Wills, Probate & LPAs

Wills

Making a will is the best way to ensure your assets, money and personal belongings go to the people you want them to.

Many people put off making wills, often assuming that their estate will automatically pass in full to their partner or spouse. Without a will, the law decides who inherits, so it is definitely worth investing in professional will advice from an experienced solicitor.

You may think that writing a will is too expensive or that you have insufficient assets to make paying for will advice worthwhile.

However, the benefits of making a will are:

• Peace of mind that your loved ones receive what you want them to receive
• Ensure your children inherit even if your spouse re-marries
• Being able to take steps to reduce Inheritance Tax
• The ability to appoint a guardian to care for your children

Probate & Estate Administration

To collect assets, sell property and distribute an estate you will usually need to obtain a Grant of Probate.

The Grant of Probate confirms that the executor (appointed in the will) or the administrator if there is no will, has the authority to deal with the estate.

We appreciate what a difficult time this is. We have a friendly approachable team of probate solicitors who will put you at ease, guide you through what can often be a complicated process and make dealing with an Estate as stress-free as possible for you.

We can notify organisations of the death on your behalf, collate details of assets and liabilities, prepare inheritance tax accounts, apply for grants of representation, collect in assets, deal with the sale of property locate missing beneficiaries and finalise Estate Accounts.

We can also advise you on becoming a Trustee, help you administer a Trust, help you with Trust Accounts and dealing with Trust beneficiaries.

We can tailor our services to your specific needs and are happy to discuss with you your specific requirements.

Lasting Powers of Attorney

You need a lasting power of attorney because…

• If you lose capacity and are unable to make your own decisions no one can make those decisions on your behalf without a Lasting Power of Attorney document or a court order.
• Your financial affairs cannot be dealt with. Bank accounts cannot be accessed, bills will go unpaid, property cannot be sold and money cannot be invested on your behalf. It is likely that organisations such as banks will refuse to discuss issues with or give any information to your spouse, partner or children.
• Your loved ones’ wishes as to where you should live and what sort of care or medical treatment you should receive may not be taken into account.
• You could lose capacity at any point and at any age – through a stroke, an accident or illness – this is not just an issue that affects older generations.
• If you do not appoint an Attorney to make decisions on your behalf and you lose capacity your loved ones will have to make an application to the Court of Protection for a court order to allow them to deal with your affairs. This is an expensive and lengthy process. The additional stress, cost and delay can be avoided by appointing Attorneys.
• As we get older we might lose capacity through an age related illness. Alternatively we may simply lose interest in or lack the confidence or ability to deal with our affairs. Physical disabilities may prevent you getting out to the bank or the post office to pay bills, you may feel intimidated by new technology or you may not be able to process information as quickly as you once did but feel embarrassed to ask for further help. Appointing an Attorney will allow that person to start helping and assisting with your financial affairs as soon as you want or need them to.
• People are living longer. In 2010 the Office of National Statistics predicted that one in five people living in the UK at that time would live to see their 100th birthday. It is therefore likely that age related difficulties could see more of us needing help in making decisions in the future.
• We are happy to give further advice and help you in preparing Lasting Powers of Attorney for you, and can also assist in making applications to the Court of Protection.