How can you plan to make things easier for your family and loved ones
If you are no longer able to make life decisions for yourself a Lasting Power of Attorney makes life easier for your family or loved ones. There are two types of Lasting Powers of Attorney: Lasting Power of Attorney – Property and financial affairs This type of Lasting Power of Attorney deals…
Wills
Probate is a topic many of us don’t know about until we have to deal with it on a personal basis. My clients frequently ask me these common probate questions that I have put into a useful FAQ blog. Is my Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) still a valid document? Yes. Any old EPA documents are…
How a Lasting Power of Attorney works to protect your future
We would all hope we will be able to make our own independent decisions in the future. Unfortunately for many of us that will not be the case. A Lasting Power of Attorney allows you to appoint people you trust to make decisions for you when you are no longer able to yourself. How does a Lasting…
Dealing with a loved ones estate - where do I start?
Dealing with matters when a loved one has died can be an extremely difficult and overwhelming. In terms of their estate, there can be quite a lot to organise and consider. As a result, this can seem like a very daunting experience. Many clients in such situations approach us asking what probate is…
Discretionary Trusts
Setting up a trust is a safe way of protecting your money for the future. However, there are many different types of trusts available. Which one should you choose? What are the differences between them all? Kathryn Busfield from our Wills, Probate and Trusts department explains what a Discretionary…
Challenging a will part 2: Proprietary estoppel
Following on from my recent article concerning ways of challenging a will, this article will focus on making a claim in proprietary estoppel. This is a different way for a disgruntled beneficiary to challenge a will or estate. Many proprietary estoppel cases relate to family disputes over farms,…
Employment rights and wills - what new parents need to know
As an expectant first-time mother, I have been recently doing the same as many others in my position: buying pushchairs and other paraphernalia, choosing baby names, and thinking considerably about the future. New parenthood brings with it a whole new set of considerations and issues: what rights…
Challenging a will - contentious probate claims
One of the benefits of making a will is that there is certainty surrounding your wishes on your death. Unfortunately, however, wills (or the lack of a will) can sometimes result in a dispute between the deceased’s loved ones. We look at the most common situations, and the different grounds…
Are you thinking about leaving a gift to charity in your will?
When making your will, you may want to consider leaving a gift to charity. There are various ways you may leave a gift. The simplest form of doing this is by leaving a pecuniary legacy, which is a sum of money. You may leave a specific item or items to charity, or you a percentage of the residue of…
What is probate? And other frequently asked questions
We understand that dealing with a loved one’s estate can be daunting. We take a look at some of our clients’ frequently asked questions about probate. What is probate? When a person dies leaving assets and property, these need to be dealt with and distributed according to the will.…