Planning for the future is often put to one side in life, yet we never know what is around the corner. Making a Will is something that many of us, understandably, put off. But if you do not have a Will, your assets will pass by the fixed rules of intestacy and therefore someone may benefit from your estate who you do not want to, while others may be left nothing – for example an unmarried partner or non-blood relative.
By making a Will you choose who shall receive your assets, the appointment of guardians for young children and decide who will deal with your estate upon your death.
We can also assist with the administration of the estate of someone who has died. This includes informing all companies and interested parties who need to know of the death, collecting the value of assets at the time of the death, applying for a Grant of Probate or letters of administration and distributing the estate in accordance with any Will or under the rules of intestacy.
We understand that this can be a distressing time and our legal advisers are here to assist and ease that burden.
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document by which you can appoint one or more individuals to look after your affairs should you, for whatever reason, become unable to do so. An LPA can be very beneficial to you, your family and close friends or relatives as, once registered, it can be acted upon at any time and can be used to assist with financial matters should you ever become physically impaired or even if you no longer wish to make your own decisions even though you retain the physical and mental capacity to do so.
An LPA can provide you with the peace of mind that your property and financial affairs and/or your health and welfare will be dealt with by someone whom you trust should you become unable to deal with your own property and financial affairs and/or health and welfare during your lifetime. If you have a relative or close friend who has lost mental capacity and who has not put in place a LPA then we can assist with a Court of Protection application for you to be appointed their Deputy, so that you could act on their behalf in respect of their property and financial affairs and ensure that their bills are paid.
We are delighted to be an accredited member of the Law Society’s Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme (WIQS). This shows that we follow best practice procedures to meet the highest standards of technical expertise and client service in providing tailored wills and probate advice to consumers.