

A family feud and a complex estate: The Court of Protection steps in to decide.

These standards form an important part of OPG’s improved approach to supporting and supervising professional and public authority deputies. They set out what is expected of deputies and provide an important checklist of actions and behaviours that every deputy should follow. Full details of the deputy standards are here

Wrigleys are proud to join the Office of the Public Guardian’s new panel of Deputies. The role of Deputy involves a lot of responsibility to provide expert guidance to people who can be at their most vulnerable. Ian Potter explains: “The Court of Protection can appoint a Deputy to help manage and deal with the […]

Must the OPG register an LPA regardless of how complex the provisions are? Yes says the CoP Speedread In what appears to be one of the most complicated LPAs ever seen, the Court confirms that the donor of a lasting power of attorney has the right to impose any number of conditions specifying when and […]

Can the Court of Protection only choose from the available options for a person who lacks capacity when making a best interests decision? Yes says CA As well as clarification on the limit of the Court’s discretion to consider wider options to those presented, this case also includes interesting comments for all practitioners on case […]

Dementia Friends Champions Charlotte Buckley and Amy Slinn have held Friends’ information sessions for 96 people at Wrigleys…and counting! Charlotte said “The aim of the information session is to ensure we all have an awareness of Dementia and as a firm we continue to strive to be Dementia Friendly and build on strong ties with […]

A brother and sister were appointed as attorney for their mother. The daughter spent £451,513 of her mother’s money while the son took a back seat. MC is a lady who lives in a residential care home in Aldershot.  Her husband died in 2004.  She has two children; a son, NC who is a mechanic, […]

The Court of Protection takes the unusual step of refusing an application for the revocation of an Enduring Power of Attorney. The application was made by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) in relation to DT, a man with dementia. DT, whose financial affairs are looked after under an Enduring Power of Attorney, is […]

In this case the OPG had concerns about the way a deputy was dealing with his mother’s finances and made an application to remove him. Their concerns fell into three broad categories: They did not feel the financial information provided was sufficient and that there were particular receipts missing from a renovation project; They felt […]

Wrigleys partners with Rotherham Dementia Action Alliance to create free legal guide for dementia patients and families.

The case of re: PV gives us important clarification of what should happen in these sometimes complex cases. PV was injured as a child.  It was accepted that the brain injury he suffered at five months old was non-accidental. He has significant intellectual, cognitive and behavioural problems. Readers may be familiar with the Criminal Injuries […]

A deputy who sent the Office of the Public Guardian a bill for his time spent dealing with them has been removed by the Court of Protection. Unusually for a decision of this kind, there was no suggestion of any financial wrongdoing; it was the deputy’s consistent failure to co-operate with the OPG that contributed to […]

A provision that was included in a Lasting Power of Attorney for Property and Affairs has been deemed contrary to public policy. In summary: The provision (see grey box below) excluded any public authority from obtaining any information about the donor’s property and financial affairs. We have picked out a key extract from the judgment of […]

An attorney who refused to engage with the Court of Protection and Office of the Public Guardian has been ordered to pay her own legal costs. As a result of her conduct (described as “aggressive and disingenuous“), the costs in the case were much higher than they would have been if the attorney had co-operated.  The normal […]

Appointing the right trustees is crucial for families to protect the trust beneficiaries and maximise the benefits to them.

We are delighted to share the news that Matthew Wrigley received the Presidents’ Award at the Yorkshire Legal Awards. The Yorkshire Legal Awards were held in the presence of 500 lawyers at New Dock Hall in Leeds.  Organised by Barker Brooks Communications, publishers of Leeds & Yorkshire Lawyer magazine, The Yorkshire Legal Awards bring together this region’s […]

The BMA awarded Headway's booklet on the Mental Capacity Act, co-written by Ian Potter, in 2014.

