Estate planning in blended families means leaving nothing to chance
A new marriage often revokes a previous will. Photo: Getty
“The Succession Act is like the bible when it comes to probate and wills and protesting wills. Stepchildren are not mentioned at all in the Succession Act,” explains Jacquelyn Dunne, solicitor with Dunne Solicitors, referring to the 1965 legislation to reform the law relating to the inheritance of a person’s property on their death.
She gives an example of the kind of issues a couple who are married for a second time might encounter around planning the inheritance of their estate. Mary has two adult children from her first marriage. She has remarried John and they have happily lived together for 20 years in a house Mary owns.