Probate, Wills & Trusts
At Kevin Lane & Co, we fully understand the importance of managing your personal affairs with care and consideration. Our lives are becoming increasingly busy and it can be a stressful task to learn how to manage your personal legal matters and ensure you and your family are protected in later life. Our expert team of private client solicitors will offer you practical advice and guidance on a wide range of legal matters, from asset protection to estate planning and wills.
Key Contacts:
Wills & Estate Planning
As human beings, we don’t like to think about death and it can be a challenge to decide how you would like your estate to be administered when you are no longer here. It is vital that you put a Will in place to ensure that your estate is distributed in accordance with your wishes.
Another significant part of this process is estate planning – taking stock of your assets and considering the best way to deal with these after your death. Making a Will reduces the stress and administrative burden on your family at such a difficult time, as it will clearly state how you wish your estate to be divided.
Kevin Lane & Co have extensive experience in drafting both simple and complex Wills.
If you already have a Will in place, you may feel that there is little or no reason to revisit it. However, keeping your Will up-to-date is hugely important. Changes in your circumstances, such as marriage or divorce, a growth in your family with children or grandchildren, are just some examples of why your Will needs to reflect this.
Probate
The term ‘Probate’ generally refers to the process of dealing with the estate of someone who has died, which generally means distributing their assets in accordance with their will. Technically, ‘probate’ refers to getting permission to carry out the wishes within someone’s will, though the term also applies to the whole process of settling someone’s estate.
If you’re responsible for executing someone’s will, there are specific rules that set out how you notify the authorities and distribute the estate. For permission to manage this process, you’ll need to apply for Grant of Probate, which is a legal document granted to you by the probate office that confirms your right as an executor/administrator and your authority to deal with the deceased’s assets.
If a will wasn’t left, the job of dealing with a person’s estate falls to their next of kin, who becomes known as the administrator. This is generally known as Dying Intestate and at Kevin Lane & Co, we have helped hundreds of clients in similar situations.
Power of Attorney
If you or your loved one require the appointment other people to take actions or make decisions on your behalf, we will provide you with advice and guidance on drafting a Power of Attorney document. These people will become your Attorneys and you can decide what powers they have in relation to your affairs, and when they are able to act.
We have a wealth of experience and expertise in all private client matters, and pride ourselves on our reputation for providing the highest quality service for drafting and registering Powers of Attorney. It’s never too early to make a Power of Attorney, so it makes sense to act now.