We offer a comprehensive later life planning appointment where we can discuss all options available to our clients from preparing Wills which include trusts to protect their assets for future generations to ways of reducing inheritance tax liability on death and how best to deal with the possibility of having to fund care home fees.

Powers of Attorney are documents in which you authorise someone else (an Attorney) to be able to make decisions on your behalf.

It is our belief that every adult should consider having a power of attorney in place, in order to allow their finances, property and health care decisions to be dealt with in the event of serious accident, long term sickness or mental incapacity.

We can provide you with advice as to the following types of Power of Attorney;
Lasting Powers Of Attorney (LPA);
Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPA) – before October 2007;
General Powers of Attorney.

Lasting Powers of Attorney can be used to delegate authority to make decisions about property and financial matters and/or the ability to make decisions about health and welfare. Should you lose mental capacity without having a power of attorney in place, then no one will have automatic authority to manage your affairs, and would be required to apply to the Court of Protection to be appointed as your Deputy.

We advise on the whole process of creating LPAs including the merits of putting LPAs in place, who should be appointed to act as your attorney, how forms should be drafted and what should be included and left you, the registration of the forms with the Office of the Public Guardian and the duties and responsibilities of the Attorneys.

The death of a family member is a difficult time. We offer a simple, practical service to help you deal with the challenges of applying for Probate and with the overall administration of the estate.

If you are an executor of a will we can advise you as to your powers and responsibilities to the estate.

Our team of probate solicitors can further advise on the information you will need to apply for a grant of probate and can assist you in completing the necessary forms. Once the grant has been obtained, we are also able to assist in collecting assets, paying liabilities, transferring assets and dealing with tax consideration. Our highly qualified probate team are able to deal with both small and complex estates and legal issues.

To discuss the best option for you please contact one of our team.

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Trust law can be a complicated area of law to manage by yourself. Our highly skilled and dedicated trust solicitors can help you in dealing with this area of law simply and effectively. We can provide detailed advice in relation to setting up a trust fund, the ongoing maintenance of any trust and indeed the winding up of any trust.

Whether you are looking to protect a relatives finances, create trusts for your family, structure your assets or deal with your duties and responsibilities as a trustee, we can advise and assist you.

Making a will is one of the most important things you can do. If you do not have a will, your assets will be distributed according to the rules of intestacy.

We offer a simple, affordable service designed to give you peace of mind that your will reflects and enforces your individual wishes. We understand that in additional to financial concerns there are also often family issues to discuss and decisions to be made such as guardianship for your children, which make the drafting of a will a very personal process.

Our dedicated private client solicitors will therefore assist you in choosing your executors and trustees, advise you as to the best way to structure your assets and negotiate any tax implications, and ensure that your children and other family members are taken care of.

If you already have a will, then it is important that this is kept up to date.
To discuss making a will or to discuss a current will you may already have, please contact us today via the contact form, or call us on 01483 56 76 76.

When it comes to buying, selling and managing property, whether it is your home or an investment, our lawyers are experts at handling the legal processes, identifying the pitfalls and keeping you up-to-date.

We regularly advise clients in relation to properties located all across Surrey and the surrounding areas including London, West Sussex and Hampshire. We are pro-active and dedicated to providing clear and concise advice. We can also assist you in other areas of law by making referrals to other departments if required. For further information about our areas of expertise in this area please click on the “related services” links to the right.

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Contentious Probate is the name given to disputes/disagreements that arise once a person has died.

Some examples of when a situation might be held to be contentious are:
The will left by a deceased is suspicious for any reason i.e. content and timing to name but a few
The deceased’s estate has been reduced prior to them passing away by somebody other than the deceased leading to a far less valuable estate.
The beneficiaries of the will are not who was expected and family members etc have been included to a lesser extent than they expected.
You were receiving financial support from the deceased but you have been left out of their will
There is a dispute between executors and or beneficiaries

We can assist you in deciding whether to challenge the validity of a will, whether to make a claim for the financial provision you believe you are entitled to and in dealing with disputes between beneficiaries and executors.

If you have a concern about the probate process or believe that it is becoming contentious. Please do not hesitate to give one of our specialist solicitors a call.

The Court of Protection was set up to ensure protection for vulnerable adults.

The Court of Protection can make decisions as to a vulnerable person’s property and financial matters and have power to order the making of a statutory Will. If asked, the Court of Protection can also make health and welfare decisions on behalf of the person . The Court can decide whether to place someone on life support and can also make decisions about deprivation of a vulnerable person’s liberty.

Whilst the Court of Protection can make decisions itself for health and welfare decisions it normally prefers to appoint a deputy to make decisions about property and financial matters. A deputy can be a relative, a professional or a solicitor.

We have experience in applying to the Court of Protection requesting orders be made on behalf of the vulnerable person. We also have experience in acting as deputies ourselves. We understand that this is an incredibly emotive and sensitive area of law and deserves to be handled delicately and with the utmost respect.