See You in Court

War and Peace meet Mills and Boon

Every year hundreds of cases involving disputed wills are heard in law courts throughout England and Wales but only a handful are documented in any significant detail in the national press.

Court cases can run for several days, even weeks, and the decisions can run to between 5000 and 10,000 words. Newspaper accounts tend to between 400 and 800 words, and even the longest articles can plumb only the shallows.

In one widely-reported case (Agulian v Cyganik), a Polish woman, unhappy with the measly £50,000 left to her by her Cyprus-born fiancé, sought a bigger chunk of the estate. Media reports accurately noted that her companion lived in England for most of his adult life, but only the court transcript revealed why he left Cyprus in the first place: he broke his engagement to his Cypriot girlfriend in a manner that insulted her family's honour. Revenge was in the air. He fled to save his life.

Ensconced in London, he became involved with more women over the years. The court transcript, rich in historical background and details about his convoluted love life, reads like a novel.

Golda Bechal (in Blackman v Man) left her considerable estate to the Chinese owners of a Chinese restaurant rather than to her relatives. Why? If you read only the newspaper headlines, you could have concluded that she loved their dumplings. In fact, she had a long and deep personal relationship with the family.

Court judgements are important for solicitors for legal reasons: some set precedents, for example. For general readers, these cases - with their family disputes, often involving millions of pounds - make for fascinating reading.

They also provide insights into what to do, and not do, with your own will. For example, many cases involve wills of testators who left it too late: they made their final wills when they were, or could plausibly be accused of being, gaga.

Many cases involve blended families, highlighting the importance of shrewd professionally-drafted wills if you or your partner have children from relationships with other people.

In one widely-reported case, Yvonne Sherrington was the Evil Stepmother after the High Court awarded her late husband's estate to his children from his first marriage. But she prevailed in the Court of Appeals. Richard Sprackling's widow, on the other hand, lost her case.