Recent changes to the legal profession have meant that certain activities in the industry are currently being reviewed for deregulation, the Solicitors Journal notes – something we are very interested in keeping up-to-date with. Probate has since become the latest activity to be deregulated; according to a statutory instrument issued in parliament this August, chartered accountants are now allowed to undertake probate if they have passed the required exams, are properly licensed and it is not a contentious case.

In a bid to keep up with the latest news regarding inheritance tax and death duties, we came across new figures published in the Solicitors Journal, noting that HMRC recently revealed it has received more than £3.4 billion from inheritance tax (IHT) and death duties in the last 12 months.