Personal
If you have been left out of a friend or family member's will then you may be able to make a claim.
SOLVING PERSONAL LEGAL MATTERS
We provide Contesting a Will services in the following areas:
Contact us for a free consultation with a specialist solicitor.
Contesting a Will on a no win, no fee basis can be done in many circumstances. It means that if the claim is not successful, the client will not need to pay any legal fees for trying to challenge the Will.
The death of a loved one can be a difficult and stressful time, sometimes heightened if there has been complications with a Will. This is when the act of contesting a will can come into play.
If you have been left out of a friend or family member's will, or if you do not think you have been left enough, then you may be able to make a claim for reasonable financial provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
In some circumstances a will may not be valid. There are number of ways to contest a will and challenge its validity:
You may also be able to claim if you have been promised an inheritance and not received it.
To find out more about contesting a will in your area, visit our dedicated pages:
You can contest a will after probate. The process may be different to contesting a will before probate, but a specialist solicitor will be able to advise you on this.
If you have an issue it is always best to contest a will before the grant of probate, as when probate is granted the Executor can administer the Estate and sell property, access bank accounts, etc. This may make it more difficult to enforce any judgment you get in your favour as the assets may have been spent.
Contesting a will is not straight forward and there are a number of different ways it can be done. At Forbes, our process is roughly that we first look to speak with you in detail about your claim, carry out initial investigations and advise you of the legal position surrounding your case. We will then write to the opponent and put your case to them in full.
After we receive a detailed response from the opponent we may then look to organise a mediation to attempt to resolve the matter without the need for court proceedings.
If mediation is not successful, then we will need to issue court proceedings. We will advise you thoroughly of the cost and risk of doing this, to ensure that you are comfortable with all details.
In some cases, there are strict time limits to contest a will and if you have an issue you should contact us without delay to ensure a claim is brought in time.
To make a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, you have six months from the date of the grant of probate to bring a claim. However, you can bring a claim out of time if you have a good reason, and we can advise you on that.
If the time limit has passed or if the time limit is approaching, it is important that you act fast and contact us without delay.
In some cases there are no time limits to contest a will, and we will advise you of that in our initial free consultation.
There is no set cost to how much it will cost to contest a will, as it will vary based on the solicitor you choose as well as the nature of your claim.
With Forbes Solicitors, your initial telephone consultation with a specialist wills & probate solicitor is completely free. After that, we offer extreme flexibility with fees and funding, which sometimes includes operating on a "no win, no fee" basis, and we can also defer costs to ensure we work with clients as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.
Every contested probate claim and case is different - and yours is likely to be unique, too. As such, it's difficult to predict what your case may look like, or the exact path that your claim may take.
If you feel that you would like to pursue a contesting a will claim, then the first step that you need to make is finding a trusted and specialist solicitor. Our experienced team of probate and wills solicitors can advise you on all aspects of your claim, and provide you with whatever support you need throughout the case.
Forbes Solicitors have a nationally recognised team of specialist Contentious Wills, Trusts and Probate lawyers. Our lawyers are recognised and recommended by the prestigious "Legal 500", a directory listing top lawyers and firms, and are associate members of the esteemed Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists and the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners.
We are extremely flexible with fees and funding and offer a free initial telephone consultation with one of our specialist lawyers. We often pursue matters of a "no win, no fee" basis, we can defer costs and we work with clients to ensure their matter is pursued as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.
The team act for clients on local, national and international basis on a range of Contentious Wills, Trust and Probate matters. We have significant experience in acting for claimants, defendants, executors and beneficiaries in a variety of matters, including:
Get in touch to see how our experts could help you.
Monday to Friday:
09:00 to 17:00
Saturday and Sunday:
Closed
Yes a will can be contested on a number of grounds, including improper execution of the will, fraud and forgery, and a lack of mental capacity. Click here to read more about grounds for Contesting a Will.
The exact process of contesting a will can be different with every case. If the validity of a will is successfully challenged then the terms of a previous will or the rules of intestacy apply.
There are various classes of people that can make a claim including children, people treated as children (including step children), spouses and former spouses, and any person maintained wholly or partly by the Deceased before death (this could include wider family members, friends or partners).
If you stand to inherit under the terms of a previous will or under the rules of intestacy, then you are likely to be able to contest the will.
If you are making a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 for reasonable financial provision then there are a limited number of people who can claim.
If you wish to contest a will, please give us a call and we will discuss with you whether you are able.
Yes, in some circumstances, a will can be contested by a sibling. Typically, you will be eligible to contest a will if you stood to benefit under the terms of a previous will but do not under a current one, or if you stand to benefit under the rules of intestacy.
Each contesting a will claim is different, so it's important that you seek the expertise and advise of a specialist solicitor for advice on your specific circumstances. If you wish to contest a will, please give us a call and we will discuss with you whether you are able.
Yes, in some circumstances. It depends on the exact nature of your case - your relation to the deceased alone is not enough to grant you eligibility, but if you stand to benefit under the terms of a previous will or the rules of intestacy, then you may be eligible. If you wish to contest a will, please get in touch with Forbes and we will discuss with you whether you are able.
A will can be contested when the person who has made the will has died. In different cases, it is possible for wills to be contested before or after probate, but it very much depends on the exact nature of the case.
How much contesting a Will costs will depend on the specific circumstances involved as this will affect the amount of work involved in challenging the existing Will. Complex Wills involving several parties and the type of evidence required may be more costly to contest.
At Forbes, we are flexible with fees in order to suit your needs. We often pursue matters on a "no win, no fee" basis, we can defer costs and we work with clients to ensure their matter is pursued as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.
Contesting a Will can be a complex process and you'll need expert legal advice from a specialist solicitor. Part of the process involves determining the grounds on which you wish to contest the Will and gathering the evidence needed to support that claim.
Your solicitor will be able to help with every aspect of the process and has the experience needed from previous contested Wills they have been involved with to build a strong body of supporting evidence that has the best chance of success.
Get in touch to see how our experts could help you.
31 Mar 2022
Testamentary capacity - weight to be given to medical practitioner's assessment of testamentary capacity
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Monday to Friday: 09:00 to 17:00
Saturday and Sunday: Closed