Practice Areas
Wills and Probate
Wills
Many people leave the comparatively simple task of making a Will until tomorrow. If you make a WILL you can ensure that all your wishes regarding your estate will be given full legal effect, so that your estate can be passed on to those you wish to benefit.
If you die without making a Will the state directs who inherits so your relatives, friends and favourite charities may receive nothing. It is particularly important to make a Will if you are not married to your partner, this is because the law does not automatically recognize partners as having the same rights as husbands and wives. As a result, even if you've lived together for many years, your partner may be left with nothing.
A Will is also vital if you have children or dependants who may not be able to care for themselves. Without a Will there could be uncertainty about who will look after or provide for them if you die.
You may have made a Will several years ago, but have found that your circumstances may have changed, you may have subsequently married or divorced which can make your WILL invalid. Your family may have increased or decreased or the value of your estate may have altered considerably, all of this shows that you must review your WILL regularly as it may need to be revised or amended to allow for those changes, and also to benefit from the recent changes in this area of law.
Our Private Client services include easy-to-understand advice on succession and the tax treatment of your estate, to enable you to make a WILL that truly reflects your wishes.
Probate
We can also help where a member of your family has died.
Probate is so often a tag-on for firms who "also" do conveyancing. We believe Probate to be more important than that - it requires technical knowledge, diligence and compassion.
Our Probate work is designed to provide a personal and efficient service. Our lawyers are used to dealing with all types of estates- those with and without a Will, those that simply require us to close and distribute a simple bank account to those that need us to be involved with administering business wind-downs and unravelling lifetime tax planning. Each is treated on its own merits and given the time and attention it deserves.
We will guide and advise you on the requirements leading to the Grant of Representation and the payment of Inheritance Tax where it applies. We will also be able to advise on the most efficient methods of distributing assets to avoid burdening the beneficiaries with unwieldy assets or to avoid encumbering the beneficiaries with assets that unnecessarily inflate their income or capital gains tax liabilities.
We are members of the the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, Solicitors for the Elderly and the Law Society Probate Section.
