Podcast · Business

Today's Wills & Probate Podcast

by Today's Wills and Probate · English · Business

The Today's Wills & Probate Podcast will speak to some of the industry's most influential people and those at the forefront of innovation. Listeners will have the opportunity to pick up key business insights, gain valuable knowledge and ask questions to guests.

New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 31 min
Latest: 27 Sep 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

27 Sep 2026 · 27 min

Exclusive: Holding the SRA to account on the COLP/COFA debate

In an exclusive interview with the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast Circe Law CEO Jade Gani explains why a newly-launched alliance is taking the Solicitors Regulation Authority to task on changes to the compliance regime, explaining how the proposals will disproportionately impact small and medium sized law firms. As one of the founders of the SME & Boutique Law Firm Alliance Gani explains the group is not opposed to protections which would reduce the risk of notable recent failure...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S5 · E16 · 25 Sep 2026 · 26 min
Probate naivety fuels growth of regulated-lending opportunities
The naivety of consumers around the costs associated with estate administration is placing huge financial pressures on people at a time of great distress as they navigate the process of dealing with bereavement and managing estate administration. It's part of the story behind the growth of FCA-regulated lenders who offer options to families hit by unexpected liabilities, including inheritance tax (IHT), property maintenance, and care home fees; an acute issue for many considering recent...
S5 · E15 · 17 Sep 2026 · 36 min
Genealogy is much than just checking Facebook...
Despite advances in technology, and an increasingly interconnected world, genealogy remains a highly skilled investigative process. A cursory skim through Facebook simply doesn't cut it explains head of private client at Estate Research Dom Hendry in the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast. Modern genealogists spend a huge amount of time ruling out incorrect leads, verifying information, and cross-referencing sources before reaching reliable conclusions. It would be wholly inaccura...
S5 · E14 · 3 Sep 2026 · 25 min
Getting the legacy conversation started; resources for professionals
With Remember a Charity Week just days away, director of the charity campaign Lucinda Frostick joins the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast to share details of this year's activities and efforts to spread the legacy giving message beyond will writing. Recognising the growing role of wealth advisers and independent financial advisers in the wider estate planning conversation, Remember a Charity have launched a guide designed specifically for wealth advisers aiming to give advisers more confiden...
S5 · E13 · 2 Jul 2026 · 40 min
Back to the future; the return of the 'family lawyer'
Given the changing dynamics of estate planning and private client law there is an opportunity for lawyers and law firms to reassert the principle of the 'family lawyer'; someone to whom a family can turn to time and again for legal needs. Not a purely transactional relationship, but one based on trust and mutual respect. It is one of the topics discussed in a wide-ranging discussion on the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast as host David Opie is joined by Lakshmi Turner, Chief Exe...
S5 · E12 · 18 Jun 2026 · 32 min
CILEX CEO Interview: "I was in the job for 16 days before Mazur..."
After a baptism of fire when just 16 days into her new role as CEO of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) Jennifer Coupland was thrust into one of the biggest crises legal services has faced since the Legal Services Act with the Mazur ruling and subsequent appeal. In a wide ranging discussion on the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast, Coupland discusses how she handled the immediate aftermath of the decision, the appeal, and how she plans to shape the organisation going forward...
S5 · E11 · 4 Jun 2026 · 19 min
A highly unusual way to scatter loves ones' ashes
When we think about scattering a loved ones' ashes we might picture a favourite spot or peaceful place that holds an important part in our lives. Not many of us would think about releasing them from a drone; but that's exactly what Matt Young thought about with Aerial Ashes; a service which scatter ashes using a unique slow‑release mechanism that created a gentle, symbolic plume in the sky The Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcomes Matt to discuss the origins of the business, the sy...
S5 · E10 · 20 May 2026 · 28 min
The "motherhood penalty" and the legal profession
The latest Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast turns its attention to one of the profession’s most persistent, and least openly discussed, challenges: the impact of maternity leave on women’s careers in law. While the legal sector is not alone in perpetuating the motherhood penalty, the measurable career disadvantage experienced by women after having children, the podcast explores the unique pressure the legal sector presents around billable hours, PQE structures and the absence of tradit...
S5 · E9 · 7 May 2026 · 36 min
What do 250,000 wills tell us about private practice in 2026?
The latest Today’s Wills & Probate Podcast looks at what can be understood from analysis of over 250,000 Wills and what clients really want. The data is drawn from LEAP Estates' comprehensive 2026 Private Client Industry Report which also looks at close to 200,000 LPAs to inform a profession responding to shifting demographics and rising complexity. Joining host David Opie is Andy Hitchon, Head of Private Client at LEAP Legal Software and a former private client lawyer himself for a...
S5 · E8 · 23 Apr 2026 · 19 min
Tackling the funding gap in estate administration
