Planning ahead to look after your loved ones and dealing with matters when someone has passed away can be difficult issues to address, both practically and emotionally.
Our specialist team works with care and sensitivity, giving you all the guidance and advice you need to make decisions that are right for you and right for future generations.
Why making your Will is so important
A large number of people die without making a Will. This can lead to:
We have significant experience in preparing Wills that deal with complex or difficult situations, particularly where second families are involved and where clients want to minimise their tax liabilities or protect their business interests.
Our team also helps people with vulnerable dependents needing extra care to reach practical and workable solutions.
Making a Will is about taking control and putting safeguards in place so that things are a little easier for those you leave behind. Essentially, a Will means that you have choices, as without one, the state takes over and makes all the decisions. We will listen to your needs and give you sound advice, including the best way to structure your Will to protect your assets for the future.
The benefits of making a Will include:
Whatever your age or circumstances, we will make sure that your Will fully reflects your wishes, and gives you and those you care about, complete peace of mind. We also provide a Will review service to advise on whether it reflects your current wishes and whether it should be amended in light of changes in the law.
We make our fees clear from the start, and there are no hidden extras for storing or releasing your Will. We can also visit you at home or in hospital if you are unable to come to one of our offices.
Our expert team is here to help you with your Probate issues when a loved one dies.
Administering a loved one’s Estate can seem an overwhelming task, during an often very difficult time.
We can guide you through the many legal and practical issues this involves.
When a person passes away leaving a Will, the executors (those responsible for dealing with the estate) may need to apply for a Grant of Probate. We can advise you on the terms of a Will and what they mean. If there is no Will, we can explain what the law says and what will happen to the estate, and help you with an application for a Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration.
If you would like to set up a trust in your Will to minimise inheritance tax liability or to provide for beneficiaries who may be too young to inherit or unable to manage an inheritance themselves, we will advise you on how best to ensure that your wishes are met.
We can also help if you want set up a trust during your lifetime rather than through your Will. We will guide you through the process and can draft all the relevant documentation for you.
If you are a trustee and need guidance on managing a trust, we can provide expert advice either on a one-off basis or long term.
We can assist you in the preparation of powers of attorney to enable you to appoint somebody else to deal with your affairs, whether for specific tasks or generally.
A Lasting Power of Attorney authorises someone to act on your behalf if you cannot do so yourself in the future and make decisions about your health and welfare or property and affairs.
A General Power of Attorney allows you to appoint someone for a short period of time to sign documents on your behalf. It is useful if you are going away for a while or want someone to start acting on your behalf if you are waiting for your Lasting Power of Attorney to be registered.
Given the rise in property values over time, an increasing number of people are finding that their estates will now be subject to inheritance tax when they die. We can advise you on ways of ensuring that your Will is as tax efficient as possible and work with your Independent Financial Adviser to reduce any future tax bill.
If you are considering making gifts during your lifetime, we can advise you on the tax implications – not just for inheritance tax but also for capital gains and income tax.
The law relating to surrogate parenting of children has been developing over the years. Today surrogacy usually takes place under a formal arrangement, with the intended parents paying the surrogate mother’s expenses.
One important part of the process that is often overlooked is the need for all the adults involved to update their Wills. When planning the creation of a new life it is hard to plan for someone’s death but as responsible people you should ensure that all eventualities are covered.
The surrogacy process involves a period of time where the newborn child is legally regarded as belonging to the surrogate mother. This can continue for a number of months. If something should happen to her (or possibly to her partner) during that period the legal implications could be complicated. Likewise, the intended parents need to consider the consequences of something happening to them during this period – as well as the normal provisions made with a Will for when the child is legally their full responsibility.
We have experience of creating Wills in these situations and can help you to make the right decisions.
