Charitable Legacy Disputes

Charitable legacies left in wills provide valuable funding to charities and form a huge source of income. If you work for a charity that is a named beneficiary in a will, you should make sure you have legal representation to protect that funding for the future.

A legacy can be anything from a specific item to cash sums or a share of a person’s entire estate.

If a will that contains a charitable legacy is contested, it can lead to a significant drop in the amount of funding you were expecting, or indeed a total withdrawal of the legacy. This can happen when family members or friends of the deceased contest a will under the Inheritance Act, or if the will is found to be invalid.

Our wills, trusts and inheritance disputes solicitors are experts in protecting charitable legacies and offer the following services:

• Defending claims under the Inheritance Act
• Making challenges to the validity of a will
• Bringing claims related to the interpretation and construction of a will
• Defending proprietary estoppel claims
• Making claims against executors or trustees

If you are in need of professional, considerate solicitors with years of experience in dealing with charitable legacy disputes, contact our dedicated team today. Call us on 0345 872 6666, or fill in our online enquiry form and we’ll call you back. 

How JMW Can Help

At JMW, our team of dedicated Will Dispute solicitors have helped assist a range of clients with their charitable legacy disputes, providing them with accurate advice and information. When it comes to advising clients on how to protect charitable legacies, we have an excellent track record and are committed to providing you with the outcome you deserve. 

We work in a commercial and pragmatic manner so that we can deal with cases efficiently and effectively. By gathering information provided by you to create a worthy case, we can help to give you the results that you are looking for and ensure that the estate left behind for your charity is delivered and maximised.

Your case will be allocated a solicitor, along with a trainee or paralegal, to provide step-by-step updates throughout the process. We’ll make sure that your charitable legacy claim is treated with sensitivity and care. 

We can also provide additional support with bringing claims related to the interpretation and construction of a will. 

Meet our team of will disputes solicitors

Our team of solicitors have extensive expertise in advising on safeguarding charitable legacies, providing expert legal advice and practical assistance.

Our Accreditations

Our specialist solicitors have received accreditation awards from multiple organisations including:

• The Legal 500 - Who said that JMW are a “great team. Good legal knowledge and commercial approach to litigation. The team moves very quickly, and is very calm and knowledgeable.”
• Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide - JMW’s wills disputes team is described by an interviewee as a “professional, modern firm delivering expert advice”. Alison Parry is described as “one of the best litigators in Manchester” and her “strengths are her obvious expertise, her capability and her empathy”. 
• The Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS) - Membership to this association requires solicitors firms to meet certain criteria based on their performance in this line of work.
• Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP) - Membership of STEP demonstrates our commitment to high professional standards and continued professional development, building the confidence, respect and trust of our clients.
• Special Interest Group for Contentious Trusts and Estates - Members of this group are focused on international trust and estate law while promoting best practice in the handling of contentious trust and estate disputes and trustee litigation. 

What is a Charitable Legacy?

Charitable legacies are donations left in wills that can provide valuable funding to charities and give them a huge source of income. Many charities will rely on these donations to help with the running of their campaigns, providing support, and other costs. 

If you work for a charity that is a named beneficiary in a will, you should instruct specialist legal representation in order to protect that funding in the future. 

A legacy could be anything from a specific item donation, to cash sums or a share of a person’s entire estate.

Why Should You Protect a Charitable Legacy?

The testator (person who made the will) has complete freedom when choosing who they wish to leave their estate to. However, by protecting charitable legacies you can guard against any issues that might occur in the future. 

Issues that could happen include family members arguing that they are more deserving of the donation, or claiming that the testator had made a verbal promise that the estate would be left to them instead.

What Happens if a Will With Charitable Legacy is Contested?

If a will that contains a charitable legacy is contested, this can lead to a significant change to the amount of funding a charity was expecting to receive or, in some cases, total withdrawal of the legacy. 

This can sometimes happen when the deceased’s family members or friends contest the validity of a will, or challenge it under the Inheritance Act.