Wills, Trusts & Probate Solicitors

Nobody has to make a Will. However, if you have friends, a family, or other people or organisations that you would like to pass your assets on to, then a Will is the best way of ensuring that that will happen. If you die without having made a Will, the laws of intestacy will apply. That means that your estate will be divided according to a strict set of rules, which could lead to the ‘wrong’ people benefiting.

There are two additional benefits of making a Will. The first is that it usually makes it far easier to administer your estate (divide it up). In your Will, you will specify an executor, or executors, to handle this. They could be a family member, a friend, or a professional. And they will be guided by the terms of your Will, and by lawyers like us who can help iron out any problems.

The second benefit is that a Will gives peace of mind that you have put the best measures in place for the future. That can be a great comfort, as well as a practical step in the right direction. And once you have made your Will, remember to update it as your ownership of assets changes, or where family events cause you to reassess your plans. This could follow the birth of a grandchild, a breakdown in a family relationship, or simply a wish to include a new beneficiary.

Our Wills, Trusts and Probate solicitors offer a banded fixed fee Will-writing service*. We regularly review these fees to ensure that they remain competitive and represent good value for money.

Please contact us if you would like more information on costings for Wills.

Probate is the process of dealing with the property, money, possessions, and liabilities of someone who has died. This job falls to the executor appointed in the Will. The executor collects in the assets of the estate, notifies all relevant authorities, and settles debts, ensures inheritance and other taxes are properly ascertained as well as making sure that each named beneficiary receives their entitlement.

It is not an altogether straightforward process, and it is something that our specialist Wills, Trusts and Probate solicitors are frequently called on to help executors carry out. We are also here to help with contested Wills and estates; disputes that arise over the contents of a Will or the distribution of assets.

A trust is a legal arrangement that helps control and protect family assets. A portion of an estate is transferred to a trustee who is responsible for managing the trust and passing the asset held on trust to the beneficiary when the time comes (when the beneficiary has turned 18, for example). A key benefit of a trust is the tax efficiency that it can create; parents often look to transfer certain assets to trusts in order to reduce the inheritance tax liability that their children will be required to meet.

For more information on how a trust could benefit your family, get in touch with the team of solicitors and tax advisors at Chattertons.