Founded in 2020 Provira is one of a handful of FCA-regulated organisations offering inheritance and estate lending services to cover inheritance tax and estate costs. In this latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast episode host David Opie speaks with John Sanderson, Director of Partnerships at Provira, about the growing role of inheritance and estate lending in the probate process, exploring the reasons for increasing demand and how they work in practice both for consumers and probate ...
S5 · E7 · 9 Apr 2026 · 33 min
Understanding complaints and early resolution opportunities
The latest episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast welcomes Senior Ombudsman at the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) Clair Daniel to explore the current landscape of legal complaints handling, the challenges facing firms, and the strategic work underway to improve first‑tier resolution across the legal sector. The backdrop to the discussion is the increase in the number of cases in which LeO identify poor complaints handling, up from 46% in 2023/24 to 49% in 2024/25; and efforts to stop complai...
S5 · E6 · 26 Mar 2026 · 33 min
The future of technology in wills and probate
From lawyer, to Microsoft and Meta, and now to Arken.legal, Anthony Philips legal journey takes him through a series of household technology names and halfway round the world before recently landing as CEO at the will writing and technology platform. In this wide-ranging discussion, Philips shares his reflections on his own journye, and that of the wills and probate sector which is going through a process of digitalisation, modernisation and cultural change. Wills and probate is a...
S5 · E5 · 12 Mar 2026 · 20 min
Where there's a will, there's a way
A deeply personal tragedy is the inspiration behind a new book launched by will writer Steve Bish, and the topic of discussion on the latest Today’s Wills and Probate podcast. Bish is somewhat typical of many will writers who have unconventional routes in to the legal profession. His own career began in sales, marketing, training and recruitment, before running a traditional wooden window manufacturing business. But the untimely and tragic death of a friend led Bish to retrain and becom...
S5 · E4 · 26 Feb 2026 · 32 min
Evolving estate planning services; delivering long term solutions for clients
Estate planning is changing; demand is rising, lifestyles are changing, family structures are becoming more complex, and taxation is crippling. Clients no longer want, or indeed need, a simple will. They want a plan. Something reviewed regularly. Something that adapts as life changes. It's the topic of the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast as host David Opie welcome Andrew Houston, Managing Director of CTT Group on to discuss his views on moving away from traditional transactional work...
S5 · E3 · 12 Feb 2026 · 28 min
The digital 'goldilocks' solution for LPAs
The latest Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast dives into one of the most pressing conversations in private client work: how technology can transform the way people create and register Lasting Powers of Attorney. Host David Opie welcomes Matt Cresswell, founder of Power of Attorney Online, for a discussion about modernising a process that millions still find confusing, slow and inaccessible. Like many founder stories, Matt's own route into the sector is far from traditional. After his father’s ...
S5 · E2 · 29 Jan 2026 · 26 min
On a mission...
The latest episode of Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast welcomes Angus Houston, founding director of Pavilion Row, in conversation with host David Opie. Angus shares the story behind Pavilion Row’s creation and its mission to support professionals working in wills and probate. He reflects on the early challenges of establishing a business in such a sensitive area and the values that continue to guide its growth. A key theme of the discussion is trust. Angus explains how Pavilion Row has built...
S5 · E1 · 15 Jan 2026 · 37 min
My dementia diagnosis - Alastair Stewart OBE
"Be prepared, because the person who turns up might be that bloke who used to read the News at 10." Journalist and broadcaster Alastair Stewart OBE joins the first podcast of the latest series of the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast to discuss his personal journey and challenges of living with vascular dementia. In a candid and personal discussion Stewart shares details of his early life, and formative influences which took him from Southern Television to a long career with ITN and later GB ...
S4 · E22 · 27 Nov 2025 · 32 min
Unlocking the potential of private equity
With private equity funding fuelling the UK legal services market the Today's Wills and Probate podcast welcomes one of the latest additions to the cohort, Vault Private Client, to the podcast. Vault is the newest practice within the Beyond Law Group; a private equity backed legal services firm which describes itself as 'a disruptive, non-traditional law firm that builds and manages specialist practices, each operating independently within a central infrastructure and a people-focused c...
S4 · E21 · 13 Nov 2025 · 31 min
Breaking down barriers; women in private client law
To what extent do women feel as though there is a glass ceiling in law and how can we overcome that? That is the question posed in the latest episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast, as host David Opie sits down with Cara Doyle and Katie Howard from JMW Solicitors to explore gender equality in the legal profession. Cara is a solicitor in the firm’s private wealth team, advising clients on wills, trusts, probate, and charitable structures. Katie is a partner in the family team, specia...
S4 · E20 · 30 Oct 2025 · 38 min
What can be done to improve mental health and wellbeing in legal services?
As more than half of lawyers say they anticipate leaving their role within the next five years because of poor mental health and wellbeing, the latest Today's Wills and Probate Podcast tackles the issue head on with a wide ranging discussion on what organisations can do to protect their staff. Joining the podcast are Trish McLellan and Niamh Warnock of LawCare; a mental health and wellbeing charity focused on the legal services sector. It has published the results of its survey into the...
S4 · E19 · 16 Oct 2025 · 22 min
Composing a legacy; mixing a jazz career with estate planning
