Protecting and passing on your wealth to your loved ones is paramount and our services for private clients range from drawing up Wills to administering estates.
Without a good solicitor, the administration of an estate can prove burdensome and traumatic, often leading to frustration and delay. Our Wills and Probate team provide a personal, sympathetic and efficient service to the family of the deceased, advising on all aspects of the estate’s administration.
SOME BACKGROUND
Not having a Will means that you will die “intestate” and your estate may be divided according to law, not your wishes. A large majority of us die without having made a Will.
There are a number of benefits why people should make a Will:
- it allows the person making the Will to determine how his/her estate is distributed on death
- it enables the person to make other provisions for his/her family and dependents such
as by way of a trust, other than that offered under the Intestacy Rules
- there may be tax advantages to be gained from a carefully drafted Will
- it allows the person making the Will to appoint who he/she wishes to appoint as
Executors/Trustees
- it may include the appointment of a guardian for any children, which will be an
important factor for clients with young children
- where parties are not married and are cohabiting, it is important to make a Will as the
Intestacy Rules make no provision for long term cohabitees
- avoids paying too much inheritance tax. A well drafted Will is vital if your estate is worth
over the inheritance tax threshold (nil rate band) because you may end up paying
inheritance tax which could have been avoided
- provision for married couples to take advantage of the transferable nil rate band,
whereby you can use your spouse’s tax free threshold on the second partner’s death
Our probate and administration of estates legal services include:
- Preparing the Inland Revenue Account and papers leading to the Grant of Representation
- Discharging debts of the estate and paying legacies
- Advising on relevant tax planning and, if necessary, Deeds of Variation
- Preparing estate accounts
- Dealing with all ancillary work
