Perils of not regularly reviewing your Will

It has been reported in the Daily Mail that M Richard Robinson Jr, the head of Scholastic Corp publishing company, who died suddenly on 5^th June 2021 has left his controlling share of his 1.2 billion pound company along with his personal posessions to his long-time friend and romantic partner rather than to his two adult children and his siblings.  The Will was made in 2018 leaving these assets to Iole Lucchese who is Scholastic’s chief strategy officer, it is understood that his sons and siblings are considering their legal options at this time.  There has been a statement from his ex-wife saying that during the pandemic Mr Robinson had been ‘strengthening’ his relationship with herself and his sons whilst there have been reports that Mr Robinson and Ms Lucchese had ended their romantic relationship years ago.

Has this situation arisen because Mr Robinson failed to review his Will regularly ?  It seems from various reports that whilst he still had a close relationship with Ms Lucchese the dynamics of this had changed in recent years, as had his strengthening relationship with his sons.

Whilst majority of people do not have estates in the billions to pass to their loved ones, this is a problem that occurs on a worrying regular basis.  As time passes relationships can break down, begin or change but often people don’t consider the impact these changes in their personal life have on their wishes, or in some cases they put off reviewing their Wills, leaving those close to them in a very difficult situation after their death.

By ensuring that you review your Will regularly, even if this is simply reading through your copy or discussing it with your Solicitor, you can make sure that your Will accurately reflects your wishes in the event of your death.

If you would like to discuss your Will with one of our experienced team please contact us at 0800 015 0340.