No one likes to think about losing mental capacity, dying or the loss of a loved one, but the more prepared you are for any such eventuality the better protected you and your family will be. Many clients also have good reasons to want to safeguard assets for future generations by creating a trust. No one likes paying inheritance tax and/or other taxes when they don’t need to, which is where carefully considered estate planning comes into play.

Our solicitors make sure that you understand all the options and  each step in the process and that you are comfortable with any document we draft on your behalf. Our practice is wholly focused around you and on making everything clear and comprehensible.

In summary, our goal is to protect you and the people you care about both emotionally and financially.

Making a will

Our wills solicitors will:

• have a meeting with you to discuss what your estate is made up of and the family, friends and charities that are important to you and how you would like to benefit them.
• talk you through various options with a view to saving tax and protecting your loved ones.
• discuss different scenarios that you may not have thought of and how to protect younger beneficiaries
• consider how to protect intergenerational wealth, possibly by using a discretionary trust.
• take into account previous relationships and how you can protect a subsequent partner whilst ensuring your children from an earlier relationship do not miss out
• act as executors to assist lay executors, if required.

We are happy liaising with any existing accountants or financial advisors you may have in place so you get joined-up and well-rounded advice.

Probate

When you instruct us, the first thing we will do is give you some breathing space.

If there is a Will we will explain its ramifications and explain the probate process. We will help executors (named in the Will) or administrators (if there is no Will) through complex issues and ensure they are legally protected

We also deal regularly with international probate, including working with lawyers in other legal regimes,applying to reseal Commonwealth grants of probate and applying for English and Welsh grants of probate for international estates.

Please see our service page for probate.

Trusts, estate planning and family disputes

• Trusts 
• Deeds of variation and tax planning – We can advise on the best way to protect intergenerational wealth including Family Investment Companies, making use of tax reliefs and sign posting options.
• Probate disputes – Our experienced dispute resolution team are highly skilled in advising on contentious probate matters and will fight your corner in any probate dispute. We are well recognised and respected in this area of law.