Sweet Child of Mine: Conduct and the Inheritance Act

In this session, James McKean delivers the next webinar in our series from our Trusts and Estates practice.

Conduct allegations are frequently made in disputes over the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. They range from the mundane – my client was a dutiful spouse – to the serious – your client caused the death of the Deceased.

Following his appearance in Howe v Howe, a claim defended with heavy reliance on conduct factors, James asks how conduct fits into the hierarchy of section 3 factors, and wonders how – if at all – conduct points can effectively be taken in Inheritance Act litigation.

This webinar considers:

• The relevance of conduct in a claim under the Inheritance Act
• The possibility of a percentage discount for a claimant’s criminality
• My client killed the Deceased – is their claim barred?
• The good and the bad: bonuses for exceptional conduct
• Practical tips for making and defending conduct allegations

James specialises in disputed estates and trusts.

He has appeared in a number of leading cases concerning the Inheritance Act, including Howe v Howe (2025 unrep); Howe v Leck Holdings Limited [2024] EWHC 1842 (Ch); Chiemelu v Egemonye [2023] W.T.L.R. 17; [2023] W.T.L.R. 23; [2023] W.T.L.R. 35; Fennessy v Turner [2022] WTLR 1295 and Rochford v Rochford [2021] WTLR 951.