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05 June 2026 / Chris Bryden , Josh Stamp-Simon
Issue: 8164 / Categories: Features , Wills & Probate , Family
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What’s mine is theirs

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© Getty images
Chris Bryden and Josh Stamp-Simon assess the potential inheritance rights of those in throuples, poly quads and other polyamorous relationships
  • Surveys caselaw relevant to relationships lived outwith the heterodoxy.
  • Considers potential for an Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claim by a person or persons within a polyamorous relationship.

Could a person in a polyamorous relationship (ie a relationship involving three or more persons) be entitled to bring a claim against the estate of one of their deceased partners on the basis of ss 1(1)(ba) and 1(1A) of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (the 1975 Act)? Subsection 1(1A) provides for eligibility to bring a claim where: ‘The deceased died on or after 1st January 1996 and, during the whole of the period of two years ending immediately before the date when the deceased died, the person was living—

(a) in the same household as the deceased, and

(b) as if that person and the deceased were a married couple or civil partners’.

While

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NEWS
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

How forcefully can a litigant criticise a public authority before robust advocacy crosses the line into unreasonable conduct? 
Can a meticulously maintained spreadsheet turn a couple’s informal financial arrangements into legally enforceable obligations? 
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