Wills, Probate & Elderly Client

We encourage everyone to have a Will and to keep any Will that they do have under regular review.  Our experience in this field is informed by our experience in both general probate and in contentious probate.  This allows us to be aware of the pitfalls and consequences arising from a badly drafted Will.  We take time to understand our clients’ needs and to advise them accordingly.  Once decisions are made we provide draft Wills for consideration within a few days of receiving instructions.  We are always happy to amend a draft Will to suit our clients’ needs.  We aim to ensure that each client is completely happy with the draft before it is executed no matter how much time and how many drafts this may entail.  As a matter of course we deal with the formalities required for validly executing a Will and safe storage of the original Will. Please see our Making a Will Guide.

If you are interested in contacting us to make or to review a Will why not fill in our Will Instruction Form which you can then print out and send to us or bring with you to your appointment? This will provide our solicitors with the information they need to accurately prepare your Will as quickly as possible.

The detail of distributing your assets after death may include a number of legacies, that is gifts of specified amounts of money to individuals or organisations.  For a variety of reasons people often decide to make gifts to charities as part of their Will provisions.  For larger estates there may be the added incentive of limiting any inheritance tax liability by giving to a charitable organisation.  At Bell & Buxton, we are proud of our work with a number of local charities which you might like to consider as potential beneficiaries of your Will.  Please see our Links page for examples of the Charities we work with.

You can find more information about charitable giving at www.charitycommission.gov.uk.

More and more people need detailed advice in relation to tax planning with regard to both Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax when making a Will. We are happy to provide this advice and we also work closely with a number of Accountants and Independent Financial Advisors who can provide more detailed and client specific advice if necessary.  For more information see our Inheritance Tax factsheet.
 

Since the introduction of Lasting Powers of Attorney for both Property & Financial Affairs and for Health & Welfare in 2007 we have built up considerable experience in drafting and processing the application for the registration of these complex legal instruments. Our service includes full consideration of all the alternatives, an assessment of comparative costs and the possible risks involved in not making use of Lasting Powers of Attorney. As with Wills we draft the Lasting Powers to reflect the client’s individual needs and requirements and we spend time ensuring that our clients are happy with the result. We pride ourselves on providing sensitive accurate and professional advice for clients of all ages but particularly the elderly who wish to consider their options.  See our Lasting Power of Attorney factsheet for further details.

If you are interested in contacting us to make a Lasting Powers of Attorney,  why not fill in our Lasting Powers of Attorney Instruction Form which you can then print out and send to us or bring with you to your appointment? This will provide our solicitors with the information they need to accurately prepare your Lasting Powers of Attorney as quickly as possible.

The cost of care for the elderly is a frequent question especially when individuals find that they are expected to contribute from their own resources thus depleting their overall capital value. We examine all the options available and where possible suggest ways to limit any reduction in capital. We offer a complete service for the elderly client who needs advice on how to organise their affairs to minimise both tax liability and any loss arising out of care fees.
 

Please contact: Charles Neal on 0114 249 5969.
Email: c.neal@bellbuxton.co.uk