The only way to make sure that what you want to happen after your death actually occurs, is to make a properly drafted and executed will. If you don't make a will then the laws of intestacy apply and in our experience they almost never give the bereaved person what they expected, or what they think is fair, or indeed what their loved one would have thought fair.
You also need to take into account inheritance tax, how the payement of care home fees may affect your future living situation, whether it might be beneficial to make arrangements besides a will, for example life insurance, marriage, civil partnership, investments to take care of care home fees and adjustments to pension arrangements.
We work hand-in-hand with the fellow professionals that we most respect in the Norwich financial services community to make sure that your legal and financial arrangements are what you want , and do the best to you, your children and loved ones.
We will also talk to you about Lasting Powers of Attorney, and any directives for medical treatment in the event that you become incapable of making decisions yourself.
In some situations there are legitimate reasons for contesting how a person leaves their money after their death. In some cases there is reason to think that the will may have been improperly executed. In other cases the person making the will may have been subject to undue influence by someone else. In other cases a will makes no provision at all for a person who clearly should have been provided for -- a typical case is that of a child who is left nothing by parents. In other cases Wills can be a challenged if significant help has been given to the deceased during their lifetime by a friend, and the friend had good reason to expect something after the death.
In all these cases were happy to advise, negotiate, litigate if necessary, and in appropriate cases conduct the work under a Conditional Fee Agreement, what is commonly known as “ No-Win No Fee.”
In some estates a Trust will arise under the Will which could last for many years. We have the expertise to deal with trusts.
We have proven expertise in dealing with insolvent estates. These are becoming increasingly frequent : they occur when a deceased’s debts exceed the assets in the estate. This is a complex area of law and should only be handled by a lawyer with specialist knowledge.
We advise upon a range of other ‘lifetime’ measures which can be implemented at the same time a Will is made. These cover events during a persons lifetime . Theses measures ensure that their wishes concerning their property and affairs, health and welfare are taken care of in the event that they find themselves personally unable to communicate their wishes. These steps are usually achieved through Lasting Power of Attorney and Advance Directives (‘Living Wills’).