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Testamentary freedom in a digital era

21 May 2025
Issue: 8117 / Categories: Legal News , Wills & Probate , Technology , Court of Protection
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The Law Commission has proposed increased protection against undue influence, an end to the ‘automatic revocation’ rule and the introduction of electronic wills

Its report, ‘Modernising wills law’, and draft Bill, published last week, would overhaul the legal framework established by the Wills Act 1837. It recommends electronic wills be valid, subject to ‘an additional formality requirement’. Other changes would reduce the minimum age from 18 to 16, and increasing protections for those who are coerced into making a will.

The commissioners expressed concern that the revocation of wills on marriage or civil partnership was motivating ‘predatory marriages’ where someone marries in order to inherit. They recommended abolishing the rule.

They also suggest giving judges the power to order a will be considered legally valid in ‘exceptional circumstances’ where the deceased’s intentions are clear but formal requirements have not been met. On the other hand, they warned the law does not provide enough protection against coercion. Where formalities have been complied with but there are reasonable grounds to suspect coercion, they recommend it be possible for courts to infer undue influence.

Hayley Robinson, private wealth disputes specialist, Stevens & Bolton, broadly welcomed the proposals but warned there could be a spike in disputes—both regarding the requirements of electronic wills and on the meaning of ‘exceptional circumstances’ where courts approve formally invalid wills.

Robinson said: ‘These proposals rip up nearly two centuries of learning on the creation of wills, mostly for good reason.

‘Particularly welcome is the recommendation to change the huge unfairness sometimes created by the automatic revocation of a will by marriage.’

Robinson urged ‘significant caution’ on electronic wills ‘as one of the few benefits of the current requirements for executing a will are the formalities creating a degree of protection from good old paper and ink’.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Mourant—Stephen Alexander

Mourant—Stephen Alexander

Jersey litigation lead appointed to global STEP Council

mfg Solicitors—nine trainees

mfg Solicitors—nine trainees

Firm invests in future talent with new training cohort

360 Law Group—Anthony Gahan

360 Law Group—Anthony Gahan

Investment banking veteran appointed as chairman to drive global growth

NEWS
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
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