Today's Wills & Probate Podcast

Given the changing dynamics of estate planning and private client law there is an opportunity for lawyers and law firms to reassert the principle of the 'family lawyer'; someone to whom a family can turn to time and again for legal needs. Not a purely transactional relationship, but one based on trust and mutual respect.  It is one of the topics discussed in a wide-ranging discussion on...

After a baptism of fire when just 16 days into her new role as CEO of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) Jennifer Coupland was thrust into one of the biggest crises legal services has faced since the Legal Services Act with the Mazur ruling and subsequent appeal. In a wide ranging discussion on the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast, Coupland discusses how she handled the imme...

When we think about scattering a loved ones' ashes we might picture a favourite spot or peaceful place that holds an important part in our lives.  Not many of us would think about releasing them from a drone; but that's exactly what Matt Young thought about with Aerial Ashes; a service which scatter ashes using a unique slow‑release mechanism that created a gentle, symbolic plume in the...

The latest Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast turns its attention to one of the profession’s most persistent, and least openly discussed, challenges: the impact of maternity leave on women’s careers in law.  While the legal sector is not alone in perpetuating the motherhood penalty, the measurable career disadvantage experienced by women after having children, the podcast explores the unique pressu...

The latest Today’s Wills & Probate Podcast looks at what can be understood from analysis of over 250,000 Wills and what clients really want.  The data is drawn from LEAP Estates' comprehensive 2026 Private Client Industry Report which also looks at close to 200,000 LPAs to inform a profession responding to shifting demographics and rising complexity. Joining host David Opie is Andy Hitcho...

Founded in 2020 Provira is one of a handful of FCA-regulated organisations offering inheritance and estate lending services to cover inheritance tax and estate costs.  In this latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast episode host David Opie speaks with John Sanderson, Director of Partnerships at Provira, about the growing role of inheritance and estate lending in the probate process, explorin...

The latest episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast welcomes Senior Ombudsman at the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) Clair Daniel to explore the current landscape of legal complaints handling, the challenges facing firms, and the strategic work underway to improve first‑tier resolution across the legal sector. The backdrop to the discussion is the increase in the number of cases in which LeO identif...

From lawyer, to Microsoft and Meta, and now to Arken.legal, Anthony Philips legal journey takes him through a series of household technology names and halfway round the world before recently landing as CEO at the will writing and technology platform.  In this wide-ranging discussion, Philips shares his reflections on his own journye, and that of the wills and probate sector which is going through...

A deeply personal tragedy is the inspiration behind a new book launched by will writer Steve Bish, and the topic of discussion on the latest Today’s Wills and Probate podcast. Bish is somewhat typical of many will writers who have unconventional routes in to the legal profession. His own career began in sales, marketing, training and recruitment, before running a traditional wooden window manufact...

Estate planning is changing; demand is rising, lifestyles are changing, family structures are becoming more complex, and taxation is crippling. Clients no longer want, or indeed need, a simple will. They want a plan. Something reviewed regularly. Something that adapts as life changes. It's the topic of the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast as host David Opie welcome Andrew Houston...

The latest Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast dives into one of the most pressing conversations in private client work: how technology can transform the way people create and register Lasting Powers of Attorney. Host David Opie welcomes Matt Cresswell, founder of Power of Attorney Online, for a discussion about modernising a process that millions still find confusing, slow and inaccessible. Like ma...

The latest episode of Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast welcomes Angus Houston, founding director of Pavilion Row, in conversation with host David Opie. Angus shares the story behind Pavilion Row’s creation and its mission to support professionals working in wills and probate. He reflects on the early challenges of establishing a business in such a sensitive area and the values that continue to gu...

"Be prepared, because the person who turns up might be that bloke who used to read the News at 10." Journalist and broadcaster Alastair Stewart OBE joins the first podcast of the latest series of the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast to discuss his personal journey and challenges of living with vascular dementia. In a candid and personal discussion Stewart shares details of his earl...

With private equity funding fuelling the UK legal services market the Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcomes one of the latest additions to the cohort, Vault Private Client, to the podcast.  Vault is the newest practice within the Beyond Law Group; a private equity backed legal services firm which describes itself as 'a disruptive, non-traditional law firm that builds and manages spe...

To what extent do women feel as though there is a glass ceiling in law and how can we overcome that? That is the question posed in the latest episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast, as host David Opie sits down with Cara Doyle and Katie Howard from JMW Solicitors to explore gender equality in the legal profession. Cara is a solicitor in the firm’s private wealth team, advising clients on...

As more than half of lawyers say they anticipate leaving their role within the next five years because of poor mental health and wellbeing, the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast tackles the issue head on with a wide ranging discussion on what organisations can do to protect their staff.  Joining the podcast are Trish McLellan and Niamh Warnock of LawCare; a mental health and wellbeing...

The latest episode of the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast, takes a musical tur as host David Opie welcomes John Heavens, CEO of Your Legacy Solutions - and a professional jazz musician. John shares with David his background and how the worlds came to collide; and how he manages to balance his two professions.  By day, he leads a tech-driven estate planning firm. By night, he’s a signed voca...

The probate industry is under increasing pressure to demonstrate practitioners have acted in the best interest of the estate, particularly as beneficiaries become more financially dependent on inheritances. The Probate Registry has done much to ease the pain of delays and now private enterprise is playing its part in helping law firms and probate professionals remain on the right side of complianc...

In this episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast, host David Opie is joined by Elka Goldstein, founder of Sort & Store, to explore how estate clearance is being reimagined for one of probate’s most emotionally fraught tasks: clearing a loved one’s home. Sort and Store has taken the traditional house clearing process and introduced a digital element, documenting and cataloguing every it...

In this episode of Today’s Wills and Probate, host David Opie welcomes Dan Baines, Founder and CEO of Advanced Inheritance, for a deep dive into the growing role of probate lending in modern estate administration. With delays in probate often leaving beneficiaries in financial limbo, organisations like Advanced Inheritance now offer a regulated, consumer-first solution designed to ease the provide...

This episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast is hosted by David Opie and features Lucinda Frostick, Director of Remember A Charity, and Meg Edwards, a solicitor specialising in trusts and estates disputes at Shakespeare Martineau. Their discussion centres on legacy giving, inheritance tax, and the importance of clear communication between advisors and clients. Lucinda introduces Remember...

In this episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast, host David Opie explores the evolving world of probate property sales through the lens of auctions. He’s joined by Russell Taylor, Managing Director and Auctioneer at probate.auction , and Corin Holness, Corporate Relationship Director. Together, they unpack how the auction process is helping executors, legal professionals, and beneficiarie...

In this episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast, David Opie welcomes a panel of legal experts to explore the recent Addison and Niaz case and its important implications for Larke v Nugus requests. He is joined by Lucy Scourfield, associate in the contentious trusts and probate team at Forbes Solicitors; Shannon Thompson, a non-contentious Wills, Trusts and Probate solicitor at Forbes, who...

In this episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast, host David Opie welcomes Anthony Allsopp, Head of Business, and Simon Barber, Technical Manager at Title Research, to explore the nuanced challenges of probate genealogy and the role of missing beneficiary insurance. The conversation begins with a look at Title Research’s history, from its founding in 1965 to its evolution into a specialist...

The project to modernise wills law book-ends the career of Professor Nick Hopkins in his role as the Commissioner for Property, Family and Trust Law at The Law Commission as he departs in the coming months following the end of his tenure. Before he departs Nick sits down with Today's Wills and Probate Podcast host David Opie to discuss the culmination of 10 years' effort, resulting in th...