Inheritance Solicitors

This depends on how the services are charged for. Some probate inheritance tax solicitors charge on an hourly basis, while others charge based on a percentage of the property’s value. Commonly, this is around 1% to 5% of the value of the estate, plus VAT.

It is entirely possible and legal to write a will yourself. However, it’s highly recommended that you seek out an experienced legal practitioner for last will and testament matters for guidance, especially for the technical legal aspects of any will.

This includes the legality of the inheritance, the properties to be distributed, and so on. With the help of expert solicitors, you will have less work to do and the peace of mind of knowing that your will is properly constructed.

If an individual dies intestate and without a surviving spouse or civil partner, his or her children will inherit the assets and properties. If the deceased does have a surviving partner, he or she will only inherit if the value of the estate exceeds a certain amount.

Yes, you can create what is referred to as an “assignment”. That means you can transfer all or a portion of your interest in an estate to someone else. Just remember that inheritances from a trust are usually not transferable to other people. The majority of trusts prohibit assigning an undistributed trust inheritance.

Help to pay for court representation or legal advice can be available in certain circumstances. You may be able to access low-cost or even free advice from a solicitor or caseworker in a law centre or Citizens Advice Bureau, for instance.

Many firms of inheritance solicitors in London and elsewhere will offer up to half an hour of free legal advice at the outset so that you can evaluate whether it is worth proceeding with a case.

You can complete probate yourself. But if there is, or is likely to be, any conflict regarding distribution of the estate, shares, investments, properties, or other assets, then you are advised to hire inheritance tax planning solicitors. This tends to make the process smoother and save stress and worry.

The National Will Register is a large, national register of wills that can be accessed by families hoping to find the location of any will and who drew it up. If you are unsure as to whether the deceased has made a will, you can consult the Register to find out, and if they have, to discover which attorney for legal property holds a copy of it.

• Financial security for your family. With a will, you have the peace of mind of knowing that your loved ones will benefit from your assets after you have passed away. Making a will is especially important for unmarried partners, as their relationship will not be recognised by the Intestacy Rules.
• Pay less inheritance tax. A will carefully be formulated with the help of solicitors specialising in inheritance tax can mean that you pay less inheritance tax from your estate in the future. Consulting legal practitioners for estate tax about making a will gives you the opportunity to assess your personal situation and consider what steps to take to mitigate tax issues.
• Avoid inheritance disputes. A will makes your final wishes plain and clear, saving your loved ones the stress of having to distribute your assets after your death. This can prevent unpleasantness and disputes.

• Simple will. This may cost anywhere between £144 and £240.
• Complex will. On average, the fees are around £150 to £300.
• Specialist will. This involves oversea properties or trust, so expect to pay around £500 to £600 for this type of will.
• Mirror will. If you want a will that’s nearly identical to your spouse’s or partner’s, you can opt for this type of will. These wills are easy to prepare, so the cost is negligible.

Take note, though, that these fees are just an estimate. What you are charged will be affected by your location and the complexity of your affairs.

If you’re involved in a contentious probate case, you should consider hiring an attorney for contested wills to help you resolve the matter satisfactorily. Examples might include:

• A disputed will or one where the validity is questionable.
• Where a dependent is not included in the will but wishes to make a claim on it.
• The will cover particularly complex arrangements.
• The deceased went bankrupt, or the estate’s debts are worth more than its assets.
• The deceased lived and/ or died outside of the UK.
• The estate includes assets or properties held abroad.

A will is a legal document created by individuals who wish to state who should handle and benefit from their estates when they die. If someone dies without a valid will in place, the law will decide how the estate is apportioned and to whom. This is where probate comes in; it is the legal procedure for transferring properties to the rightful heirs.

If you have already had a will drafted by a death tax attorney, it’s important to keep the original copy somewhere secure. The solicitors hired to draw up the will can usually keep signed copies in case the original is destroyed.

Only the testator can amend the terms of the will as they see fit. Only the last and latest version of the will (provided it is properly executed) will be taken into account on the testator’s demise.

The executor listed in the deceased’s will is the only individual eligible to apply for probate to administer their estate. If you are the executor but don’t want to handle the estate administration yourself, then hiring a solicitor to do it for you is often the best solution.

If someone dies without a will, they are referred to as ‘intestate’. The intestacy rules form the basis of who can apply for the grant of probate.

There is no doubt that having a professional firm of inheritance solicitors on your side will make the process easier, smoother and faster.