Wills, Probate and Estate Planning Solicitors
We will help you prepare your Will to provide for your loved ones and will also review your existing Will if you would like us to check that it is up to date with current legislation.
We are able to advise on Inheritance Tax and have considerable experience helping our clients organise their personal and business matters to reduce their tax liabilities and protect their wealth. There have been considerable changes to the tax rules in recent years and we can ensure that your present Will still suits your requirements. It may also be that your own family needs have changed; new grandchildren, a bereavement or a divorce, they can all affect the way a Will should be drafted.
At a time when the population is ageing, Lasting Powers of Attorney for Finances and Health are often vital. We can advise on your options and alternatives which may suit your needs and be cheaper.
We are concerned to assist the most vulnerable and can assist with applications to the Court of Protection where a person has lost or is losing capacity to make his or her own decisions.
We are prepared to visit you in your home, care home or hospital within a reasonable radius of our St Albans and West Drayton offices when you are unable to get to our offices yourself.
After a person has died, we will also assist their relatives with the application for probate or letters of administration for uncontested matters and prepare the necessary paperwork and forms to be submitted to HM Revenue and Customs. We will guide you through the complex process with a caring and compassionate approach.
Contact us today in London (West Drayton) on 01895 449288 or in Hertfordshire (St Albans) on 01727 840900 or email us at info@wellsburcombe.co.uk.
Our expertise with Wills, Probate and Estate Planning
Making a Will
Getting your affairs in order is important, both for your own peace of mind about what will happen to your estate and providing for your loved ones, but also because it can make dealing with your estate much easier for loved ones when the time comes.
Our Will solicitors can assist with:
- Making a Will
- Reviewing an existing Will and advising on its implications and any issues to consider
- Updating a Will (by adding codicils or a replacement Will)
- Mirror Wills
See how we can help with making a Will.
Probate & Estate Administration
Where a loved one has passed away, we can provide a dedicated, experienced probate solicitor to help you through the process of dealing with their estate. Our aim is to make this difficult time a little easier by helping you with all of the technical aspects of dealing with an estate that can often be a significant source of worry and stress for many people.
Our probate lawyers can provide a complete service covering all of the following or assist with any of these matters individually:
- Identify the executors or administrators and beneficiaries of the estate
- Identify the type of Probate application you will require
- Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
- Liaise with all relevant organisations (including HMRC)
- Complete the Probate Application
- Complete the relevant HMRC forms for Inheritance Tax
- Make the application to the Probate Registry on your behalf
- Obtain Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration and securely send two copies to you
- Deal with the closure of accounts, collect in estate funds and pay any liabilities connected to the estatePrepare a final estate account and distribute legacies to beneficiaries
See how we can help with probate and estate administration.
Inheritance Tax Planning
Good estate planning can significantly increase what you are able to pass on to your beneficiaries by minimising your estate’s liability for Inheritance Tax. There are various options for reducing your estate’s Inheritance Tax burden that are fully within the rules set out by the UK government and HMRC.
Our estate planning solicitors can advise on options including:
- Lifetime gifts
- The Nil Rate Band
- Passing on pensions
See how we can help with estate planning.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) can empower someone you trust to make decisions about your home, finances, health and welfare if you ever become unable to make decisions about these critical matters yourself. There are two types of LPA you can make – a ‘health and welfare LPA’ or a ‘property and financial affairs LPA’. You can make one or both LPAs depending on your needs.
Our Lasting Power of Attorney solicitors can assist with:
- Making a Lasting Power of Attorney
- Registering an LPA
- Advising those acting as an Attorney
See how we can help with Lasting Powers of Attorney.
Court of Protection
Where a loved one has lost the ability to manage their own personal affairs, for example due to dementia or a brain injury, then it may be necessary to make an application to the Court of Protection to allow you to manage their financial and/or health matters for them by becoming their Deputy. It may also sometimes be necessary to make one-off applications to the Court of Protection to deal with certain specific matters.
Our Court of Protection solicitors can assist with:
- Applying to become a Court of Protection Deputy
- Acting as a Court of Protection Deputy
- Applications to the Court of Protection to sell property
- Statutory Wills
Our Wills, Probate and Estate planning fees
We offer flexible payment options for our Wills, probate and estate planning services, including fixed fees where appropriate.
Fixed fee Wills
For straightforward Wills, we can offer a fixed price to complete all of the legal work involved.
Fixed fee probate service
Many parts of the probate process can be handled on a fixed fee basis e.g. applying for grant of probate.
Hourly rates for Wills, probate and estate planning
Where you require ongoing support with a matter that does not fit within the scope of a fixed fee, we can work to a competitive hourly rate determined by the level of expertise required.
We will be happy to give you an initial estimate of the total cost of dealing with an estate or other matter following your initial consultation with our team.
Find out more about our probate pricing.
What can we help you with?
Inheritance Tax Planning
Inheritance Tax law, tax relief and tax exemptions are complicated and it can also be difficult to calculate exactly how much will be payable.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
People often think that if something happens, a loved one can simply step in to deal with their affairs on their behalf, however this is not the case.
Making A Will
Making a valid Will ensures that your loved ones will be provided for in the future in the way that you would wish.
Probate
We understand how difficult it is to deal with the probate law and the estate of a loved one following their death.
Contact our Wills, probate and estate planning solicitors today in London (West Drayton) on 01895 449288 or in Hertfordshire (St Albans) on 01727 840900 or email us at info@wellsburcombe.co.uk.