The latest episode of the Today's Wills and Probate Podcast, takes a musical tur as host David Opie welcomes John Heavens, CEO of Your Legacy Solutions - and a professional jazz musician. John shares with David his background and how the worlds came to collide; and how he manages to balance his two professions. By day, he leads a tech-driven estate planning firm. By night, he’s a signed vocalist and flautist with a London jazz and blues label. His musical roots run deep, with a family h...
S4 · E18 · 2 Oct 2025 · 27 min
How to protect yourself from the rise of undervaluing estates claims
The probate industry is under increasing pressure to demonstrate practitioners have acted in the best interest of the estate, particularly as beneficiaries become more financially dependent on inheritances. The Probate Registry has done much to ease the pain of delays and now private enterprise is playing its part in helping law firms and probate professionals remain on the right side of compliance. Enter Darren Leggett, Co-Founder and Co-Managing Director of Property Ladder Group (PLG) who j...
S4 · E17 · 18 Sep 2025 · 15 min
Reimagining house clearances in the digital age
In this episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast, host David Opie is joined by Elka Goldstein, founder of Sort & Store, to explore how estate clearance is being reimagined for one of probate’s most emotionally fraught tasks: clearing a loved one’s home. Sort and Store has taken the traditional house clearing process and introduced a digital element, documenting and cataloguing every item into a private online catalogue. Everything is then relocated to a secure warehouse and placed...
S4 · E16 · 4 Sep 2025 · 31 min
How financial innovation can complement traditional probate services
In this episode of Today’s Wills and Probate, host David Opie welcomes Dan Baines, Founder and CEO of Advanced Inheritance, for a deep dive into the growing role of probate lending in modern estate administration. With delays in probate often leaving beneficiaries in financial limbo, organisations like Advanced Inheritance now offer a regulated, consumer-first solution designed to ease the provide reassurance to families. The conversation explores two key areas of innovation in this spa...
S4 · E15 · 24 Jul 2025 · 34 min
Remember A Charity Week: Getting involved in 2025
This episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast is hosted by David Opie and features Lucinda Frostick, Director of Remember A Charity, and Meg Edwards, a solicitor specialising in trusts and estates disputes at Shakespeare Martineau. Their discussion centres on legacy giving, inheritance tax, and the importance of clear communication between advisors and clients. Lucinda introduces Remember A Charity’s mission to encourage charitable bequests through a consortium of 200 member charities...
S4 · E14 · 10 Jul 2025 · 30 min
Hammer time for probate property
In this episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast, host David Opie explores the evolving world of probate property sales through the lens of auctions. He’s joined by Russell Taylor, Managing Director and Auctioneer at probate.auction, and Corin Holness, Corporate Relationship Director. Together, they unpack how the auction process is helping executors, legal professionals, and beneficiaries realise better returns and greater transparency when selling estate property. Russell, with 25 y...
S4 · E13 · 26 Jun 2025 · 21 min
Addison & Anor v Niaz [2024] EWHC 3124: implications for Larke v Nugus requests
In this episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast, David Opie welcomes a panel of legal experts to explore the recent Addison and Niaz case and its important implications for Larke v Nugus requests. He is joined by Lucy Scourfield, associate in the contentious trusts and probate team at Forbes Solicitors; Shannon Thompson, a non-contentious Wills, Trusts and Probate solicitor at Forbes, who are representing the firm; and Norman Lamb, a barrister from Nine Chambers, specialising in cont...
S4 · E12 · 12 Jun 2025 · 36 min
How are blended families and digital data reshaping genealogy services?
In this episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate podcast, host David Opie welcomes Anthony Allsopp, Head of Business, and Simon Barber, Technical Manager at Title Research, to explore the nuanced challenges of probate genealogy and the role of missing beneficiary insurance. The conversation begins with a look at Title Research’s history, from its founding in 1965 to its evolution into a specialist firm focused on genealogy and international asset repatriation. Allsopp outlines the company’s s...
S4 · E11 · 29 May 2025 · 44 min
Interview: Professor Nick Hopkins; Modernising Wills Law
The project to modernise wills law book-ends the career of Professor Nick Hopkins in his role as the Commissioner for Property, Family and Trust Law at The Law Commission as he departs in the coming months following the end of his tenure. Before he departs Nick sits down with Today's Wills and Probate Podcast host David Opie to discuss the culmination of 10 years' effort, resulting in the 500-page Modernising Wills Law report and associated draft bill. He explains the focus of the repor...
S4 · E10 · 22 May 2025 · 23 min
Building a national brand in end-of-life planning
In this episode of the Today’s Wills and Probate Podcast, host David Opie welcomes Sam Grice, founder of Octopus Legacy (formerly Guardian Angel), to discuss the origins, evolution, and future ambitions of one of the fastest-growing companies in the end-of-life planning and bereavement support space. Sam's journey into the wills and probate sector began with a deeply personal tragedy. In 2017, while working in financial services, Sam lost his mother suddenly in a car accident. At just 27, he ...

About Today's Wills & Probate Podcast

Today's Wills & Probate Podcast is a English business podcast from Today's Wills and Probate. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Today's Wills and Probate
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 31 min
Latest episode: 27 Sep 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1589300411

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