Robert, a hill farmer who worked on the family farm, had always been promised by his dad, that he would have the first option to buy a piece of farmland on his death. Robert’s dad was a widower, living alone and in very poor health when he had a brief but bitter fall out with Robert.  The family row was quickly patched up but, without Robert’s knowledge, his father changed his Will to remove his option to buy the farmland on his death. After his death, Robert challenged the validity of his dad’s Will on the basis that he did not “know and approve” its contents – had he really understood what he was doing, he would have known that it would seriously impact Robert’s farming business which he had always wanted to keep in the family.  Robert also argued that his dad should not be able to ‘go back on’ the promise that he had made to him. Robert’s claim was opposed by his sister.  These cases can be exceedingly difficult to win in court and Robert settled for less than he wanted at mediation.  However, he felt that he had had his say, which was important to him. 

Sarah Young – Director & Solicitor