Probate Lawyers at Forbes Solicitors

Probate is the term used to deal with the legal process of dealing with a person's estate after their death. Our specialist team of Probate and Trusts Solicitors have many years experience in taking the burden off family members and dealing with the necessary legal procedures involved in administering a person's estate in the UK.

If the deceased left a Will, there will be Executors who are responsible for dealing with the estate. If there is no Will, the people responsible for dealing with the estate are called Administrators. Executors and Administrators are often referred to as Personal Representatives. They have the task of collecting in the deceased's assets, i.e. closing down bank accounts, selling or transferring shares, selling or transferring property and dealing with any legacies of money or personal items. They are also required to settle any debts of the estate, including funeral expenses and administration expenses, out of the deceased's funds. Personal Representatives are also responsible for sorting out any tax issues, including Inheritance Tax, Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax.

Obtaining the Grant of Representation

In order to deal with assets in the estate, Personal Representatives will often need to apply for a Grant of Representation. This is a legal document issued by the High Court which authorises the Personal Representatives to collect in the assets. If there is a Will, the Grant is called a Grant of Probate. If there is no Will, the Grant is called a Grant of Letters of Administration. Most financial institutions will require sight of the Grant before they will release the monies, although this may not be the case if there are small amounts of money involved. If the deceased owned a property or shares, a Grant will certainly be required. Our Probate and Trusts Solicitors can help you with this process by taking care of all the paperwork involved, which includes an Oath which the Personal Representatives are required to swear in the presence of a Solicitor / Commissioner for Oaths and an Inland Revenue account.

Complete Administration

If you would like Forbes Solicitors to deal with the whole administration of the estate for you, we can assist with all these matters including:

Notifying third parties of the death, i.e. financial institutions, share registrars, utility companies
Obtaining valuations of assets
Dealing with any Inheritance Tax, Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax matters
Obtaining the Grant of Representation
Collecting in the assets
Settling liabilities, tax liabilities, funeral expenses and administration expenses
Selling the deceased's property or transferring property to beneficiaries
Selling shares or transferring shares to beneficiaries
Paying any legacies left by the deceased to beneficiaries
Placing statutory notices in newspapers to advertise for any unknown creditors
Preparing estate accounts to account for monies going in and out of the estate from the date of death
Distributing the monies in the estate as per the Will or Intestacy Rules (if there is no Will)
Advising on trust arrangements within the Will
Post-death variations - advising on variations of the Will after death to maximise tax mitigation or vary entitlements under the Intestacy Rules

Our Dispute Resolution Solicitors can help you with any disputed matters including:

Disputed Wills
Inheritance disputes
Claims brought under the Inheritance (Provisions for Family and Dependents) Act 1975
Disputes involving Executors or Trustees

For a consultation with a specialist Wills, Probate, Tax or Trusts Lawyer please call Forbes Solicitors on freephone 0800 975 2463 or contact us by email today.