Probate and Estate Administration

Being an executor of a Will (or an administrator if there is no Will) is a huge responsibility to take on.

You are legally responsible for carrying out the deceased’s wishes (or implementing the intestacy rules if there is no valid Will) in accordance with the law.

You have duties towards the beneficiaries of the estate and they will hold you accountable if you do not carry out those duties correctly. Unfortunately the legal process can be full of traps for the unwary and a prudent executor will not put him or herself at risk by being ignorant of them. We are here to guide you through the whole process and offer various different levels of support. Don’t forget that you don’t have to stick with using the solicitor that drafted the Will.

We can help by:

  • Offering a fixed fee interview to advise you on the correct interpretation of the Will or the intestacy rules, talking you through the process and giving you some pointers to enable you to administer the estate on your own without a solicitor. We will still be here if you find you need more support at a later date.
  • Dealing with the “legal bits” (the daunting tax forms and obtaining the grant) for you at a fixed cost leaving you to do all the leg work (collate all the necessary information, gather in the assets and deal with the beneficiaries).
  • Acting for you in connection with the whole administration – the collection and distribution of the deceased’s assets. Either you remain as executor or administrator or you can appoint us as your attorney. We will usually be able to agree a fixed price with you at the outset so you know exactly what it’s going to cost. For details of how we do this please click here.  Don’t forget that obtaining legal advice is a legitimate expense of the estate and you will not be criticised if you choose to go for this option.
  • Acting as executor for you. Not everyone will need a professional executor but some clients choose to appoint us where they may have no-one suitable to ask or conversely if there is likely to be an argument as to who should act or friction between the beneficiaries.