News

We raised over £1,000 during Will Aid 2022!

Our firm raised in excess of £1,000 for WillAid. The team volunteered their time and expertise to those that enquired during Will Aid month in November 2022. In exchange for this time, the clients donate to Will Aid, who in turn share the money raised between nine partner charities.

We thank our team for their continued hard work and thank our clients for their donations to the charity.

At Lever & Co we specialise, in the preparation of Wills, specifically geared to the needs of each individual.

In additional to the preparation of Wills our firm can assist with:

• Estate and Tax Planning,
• Trusts,
• Administration of Estates (Probate),
• Lasting Powers of Attorney & Deputyship applications,
• Residential Property,
• Notarial services.

Please send your specific enquiry via our website, otherwise contact a member of our team, if clarification is required on any matter.

LEVER & Co. Solicitors and Notary Public ("The Firm")
10th Anniversary +

It was on a sunny day on the 1st of November 2011, when the Firm opened the office for business, in White Horse Court (behind Pizza Express), to welcome clients "old and new".

The Firm's founder Angela Lever, however, wanted to celebrate this new Business with a Service of Dedication, which took place at St Michael's Church, followed by a party in the Church Hall.

Ten years have gone by (almost 11) and the Covid situation put a stop to the Firm's 10th Anniversary Celebrations planned for the 1st November 2021 (2011 - 2021).

One upside of the Covid intervention was that many were able to come together to celebrate the anniversary on a Summer's afternoon in July 2022, blessed with a beautiful Summer's day and surrounded by Friends, Family, Clients and Colleagues in a garden party, BBQ and drinks whilst being serenaded by Solid Steel Band, in the stunning location of The Old Palace, Hatfield House.

We wish to take this opportunity to thank all those who joined with us in the celebrations; but most of all we thank all our loyal clients who have supported our Firm from the very start, and enabled it to flourish.

The partners Angela Lever and Gerard Feeley and staff strive to provide a professional and personal service to everyone who comes in contact with our firm. Many changes have taken place in the legal market in the last 10 years, but the firm and staff are committed retain their core values, of respect for all persons, and integrity in all matters.

We work hard to go the extra mile, and to build close relationships with our clients, and wish to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of them for their unstinted support, which is very much appreciated.

Our Firm has in the last 10 years become well established in the Town, and come to be known for its core legal service to Private Clients, including Property; Preparation of Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. Trust and Probate administrations, which can come in all shapes and sizes. Estate and Inheritance Tax Planning. Our Firm can also provide Tax services to clients, and Notarial Services by Angela Lever

We undertake to serve all our clients, and with their support, will continue to bring the very best of Service to the Community and beyond.

Rotary Club of Bishops Stortford Golf Day 2022

Lever & Co were pleased to once again support the annual Rotary Club fundraising Golf Day which took place on the 12th May 2022. Lever & Co entered a team and attended the fundraising dinner in the evening.

We are proud to announce that this year our team was successful in topping the leader board with a very respectable score of 103 points and Angela & Gerard joined two of our team members in accepting their reward.

We are delighted to hear that the night raised almost £7,500 to support the charitable work of the Rotary Club of Bishops Stortford for another year and look forward to defending our title next year.

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New Rules for registration of trusts.

As part of the 5th Money Laundering Directive, the Government has introduced a new procedure for the registration of Trusts and Settlements with the Trust Registration Service ("TRS").

To continue reading please click here.

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Coronavirus Update

During this difficult time, Lever & Co remains committed to providing services to our clients as much as is possible. We thank all our clients for your patience during this time. Now that we, in line with the advice issued by the Government, are able to see clients in person, we ask that all clients wishing to attend the office do so by appointment only. Please contact the office so that we may ensure that all arrangements are suitable for clients on a case-by-case basis.

We will continue to review the position in line with the Government's advice and, in the meantime, we send our best wishes to all.

Contact numbers
Office: 01279 758 760
Angela Lever: 07957 377 587
Gerard Feeley: 07949 230 532

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'Call in for a Cuppa' open house Friday 1st November 2019

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Lever & Co. are exhibiting at the Bishop’s Stortford Means Business exhibition

Lever & Co. are delighted to be exhibiting at the Bishop’s Stortford Means Business exhibition on Wednesday 16th October at the Rhodes Centre, South Road, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3JG. We will be located at Stand 55 so please do come and say hello and find out more information about how we may be able to help you. You can find more information about the exhibition at www.bsmb.co.uk/.

