Wills and Probate
Estate planning is a daunting and complex issue especially after suffering from a bereavement. Moreover, if there is no will, the circumstances become even more unnerving, therefore our specialist solicitor can assist you.
We assist with:-
- Making/drafting a Will
- Challenging/contesting a will
- If there is no will, we can assist you under the rules of intestacy
- We can help with probate and inheritance tax.
- Assist with obtaining letter of administration or grant of probate
What we will Do
We offer a comprehensive wills and probate service. The key stages of the will making process covered by our services are :-
- Offering advice on making a will including tax and estate planning issues.
- Preparing a draft will in accordance with your instructions.
- Assisting with the process of executing a valid will.
- Providing advice and assistance on how a will can be revoked, amended and updated in the future.
We also offer advice, help and support throughout the key stages of the process of obtaining probate after someone has died. We:
- Take instructions, give advice, obtain the Will, if any, Death Certificate and relevant papers.
- If there is no will, obtain information about the deceased’s surviving family and relatives who may be entitled by law to inherit their estate.
- Assess the value of the estate looking taking into account all the assets and liabilities of the deceased.
- Assess liability (if any) to inheritance tax which must be done to obtain probate.
- Apply for probate using the appropriate form depending on whether or not the deceased made a will.
- Once the executors/administrators have been appointed Inform interested parties such as asset holders and all relevant organisations and instruct them to release funds and deal with the accounts accordingly.
- Collect any money owed to the deceased, distribute personal belongings, sell the deceased’s assets.
- Pay any debts owed by the estate.
- Assist the executors/administrators fulfil all their duties prior to winding up the estate.
- Assist the executors/administrators distribute any remaining assets.
We do not undertake contentious probate work.
How Long will it Take?
As soon as we receive the completed Wills Questionnaire from you we will draft a will based on your instructions within seven working days after which we will arrange a meeting with you to discuss and agree its contents. Once we have your agreement we will aim to draft the will according to your instructions and have it ready for execution within ten working days. Much, however, depends on the length and complexity of the will’s provisions.
The timescales for probate vary according to the size and complexity of the estate of the deceased. We aim to complete all the preliminary stages prior to applying for probate within six months of the date of death. The application for either a grant of representation or letters of administration normally takes between three to six weeks. In complex cases it can take up to eight weeks. Immediately after we have obtained probate, we will contact all interested parties. It may take up to three months gather all the assets together, depending on how quickly the interested parties take to get back to us. We will pay all the debts owed by the estate as soon as we receive adequate funds. The completion of the remaining stages will ultimately depend on the scope of the work and the number and timely response of all the beneficiaries.
Contact us today to help you with your family matter.