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30 January 2026
Issue: 8147 / Categories: Legal News , Family , Divorce , Wills & Probate
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NLJ this week: Next gen wealth planning meets modern family reality

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The next generation is inheriting more than assets—it is inheriting complexity. Writing in NLJ this week, experts from Penningtons Manches Cooper chart how global mobility, blended families and evolving values are reshaping private wealth advice

Traditional structures may offer protection, but they are not immune from divorce, capacity challenges or post-death disputes. The authors warn that nuptial agreements, while increasingly popular, remain vulnerable without transparency and full disclosure. International surrogacy, cross-border estates and immigration status add further layers of risk, while late-life relationships and remarriage frequently trigger litigation. Informal promises—the ‘Bank of Mum & Dad’—can unravel into proprietary estoppel claims if expectations are disappointed.

The message is clear: plan early, document clearly and think internationally. Without proactive advice, even sophisticated families may find that certainty proves illusory when it is needed most.

Issue: 8147 / Categories: Legal News , Family , Divorce , Wills & Probate
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Thackray Williams—Lucy Zhu

Thackray Williams—Lucy Zhu

Dual-qualified partner joins as head of commercial property department

Morgan Lewis—David A. McManus

Morgan Lewis—David A. McManus

Firm announces appointment of next chair

Burges Salmon—Rebecca Wilsker

Burges Salmon—Rebecca Wilsker

Director joins corporate team from the US

NEWS
What safeguards apply when trust corporations are appointed as deputy by the Court of Protection? 
Disputing parties are expected to take part in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), where this is suitable for their case. At what point, however, does refusing to participate cross the threshold of ‘unreasonable’ and attract adverse costs consequences?
When it comes to free legal advice, demand massively outweighs supply. 'Millions of people are excluded from access to justice as they don’t have anywhere to turn for free advice—or don’t know that they can ask for help,' Bhavini Bhatt, development director at the Access to Justice Foundation, writes in this week's NLJ
When an ex-couple is deciding who gets what in the divorce or civil partnership dissolution, when is it appropriate for a third party to intervene? David Burrows, NLJ columnist and solicitor advocate, considers this thorny issue in this week’s NLJ
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week’s issue
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