Report comment

"Dear Mr Cooper, We have been consulted by a disappointed beneficiary. He says your firm prepared his uncle's and aunt's wills. Whilst these were duly signed in your office and witnessed by two of your employees, each signed the other's will. This was a mistake. This mistake amounts in our view to a breach of contract, negligence, or a negligent breach of contract, or possibly all three.

If you succeed in having the wills upheld we understand that we shall be instructed by your clients' son. He is not very happy that his parents chose to exclude him from their largesse in this way. He did visit them once a year, admittedly on Christmas Day so as to collect his present. He thought there was no point in his buying or otherwise acquiring them one as it would only come back to him on their deaths. And anyway he would have had no use for a pair of ladies' bedroom slippers and a nightie. Nevertheless if you do manage to get the wills upheld he will argue that his parents could not have had testamentary capacity as they did not know the name of any PM let alone the present one. They had just about heard of Mrs Thatcher, but thought she was the local roofer.

So one way or another you seem to be stuffed. Heads you lose and, well, tails you lose too.

BTW you're not still insured by Quinn are you? You were the last time we sued your firm and the time before. PII premiums must be going through the roof. Which brings us nicely back to mrs. Thatcher.

See you down the golf club on Saturday for a pint after the comp?"