In March we posted on the practice note produced for solicitors by the Law Society of England and Wales on the sharia succession rules and how charitable gifts within sharia wills should be managed. Its purpose was to help the average English or Welsh solicitor with a client who wished to write a sharia-compliant will.
The note attracted a massive amount of criticism (though not, we should emphasise, from us) and today the Society issued the following press statement:
“24 November 2014
The Law Society has withdrawn its practice note on Sharia succession principles following feedback, including from some members.
Law Society president Andrew Caplen said:
‘Our practice note was intended to support members to better serve their clients as far as is allowed by the law of England and Wales. We reviewed the note in the light of criticism. We have withdrawn the note and we are sorry'”.
The practice note no longer appears to be on the Society’s website.
[With thanks to Joshua Rozenberg for the tweet.]
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