It is important that all adults consider making a will. Making a will makes a real difference to those left behind as all kinds of unintended outcomes can arise where there is no will. A professionally drafted will can avoid the emotional and financial costs of a dispute in the future. There are many matters which must be considered when preparing a will and even a small defect in drafting can lead to the will being defective and save costs in the long term.

We provide specialist advice on the preparation of wills. This can save Inheritance Tax which will also benefit your intended beneficiaries. It can also avoid legal challenges to the validity and terms of the will - e.g. on the grounds of failure to make adequate provision for family or dependants, undue influence, mental incapacity or lack of legally required formality.

Probate & Administration of Estates

We act on behalf of administrators of wills in order to gather in all the assets of the estate, settle any liabilities and to deal with issues such as tax and accounting which arise and distribute the estate in accordance to the will. If there is no will at all we are able to assist in any application for the next of kin to obtain letters of administration and deal with the estate in accordance to the law of intestacy.

We recently successfully acted in respect of a disputed probate which challenged the validity of a will and was heard by both the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords.