Professional Probate & Estate Administration
Dealing with the affairs of a loved one following a death can be a confusing and stressful time. Our ethos is to provide peace of mind and value for money. We strive to get the job done as quickly and cost effectively as possible.
We can provide assistance to the person responsible for administering an estate following someone’s death. We can either deal with the full administration on behalf of an executor, (when there is a will and a grant of probate is obtained) or advise the next of kin (when there is no will and a grant of letters of administration is obtained). Fixed or capped fees are always available.
Our help and advice can include:
- Registering the death;
- Interpretation of the Will or advice on intestacy if there is no Will;
- Valuation of the estate assets;
- Application for the grant of probate or letters of administration;
- Collection of the estate assets;
- Payment of debts;
- Distribution of estate assets to beneficiaries;
- Payment of tax (if any).
If you would like help, we will explain financial documents belonging to the deceased such as bank statements, passbooks, savings certificates, insurance policies etc. We can obtain any house deeds and deal with any outstanding bills. In short, we will help resolve any problems that arise in sad and emotional times with consideration and understanding and a minimum of fuss.
We also assist clients who wish to challenge a will. For further details, please see the section on the website entitled Contentious Probate.
Please call 0113 284 5000 or email a member of the probate & estate administration team for your free advice.
Frequently Asked Questions about Probate
A Grant of Probate is a certificate issued by the Probate Registry which states the validity of the will and the executors’ authority to deal with the administration of the estate.
Dealing with an estate can involve a great deal of paperwork, particularly if the deceased had significant or complicated financial affairs.
In outline, you need to:
– identify all the deceased’s financial affairs and work out how to deal with them
– value the estate
– complete the appropriate inheritance tax forms and deal with any inheritance tax liability
– obtain the grant of probate allowing you to deal with the estate
– collect up all the assets and where appropriate arrange their sale
– pay off any debts owed
– distribute the estate in accordance with the terms of the will.
We can assist you with any or all of the above, saving you an immense amount of time and stress. Fixed fees are available for most probate work.
A Grant, whether of Probate or Letters of Administration, is not always needed. If an estate (everything the deceased person owned in his or her sole name) is over a certain amount in value a Grant will be needed to enable the personal representative to release assets in order to administer the estate.
A specialist solicitor will be skilled, sympathetic, efficient and heavily insured against mistakes. The cost need not be high, and the complex processes made easier to understand and go through.
