WILLS, PROBATE & ESTATE PLANNING

Clients requiring advice in connection with wills and probate matters may often find themselves in stressful and emotional circumstances, whether because of a recent bereavement or strained family relationships. We aim to provide a professional yet sensitive service, dealing with your matter with efficiency and consideration. The key areas in which we specialise are as follows

• Administration of estates where there is a will
• Administration of estates where there is no will
• Tax planning of your estate to save taxes
• Drafting of wills
• Letters of wishes and trust
• Disputes involving wills and estates

Wills

As part of our will writing service we offer a one-to-one meeting in order to discuss your circumstances and requirements, to provide advice and take your instructions. We will also advise you regarding inheritance tax and, where appropriate, suggest tax efficient ways of preparing your will and planning your estate. In certain circumstances time may be of the essence and we are prepared to visit clients at home or in hospital, if necessary. It is important to review your will periodically or if your circumstances change; if you need to amend your will, we would be pleased to assist.

Our fees for standard wills are £100 plus VAT. Please note however that for more complex wills, for example a will setting up a trust, we may charge more but will agree the fee with you before we begin any work.

Probate and Administration

The death of a loved one is always a testing time for families and we are particularly sensitive in the way that we approach the work we do on assisting families to carry out the wishes of the relative who has passed. In some cases there is no will and the laws of intestacy will apply. Either way we are well placed to ensure that you get the best possible advice at what is often a very stressful time.

Administering an estate can seem an overwhelming task therefore we can carry out the legal work on behalf of executors or administrators of estates. This work includes preparing inheritance tax accounts and the documents required to obtain the grant to deal with the estate before taking steps to wind up and distribute the estate funds.

For administering estates our fees are usually calculated on the basis of the time we spend on the matter and the value of the estate, in accordance with the Law Society’s guidance. We aim to provide an initial estimate to you at the outset of the matter and confirm our fees to you once we have further details about the estate and what work will be involved.

Estate Planning

Modern families are increasingly complex, with second marriages, co-habitation arrangements, children from previous relationships and problems of incapacity, duress and undue influence. It is crucial that there is a smooth succession on death with the minimum fuss. Property values are such that most estates in London are near to or above the inheritance tax threshold. We are well placed to advise on the planning of your estate during your lifetime to ensure that your beneficiaries receive your estate with the minimum payment of taxes.

We can agree a fixed price for most transactions. For further details please contact Naureen Matlib on (020) 7700 0265 or naureen@percyshort.co.uk or Stephen Friday on (020) 7697 4971 or stephen@percyshort.co.uk.