Reality TV, as it is now, is not for me. Whether it be Love Island, TOWIE or Made In Chelsea, the forced drama is not for me, however, I do have a confession to make. Before these shows were a staple of modern society, I was a fan of one of the original “scripted” drama’s…

…Professional Wrestling and the world of WWE.

I always referred to this as a “soap opera aimed at men”, as it tried to balance the perfect mix between ridiculous story lines and men and woman beating the daylights out of each other to resolve this “drama”.

Such story lines included; the illegitimate son of the CEO who also happened to be a leprechaun; the CEO “sacrificing” his own daughter; children vs father over ownership of the company; wife “giving” her shares in the company to the enemy of the CEO just to spite him; custody of a child being decided in a ladder match; love triangles; and countless weddings that always end in disaster.

Although, especially retrospectively, many of these stories (and many more that I’ve not mentioned) are in bad taste and have certainly not aged well over the years, the sad truth is that they tend to be an exaggeration of what is going on in society.

Both from professional and personal experience, in a world where we are seeing more and more blended families, this can often lead to family falling outs and estrangement from children, grandchildren or parents.

This has become even more noticeable in the Wills preparing, where I find myself having to advise clients to consider the impact of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 when preparing their Will is seeking to make no or lesser provision for a spouse, child or financial dependant.

Although Aaron will look at these types of claims in greater detail next week, there are steps that can be considered at the preparation of a Will; such as a letter or statement that sets out the reasons for any provision or lack of; or a Discretionary Trust Will in order to provide the greatest flexibility to mitigate or minimise the extent a potential claim could have on your estate.

If nothing else, if you are looking at excluding beneficiaries from your estate, my recommendation is that you seek the advice of a solicitor when preparing your Will. By having your wishes properly documented, you will ensure that both your wishes and reasons are reflected and, although this might not stop a possible claim, it could go a long way to help save your estate and your loved from any further stress, upset, delay and expense.

Our new Problem Probate Drop In Clinic runs from Thursday 19 January 2023. Over the next 8 weeks Aaron Pottle and Gregory John will be offering free no obligation 15 minute consultations in our Braintree office on a Thursday morning between 10am and 1pm whilst also offering online Q&A’s, so keep an eye on our socials as well.