The intestacy rules apply to estates of people who have died without a Will. We summarise the main changes in the law in force from 1 October 2014. What are the intestacy rules? To put it simply, for people who die without a Will, the intestacy rules will determine who receives a share of the […]

Wrigleys is supporting Remember a Charity in Your Will Week 2014 by giving away Remember a Charity chocolates in our reception throughout the week. Running from 8 – 14 September, the aim of the annual Remember a Charity in Your Will Week is to raise the profile of charitable giving in Wills and each chocolate […]

Wrigleys are delighted to be added to the NAT’s specialist solicitor list. The National Autistic Society are a leading UK charity for people with autism (including Asperger syndrome) and their families. Lynne Bradey of Wrigleys comments “I am delighted that Wrigleys has been accepted onto the National Autistic Society’s specialist solicitor list.  Our team has lots […]

Should an attorney pay care fees while a dispute about NHS Continuing Care funding is under way? The Court of Protection’s answer in a recent case of OW was clearly yes. In this case, the Court felt that the care fees dispute was really a smokescreen to cover up financial abuse. Members of Solicitors for […]

GM – The Sequel Regular readers of this column will remember the case of GM from April 2013.  That case involved two property and affairs deputies who had made a rather spectacular range of gifts, quite a few of which were in favour of themselves and their own family and who had applied to the […]

The Court of Protection returns to the GM case and gives us another reminder of how deputies should not behave. The headline elements of the case were widely publicised in press earlier this year as it concerned two Deputies (Janet Miller and Janet Phyllis Johnson) for Gladys Meek (deceased) who gifted large amounts without authority […]

Figures released by the High Court this week show that claims against executors for mishandling deceased’s estates have tripled over the last year. These court claims are made by beneficiaries of a deceased’s estate.  For example, executors fraudulently distribute assets (contrary to the provision to the Will) or even steal from the estate themselves. This highlights […]

A County Council and MS and RS This month’s first case looks at gifting, but in a different context from the cases we saw last month.  The application was made by the local authority deputy for MS. MS had expressed a wish to donate £6,832, 10% of his recent inheritance, to his church, the Church […]

The Government has announced a plan to help improve the public understanding of Lasting Powers of Attorney. What is a Lasting Power of Attorney used for? A Lasting Power of Attorney appoints somebody to act for you in the event that you become incapable of making your own decisions – that might be through old […]

In the recent case of AB, the Court of Protection considered the often very difficult question of notifying an absent parent about a Statutory Will In this case, the natural father, who stood to benefit under the intestacy rules, had been violent to AB’s mother and there had been no contact for a number of […]

In the case of X, Y and Z (by their Children’s Guardian) and a case heard at the same time and concerning the same family, A Local Authority and SA involved a difficult decision about the way in which a personal injury award for a woman should be administered and the extent to which those […]

‘JS and KB, MP (Property and Affairs Deputy for DB)’ is a contrast from our usual fare of late.  There have been (too) many cases where attorneys and deputies have been found not to have used money in an appropriate way.  In this case, there was no attorney or deputy at the material time, but […]

There have been two recent cases in the Court of Protection involving gifting from personal injury awards. In the first case, X, Y and Z (by the children’s guardian, a local authority), at the Court of Protection hearing for financial issues joined with the family court which was dealing with the issue of where the […]

A new Code that came into force on 1 April 2014, has been introduced to help protect members of the public seeking advice on a Will. Will writing is not a regulated activity in England & Wales, so anyone can set themselves up as a will writer and charge a fee regardless of training or […]

Court of Protection Appeals The case of TA v AA and Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council [2013] EWCA Civ 1661 provides useful clarification of the way in which appeals should be approached and a warning about the consequences if the procedure is not followed. The particular case concerned a decision on deprivation of liberty but the […]

A recent case showed the Court’s dim view of a family’s financial dealings with their elderly mother’s assets & the importance of a Power of Attorney The recent case of JS and KB and MP (Property and Affairs Deputy for DB) showed the dim view the Court will take of family members who do not […]

Court of Protection in the news (again) The Court of Protection is rarely out of the news these days it seems. The latest coverage appeared in the Independent on Sunday. The subject in the limelight at the moment is a paper submitted by barristers and solicitors working practising Court of Protection work expressing concern about […]

Conditional periodic payments in deputyship cases have been a hot topic recently. The logic behind them is that where capacity is disputed and the claimant and defendant cannot agree whether a deputy will be needed in the future or not, the Periodical Payments Order could be structured so that the element of those future costs […]