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Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) to refund registration fees

The OPG have launched a fee refund scheme following the discovery that they had been overcharging for the registration of powers of attorney between the 1st April 2013 and the 31st March 2017. This applies to both Enduring Powers of Attorney and Lasting Powers of Attorney made in England and Wales.

The amount that can be reclaimed depends on the date the fee was paid to the OPG and details of this, and the online form for making the claim, can be found at www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney-refund.

If you do not have access to the internet, or you do not have a bank account, then it is possible to make a telephone claim instead using the contact details below.

OPG Refunds Helpline
Telephone: 0300 456 0300 (choose option 6)
Textphone: 0115 934 2778
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 5pm
Wednesday 10am to 5pm

The OPG are estimating that it will take up to 12 weeks to process claims.

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Make A Will Week - 5th to 9th March 2018

Lever & Co will be supporting Isabel Hospice Make A Will Week again this year, as they have done for the past 6 years. Last year the Firm raised a total of £7,362.50 in donations, all of which went directly to Isabel Hospice.

In support of this fundraising campaign we will prepare or amend basic and mirror Wills without charge but invite you to make a donation to Isabel Hospice instead. Isabel Hospice suggests a minimum donation of £100 for a basic Will and £150 for a pair of mirror Wills. More complex Wills, such as those involving arrangements for trusts, may incur additional charges which will be discussed with you in advance.

To make an appointment or for further information please contact us on 01279 758760 or email

For information on Isabel Hospice please go to www.isabelhospice.org.uk.

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Office of the Public Guardian issue new practice note for Attorneys and Deputies

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has updated its legal guidance for deputies and attorneys on the rules about giving gifts to reflect the recent judgements by the Court of Protection. It also explains the approach the OPG will take if deputies or attorneys go beyond their authority to give gifts on behalf of the person they are looking after (the person).

Gifting is an important part of being a deputy or attorney as making gifts can help preserve relationships with family and friends of the person you are looking after. However deputies and attorneys have limited powers to make gifts and may need the permission of the Court of Protection.

The guidance relates to all attorneys appointed under a registered lasting power of attorney (LPA) for property and affairs or under an enduring power of attorney (EPA). It also applies to deputies appointed by the Court of Protection.

The guidance covers such matters as:

• The principles of gifting and the definition of a gift in law
• The capacity of the person to make the gift themselves
• Involving the person in the decision if they lack the capacity to decide themselves
• Accepting a gift yourself
• General rules about making gifts and the exceptions allowed
• How to determine if a gift is reasonable
• Gifts of property
• Who the gift is for
• The persons Will
• Applying to the Court of Protection if no authority exists
• Providing for the needs of others
• What happens if an unauthorised gift is made
• Deprivation of assets
• Deputies and security bonds
• The Criminal Law (Fraud)

The full guidance is available by clicking here.

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Surge in Inheritance disputes

A recent report in The Financial Times reported that there had been a 36% surge in inheritance disputes being brought to the High Court in 2016. 158 claims were brought under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975, up from 116 such claims in 2015. The reasons for this are thought to include the increasing complexity of family structures, increasing value of estates and more awareness of the ability to bring this type of action. Be sure your estate doesn't fall foul of this increasing trend by ensuring your Will is properly drawn up by a qualified solicitor.

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Rotary Club of Bishops Stortford Satellite Club Big Quiz

Lever & Co sponsored the Big Quiz held on the 14th September and entered a team of keen quizzers. The night was a huge success with proceeds going to support Mind in Hertfordshire and Parkinson's UK.

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Stansted 10K Fun Run 2017

Lever & Co sponsored the Stansted 10K Fun Run in support of St Clare's Hospice which took place on the 11th June. The medals presented to all who completed the course where provided by the Firm for the 6th year in a row.

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Rotary Club of Bishops Stortford Golf Day 2017

Lever & Co were pleased to support the annual Rotary Club fundraising Golf Day which took place on the 11th May 2017. Lever & Co entered a team and attended the fundraising dinner in the evening. Unfortunately the Lever & Co team where unsuccessful this year but the event itself was a huge success. Lever & Co were delighted to be able to help raise £9,670 to support the charitable work of the Rotary Club of Bishops Stortford for another year.

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Isabel Hospice make a will week 2017

We again took part in the Make a Will Week in March this year to raise funds for the Isabel Hospice. We are pleased to announce that we raised £7,362.50. We are very grateful to all the clients who contributed to this total.