Wills & Probate Solicitors North Wales
A will is the first step toward safeguarding your legacy and ensuring your assets are distributed according to your wishes. As expert will writers, we emphasise the peace of mind that comes from having a detailed Will.
Probate
When a person dies, someone has to deal with their affairs. This is called administering the estate. Bereavement is often a distressing time for all concerned and taking on this task can be a daunting prospect. Administering an estate can be a lengthy process of information gathering and paperwork, calculations and correspondence, accounts and settlements. The process can be both time-consuming, and complex.
That’s why we work with you to take the strain and make the process as straightforward as possible.
We have the experience and knowledge to take on this burden efficiently, sympathetically and in the most cost-effective and timely way possible. We provide our clients full support, advice and guidance during this difficult period and take responsibility for gathering details and administering the estate and to sort out any problems that may arise.
Our expertise in wills and probate services, are designed to guide you through each step of the process, ensuring your peace of mind. We focus on drafting wills that reflect your desires precisely, minimise liabilities, and protect your loved ones.
Making a Will
Everyone should make a Will.
If you care about what happens to your property after you pass away, you should make a will.
Without one, your partner, friends or relatives may get nothing. It is particularly important to make a will if you and your partner are not married nor have a civil partnership. This is because the law does not automatically recognise partners as having the same rights as husbands and wives or civil partners.
Making a will not only enables you to manage your estate and assets but, in the process, look after loved ones when you’ve gone, and, potentially protect certain assets.
If you die without having made a Will your estate might pass to your parents or your siblings under intestacy rules, but you may prefer to leave your estate to your nieces, nephews, friends or charities that a close to your heart.
Equally, you should make a Will to set out your preferred funeral arrangements.
We can give advice and guidance as to the most appropriate form of Will for you to cover your individual requirements and to try to minimise, where possible, the impact of Inheritance Tax.
Expert Guidance and Legal Assurance
Wills and probate lawyers, integral to estate planning and administration, offer comprehensive services tailored to ensure your final wishes are honoured and your loved ones are protected.
How our Wills and Probate Lawyers can help
Drafting Legal Documents
Our solicitors meticulously draft wills, trusts, and other essential legal documents, ensuring they align with your wishes and comply with legal standards.
Estate and Tax Planning
We provide expert advice on organising your estate efficiently
Administering the Estate
From securing probate to distributing assets, our lawyers manage all aspects of estate administration, ensuring a smooth transition for your beneficiaries.
Emotional Support
Understanding the emotional weight of estate planning, our solicitors offer compassionate support, guiding you and your family through each step with sensitivity and care.
Powers of Attorney
A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you (the ‘donor’) appoint one or more people (known as ‘attorneys’) to help you make decisions or to make decisions on your behalf.
Lasting Powers of Attorney come in two different forms. One covers your property and financial affairs and the other covers health and welfare issues. You will not necessarily require both but any Lasting Power of Attorney made will need to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian BEFORE it can be used.
This gives you more control over what happens to you if you have an accident or an illness or cannot make your own decisions because you ‘lack mental capacity’. You must be 18 or over and have mental capacity (the ability to make your own decisions) to make your LPA.
The powers under an LPA may be modified and restricted to suit your requirements.
The Office of the Public Guardian currently charge an £82.00 fee to register an LPA, however if you are on certain benefits an exemption can be claimed. We can advise you regarding this.
Court of Protection Orders
If you become unable to manage your affairs and are not capable of instructing a Solicitor in respect of a Lasting Power of Attorney because you lack capacity, then the alternative is a Court of Protection Order.
In such cases the Court will make a decision as to who should manage your affairs (the Deputy) and what powers they have, or do not have. The person appointed as your deputy can be a relative or friend, known as a lay deputy, or someone acting in a professional capacity such as a solicitor.
Solicitors fees for dealing with Court of Protection work are fixed by the Court.
Everyone’s individual circumstances are different and we will provide you with a personal service to suit your specific needs. We can help and advise you on issues such as obtaining medical evidence on mental capacity, preparing the application forms, the timescales and stages in the application, the process once the deputy has been appointed, the roles and responsibilities of a deputy as outlined in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and likely fees and charges