Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning

Family legacy and succession, be that of wealth or of business, are important considerations for our clients. We help our clients understand the complexities around the legislation and how they can plan effectively, to benefit their family and their business.

We will give you legal and practical advice on succession plans that work best for you and your family, navigating shifting policies and taxes, as well as your own circumstances that may change over time.
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We advise clients domiciled in the UK and abroad and families with a mix of domicile status. We also support UK clients now living abroad.

We advise on:

• Lifetime trusts – including discretionary trusts, life interest trusts, vulnerable beneficiary / disabled beneficiary trusts
• Wills incorporating both simple and complex trust structures for clients with high value or complicated estates or families
• Business property reliefs and other matters surrounding business and succession planning
• Inheritance tax

We can also act as your professional executors or trustees.

The best way to provide the breadth of advice you need may sometimes be to work collaboratively with your other professional advisors. Where necessary we can liaise with our trusted community of legal, tax and financial specialists to support you.

Probate

Our solicitors are there to support families during the time after someone has died. We advise executors and beneficiaries on the administration of the estate and we work hard to ensure that process is streamlined, and as stress-free as possible. We deal with complicated estates, those with a high value and estates with assets located abroad. We collaborate with advisers in other jurisdictions and work with co-directors where there are business interests.

Administering an estate will typically include obtaining valuations of all assets and liabilities, ascertaining the inheritance tax position and claiming all relevant reliefs before settling the inheritance tax. We will then make the application for the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. We collect in estate assets and can arrange for property transfers and sales. We also deal with distributions to beneficiaries and ensure the terms of the will are followed.

For details on our fees for estate administration and probate click here.

We also advise on:

• Intestacies (where someone has died without a will)
• Resealing foreign grants
• Deeds of variation to change a beneficiary’s entitlement under the will and/or redirect assets
• Business assets
• Trusts arising under the will

We work closely with accountants to finalise the tax affairs of someone who has died and deal with the tax liabilities that arise following the death and during the administration of the estate.

We aim to take the burden off families and executors and make this difficult time easier.

Lasting Powers of Attorney and the Court of Protection

We prepare tailored Lasting Powers of Attorney (‘LPAs’) to appoint attorneys for the time when you can no longer make decisions for yourself. The LPAs are registered at the Office of the Public Guardian and act as insurance against illness and incapacity. These documents are bespoke and carefully drafted by us to ensure your wishes are clear and that any instructions can be followed by your attorneys.
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Where someone has not made LPAs in time and has subsequently lost capacity, family members or friends can come to us to assist with an application to the Court of Protection so that someone may be appointed as a Deputy and assist with the person’s financial affairs and property matters.

We advise on:

• Deputyship applications
• Applications to the Court of Protection for statutory wills or trustee applications
• LPAs for property and financial affairs; and LPAs for health and welfare matters
• Preferences and instructions within LPAs
• LPAs for business owners

We advise our clients on the practical workings of a LPA so that they can appoint the most appropriate attorneys and have peace of mind. We can also take on the role as your attorney.