Probates and estate administration

Whether or not a person leaves their affairs in good order our experts will act with sensitivity and practicality when helping you to deal with any liabilities, assets and personal effects of a departed relative or friend.  Even when estate planning is well organised, there are many formal steps to take and potential pitfalls including relating to tax where experience and organisation is essential advice for beneficiaries through the process from start to finish.

Where an individual dies leaving a properly executed Will, the person who has the ultimate responsibility for administering the estate is appointed in the Will and is called an "executor". This is the person who will make the application for a grant of probate. The grant of probate will give named executors the required court permission to deal with the deceased's estate. Sometimes an individual may die without a Will. In such a case, the person who has ultimate responsibility will be the "administrator". That person will need to apply to the court for a grant of letters of administration in order to deal with the estate.

The executor or administrator is required to complete the necessary forms and deal with HMRC's increasingly complex requirements before a grant will be issued. Inheritance Tax or assets overseas increase the complexity of administering the estate.

If there is an existing Trust or a Trust created by the Will, we can also deal with all aspects of the Trust's administration.

The process can be adapted to include us advising as to the most tax efficient way the estate can be administered aiming to maximise the various reliefs available to estates such as business and agricultural property relief. Our team members frequently work on the administration of international estates holding assets in multiple countries and dealing with the tax and inheritance laws of these jurisdictions.

In brief

• Full and bespoke service including expertise in obtaining the grant of probate, letters of administration, and administration of the estate in full.
• Advising and implementing tax efficient solutions
• Extensive expertise in the administration of international estates  acting with empathy understanding the difficulties and stress

The likely costs of instructing us are published in a clear and precise schedule which can be found on Probate Costs. This also includes information on the probate process and notes for personal representation.