Today's Wills & Probate Podcast

Dylan O'Brien, the founder of BePrepared, joins the latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast to discuss his take on the increasingly challenging issue of managing digital assets in estate planning, and what role technology has to play in supporting practitioners.  BePrepared was launched in Australia and has expanded into the USA and UK in the time since. Dylan explores the differences t...

Joining the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast is Dan Temple, an expert in acknowledging and understanding the human impact of working, and managing employees and businesses. The discussion centres on creating effective and high performing teams, and what steps law firms can, and should, be taking to enable this in their business.   Dan leads Cobalt Human Solutions, a training consultan...

The Today's Wills and Probate Podcast welcomes Andrew Buchan, Managing Director of James McKenzie Wills, to discuss the ups and downs of running an estate planning business. Andrew has been with the business for 14 years and has seen the development of the sector first hand. He explains his role and responsibility both to his staff but also to his clients; it's been said many times but c...

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcome Dan Warburton on to discuss the topic of leadership. Dan works with law firms leaders and partners to elevate their leadership skills to enable them empower staff to be more efficient and effective.  Dan describes his work as "the skill of profitable delegation;" to create leaders who can deliver high levels of performance across their t...

Hamza Hafesji, Group Product Manager at Advanced Legal, joins the latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast to discuss the importance of implementing a culture of performance management in a business.  For years the only time most employees receive any sort of constructive feedback has been in an annual appraisal. For Hamza, something has to fundamentally change and feedback must be much more...

The first Today's Wills and Probate podcast on 2024, and the start of series 3, explores the perennial question on the minds and lips of most businesses... what do clients really want? A report from Law Firm Marketing Club does just that. Now in it's 4th year, "What Clients Want" is an extensive piece of research which asks consumers of legal services what they want from their...

"Two nations divided by a common language" is a phrase often connected to the relationship between the UK and the USA; but it could be just as easily applied to England and Scotland at times, especially when it comes to legal matters like the probate process.  Joining Today's Wills and Probate Podcast host David Opie to de-mystify Scottish probate is Mike Davis, Managing Director of...

Recorded in the week before the British Wills and Probate Awards 2023, this latest podcast explores the role faith plays in Yasmin Hoque's legal career. A practicing Muslim, Yasmin explores the way her faith has shaped her career to date firstly as a lawyer based in London, and later as the founder or AL-HQ Law & More, based in Southampton. The discussion explores the importance her faith...

The latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcomes Simon McCrum to discuss the contents of his latest book "The Perfect Lawyer" with host David Opie. There isn't much Simon McCrum doesn't know about running a law firm having been there, done it, and got the t-Shirt. In this discussion Simon shares a little about his background and how he came to run the fastest growing...

The latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcomes Laurelo on to talk about the current challenges facing probate practitioners.  Michael speaks with host David about the origins of the business and his ambitions to support those going through the probate process. Describing their approach as "old school," Michael ensures all clients are seen face to face and talks about the impo...

In this edition of the Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie speaks with Professional Standards Board member Nick Ash about plans to beef up their oversight of Society of Will Writers members.  Ahead of the Society of Will Writers (SWW) Conference in Lincoln on Monday 9th October Nick provides insight into the proposed changes to the Code of Practice Oversight and Governance and C...

The Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcome Ian Bond on to discuss the life and times of a private client practitioner in 2023.  Ian is a partner in the Lifestyle and Estate Planning Team at Irwin Mitchell having joined in January 2023 and is a vocal advocate for the private client profession.    Recorded in July 2023 Ian shares a little bit about his background and roles at Irwin Mitchell,...

Following a Summer break the Today's Wills and Probate podcast returns to discuss the challenge of generating new and consistent leads sources for will writing and legal business. A perennial challenge, host David Opie is joined by social media lead generation specialist Matt Jones, founder of Shed Social a digital lead generation agency to discuss the issue.  The key to lead generation, say...

If we thought branding was about logos and then we’re absolutely wrong... it's about reputation, meaning, culture, service and so much more according to Matt Davies who joins host David Opie on the latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast. Matt lives and breathes branding and his enthusiasm for the subject comes across through this discussion which provides some useful pointers on what b...

The latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast is an exclusive interview with Dan Garrett, founder and CEO of Farewill. In an unusual twist of fate, an experience at a Japanese residential home plunged Dan into the world of wills and probate and in 2015 he launched Farewill with the ambition to make the process of dealing with death simpler.  The discussion with host David Opie explores the ear...

Scott Walker, a consultant solicitor with  Richard Nelson LLP is the latest guest on the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast, joining host David Opie to discuss  the ups and downs of his working life as a private client practitioner.  Scott is one of a new breed of consultant lawyers who effectively work for themselves whilst operating under the umbrella of a larger legal brand. It's a hyb...

In this latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast host David Opie is joined by Exizent co-Founder Aleks Tomczyk. In 2018-19 Aleks and Nick Cousins, his fellow co-Founder of what was to become Exizent, went through their own bereavement journeys and found the whole process frustrating. They also had friends of theirs in similar situations, sparking the idea for launching the business. Indeed, o...

On the latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie welcomes Clive Ponder on to discuss his journey from miner to running one of the largest estate planning businesses in the country. CTT Group, formerly Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation, now spans technology and software, accountancy and conveyancing alongside its estate planning business. The Group celebrates a milestone 20...

The latest episode of The Today's Wills and Probate podcast considers the tricky challenge of generating leads and converting sales de organisations across the legal services spectrum.  Joining host David Opie is Adam Stevens of The Law Superstore and Reallymoving.com. Experts in lead generation, the platforms generate thousands legal service enquiries  each month.  Adam shares his insight an...

In this latest episode of The Today's Wills and Probate podcast host David Opie is joined by The National Will Register's Astrid Bowser to discuss the release of a wide-reaching report into the culture of Will writing in 2023.  The report follows a survey commissioned by The National Will Register into public perception about Will writing and what plans people had in place for their love...

The True Worth Expert Vanessa Ugatti joins host David Opie on the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast.  Vanessa works with professional services individual and organisations to help them understand their true value, and explain that better to clients to help them get paid their true worth, unapologetically.  In her work Vanessa sees individuals and organisations constantly undercharging,...

The latest Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcomes Emily Robertson, Associate from Burgess Mee, to talk about the impact her job has on her mental health and wellbeing. Emily is part of the private client team dealing with Wills, Trusts, Probate and Court of Protection. She explains that each of the disciplines bring with them their own individual challenges not just from the point of view...

This episode of The Today's Wills and Probate podcast sets out to myth-bust the relationship between probate practitioners and legacy managers; who up until more recent years might have been described as "frenemies!" A profession who deliver £3bn in charity revenues and enable the final wishes of somebody to be fulfilled is a rewarding career and joining this latest episode to discu...

Michael Culver, founder and director of Culver Law and Chair of Solicitors for the Elderly joins Today's Wills and Probate Podcast host David Opie to discuss his experiences of setting up Culver Law in 2021.  Michael shares his motivations for setting up on his own and the the ups and downs of the set up process, from applying for professional indemnity insurance, writing the business plan, s...

In this latest episode of Today's Wills and Probate host David Opie is joined by Giles Wilson Founder and Managing Partner Melinda Giles. With over 25 years experience in private client, Melinda brings a wealth of experience to a discussion which considers her expertise in financial abuse and associated issues with capacity; alongside reform and her own challenges running a successful law fir...