Wills and Trusts

We have a team of specialist solicitors dealing with the preparation of Wills, Trusts and Tax Planning who give advice based on your individual circumstances - in a friendly but professional manner.

We recommend that every adult should have a Will regardless of the value of their estate ie, what they own which includes houses, bank accounts, shares etc and also regardless of their age and family circumstances.   If you do not leave a valid will the intestacy rules would apply and may not pass your estate to those that you would wish. For instance:

• You may be married or in a civil partnership but not necessarily would your entire estate pass to your surviving spouse or civil partner.
• If you are not married but living together with a partner you may assume that your non-married partner would inherit your estate, but under the intestacy rules this would not be the case.

This could leave your your loved ones in the difficult position of having to apply to the Courts for assistance which may mean that they could have to sue their own children and will undoubtedly prove costly to them and to the estate and could take many years to sort out which means that your assets can be tied up in legal proceedings for years.

In a Will you can choose who should be the Executors and Trustees ie, the people that are going to collect in your assets and pay any debts, you can appoint Testamentary Guardians for minor children ie, choose who they should live with and choose who your estate should pass to on your death and at what age.   Wills have also over the years been used as a good tax/nursing home planning tool in some cases savings of thousands of pounds have been made by having an appropriate will in place.

Once you have made a Will we recommend that you keep it under review at least every 5 years or so to check that it still reflects your wishes and also incase of any tax changes.    You should also be aware that if you marry or re-marry that would normally revoke ie cancel an existing Will so you need to make a new one or if you divorce then any provisions relating to your former spouse will be treated as though they pre-deceased you so again you may wish to discuss alterations needed. It is also vital if you are separating from a partner that you review your will and we are here to help with this.

Our dedicated team advise on all aspects of Wills, Trusts and Estate planning including:

• Single, Joint and Mirror Wills
• Life Interest Wills
• Discretionary Trust Wills
• Nursing home planning
• Practical advice on Inheritance Tax planning
• Setting up and managing Trusts
• Estate and nursing home fee planning
• Notices of Severance and holding property as joint tenants or tenants in common and when appropriate