Disputes Over U.K. Family Legacies Double Since 2006, FT Says

The number of High Court cases by claimants contesting trusts, wills and probates have doubled since 2006 to 663 last year, the Financial Times newspaper reported today, citing law firm Hugh James.

Many family estates have been hurt by the financial crisis, leaving less money for beneficiaries, the report cited Matthew Evans, partner at Hugh James, as saying. That sometimes prompts family members to go to court in an attempt to increase their share of the estate, Evans told the newspaper.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tuhin Kar in London at tkar1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dick Schumacher at dschumacher@bloomberg.net