Articles and guidance
Clear information for planning ahead
Begin with our plain-English guidance for individuals and families. Professional readers can also use the filters below to go directly to The Elephant Legal Weekly Briefing, our separate series covering legal, regulatory and industry developments.
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For individuals and families
Client guidance
Straightforward information about Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and keeping existing arrangements under review.
Wills and Guardianship
Who Looks After My Child If I Die After Separation or Divorce?
Who has parental responsibility after separation or divorce, when a guardian named in your Will can act, how a court order can affect the position, and practical steps to plan for your child's care.
Wills and Powers of Attorney
Do I Need a Will or LPA if I Live Alone?
How a Will and Lasting Power of Attorney deal with different parts of planning ahead, who can act for you and what to consider if you live alone.
Wills
Do I Need a Will if I Have Children in the UK?
How a Will can help parents appoint guardians, make arrangements for children and reduce uncertainty for the people left behind.
Wills
Do I Need a Will if I Am Not Married in the UK?
Why unmarried partners do not automatically receive the same inheritance rights as spouses, and how a Will can provide clearer protection.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
Do I Need a Property and Financial Affairs LPA?
How a Property and Financial Affairs LPA allows trusted people to manage money, bills, pensions and property when support is needed.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
Do I Need a Health and Welfare LPA?
What a Health and Welfare LPA covers, when it can be used and how it can give trusted people clearer authority over care and medical decisions.
Reviews
Does Your Will or LPA Still Reflect Your Life Today?
When an existing Will or Lasting Power of Attorney may be worth reviewing, what a review can uncover and why checking does not necessarily mean replacing it.
Wills
Do I Need a Will if I Am Single?
Why being single does not mean that there is nothing to plan for, who may inherit without a Will and how you can make your own wishes clear.
Wills
What Happens to My Will When I Get Married?
Why marriage will usually revoke an existing Will, what may happen under the intestacy rules and when you should put a new Will in place.
Wills and Reviews
Do I Need to Update My Will After Moving House?
Whether moving house makes an existing Will invalid, when an old address or named property may cause a problem and when a review or new Will may be needed.
Wills
How Can I Include My Grandchildren in My Will?
Explore the different ways grandchildren can be included in a Will, including fixed gifts, shares of an estate, future grandchildren and arrangements for younger beneficiaries.
Powers of Attorney and Reviews
What Is an Enduring Power of Attorney and Is It Still Valid?
Find out what an Enduring Power of Attorney is, whether an existing EPA can still be valid, what it covers and when it may be sensible to review the arrangements you already have.
For professionals
The Elephant Legal Weekly Briefing
Referenced commentary on significant legal, regulatory and market developments for Will and LPA practitioners, advisers and professional referrers. Briefings are listed newest first.
Weekly Briefing · 19 October 2026
LatestEstate Funding, Finding the Will and Making Planning Easier for Families
The CLC’s warnings about estate-funding pressures, professional boundaries around referrals, research into locating original Wills and financial records, and a service model making estate-planning advice more accessible to parents.
Weekly Briefing · 5 October 2026
When an LPA Certificate Fails: Competence, Signing Order and Professional Safeguards
What a Court of Protection judgment cancelling six LPAs reveals about certificate-provider competence, mandatory signing order, attorney safeguards, guardianship and professional records.
Weekly Briefing · 28 September 2026
A Signature Is Not Enough: Wills, Attorney Duties and the Safeguards That Matter
What a High Court judgment and reported concerns about the use of an LPA reveal about client understanding, attorney duties, professional records and the safeguards behind future planning.
Weekly Briefing · 21 September 2026
Lifetime Gifts, Short-Form Video and the Changing Estate-Planning Market
What new Inheritance Tax figures, changing communication methods, probate lending and continuing concerns about probate fraud mean for estate-planning professionals.
Weekly Briefing · 14 September 2026
The Assisted Dying Vote, Why People Delay Making a Will and the Standards That Matter
The assisted-dying vote, new research into why people delay making a Will, an SRA disciplinary decision and the responsibilities attached to stored-Will portfolios.
Weekly Briefing · 7 September 2026
Why “Next of Kin” Is Not the Same as a Lasting Power of Attorney
Why being somebody’s next of kin does not automatically provide legal authority, what an LPA changes and how new OPG guidance can help professionals explain the distinction more clearly.
Weekly Briefing · 31 August 2026
Pensions, Inheritance Tax and New HMRC Forms
Confirmed changes bringing most unused pension funds into estates for Inheritance Tax from April 2027, alongside the deadline for using HMRC’s revised IHT100 forms.
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