My life has turned into an episode of Succession, and now I struggle to watch it - The Independent

"Rightly or wrongly people sometimes have an expectation of inheritance and are blindsided when they are left out for what may well be to the testator, entirely logical reasons. For example dad may well leave his estate to the daughter who has looked after him for much of her adult life. The disinherited children may have had expectations of receipt of the money and be angry but it does probably go deeper than that in that they may be feeling rejected and ignored. These feelings often come out in mediations where one may agree the division of the main estate, but then spend time talking about who gets the family photos."

In The Independent, partner Alison Regan comments on the rise of disputes about people's wealth, and explores how inheritance disputes can fracture even the strongest families. She also highlights the importance of having clear communication both pre-death and post-death in order to manage expectations and prevent disputes escalating.

The full article is available to read by subscription to The Independent. 

Alison Regan leads the trust and estates disputes team. She regularly advises a range of clients (private individuals, charities, trustees, administrators and beneficiaries) on the complete range of succession, probate and trust disputes.