WILLS & PROBATE
Regrettably the rules that apply to those people who do not have a Will (called Intestacy) are not as straightforward as many people believe and there are limitations as to what beneficiaries including a surviving spouse can actually inherit by Law.
Solicitors specialising in this area:
John Sale
Specialising in private client non-contentious matters particularly Probate, Wills, Tax and Law for the Elderly.
Richard Minifie
Specialising in Wills and Probate.
I recently appointed John Sale of Bird Wilford & Sale to handle the writing of my mother and step father’s will. John visited my mum at home because she had only just come out of hospital after suffering a heart attack. She has a deep mistrust of solicitors and felt vulnerable because her husband was in hospital at the time and she wasn’t feeling very well herself.
We feel that John really made her feel at ease and talked her through putting her will in place with patience and care. John also re-visited the house once my step dad came home from hospital to explain what was in the draft wills and to ensure he was comfortable with the content.
It can be difficult to select a solicitor to deal with sensitive matters such as will writing but I would not hesitate to recommend this group of solicitors.
Joan Edwards
Making a Will is a simple straight forward exercise, but one which enables people to plan ahead with certainty as to what is to happen to their assets and estate following their death and you can ensure that the beneficiaries that you would wish to inherit your estate do so. A Will also provides opportunities for tax planning to try and ensure that the minimum amount of Inheritance Tax is payable following death. Again there may be some relatively simple matters contained within a Will that ensure the minimum taxes are payable both at the present time and also in the future.
Our practice also deals with the stressful period following a person’s death when their estate needs to be administered and their financial affairs sorted out. We offer a complete probate and administration service where we are able to assist family members faced with dealing with sensitive matters at a time when they least feel able to deal with the issues involved.
Our practice has years of experience dealing with other family issues, particularly those regarding elderly clients in areas such as Powers of Attorney, transfers of assets to members of the family and similar related matters.
While nothing can be done to avoid all of the problems associated with death and taxes something can be done by planning ahead to ensure that stresses and strains associated with these events can be minimised. We are here to help.