TV shows help boost law firm’s wills team

Smith Partnership is growing its contentious wills team as TV shows and rising property prices fuel an increase in cases.

A current fad for TV shows featuring families wrangling over their inheritance is helping to fuel an increase in inquiries for contested wills cases, according to the law firm.

It claims that programmes such as The Inheritance and Inheritance Wars: Who Gets The Money? are encouraging people to step forward to seek their own legal advice after watching the shows.

It has prompted Smith Partnership to increase the number of people in its contested probate team from two to three, as it anticipates a further increase in inquiries over the next few years.

Alison Neate, the law firm’s head of professional liability, said: “These TV programmes are picking up on an increase in families who have been left unhappy by their relatives’ wills and are coming forward to contest them in bigger numbers than we have ever seen before.

“While they are certainly made for entertainment, there is definitely enough truth in the shows for viewers to understand how the industry works and what issues in their own lives might be worth challenging.”