It is the best way to be sure what will happen to your property on your death. If you do not make a Will the Government will decide how your property will be distributed and rather than it going to those whom you would wish to have it, it may end up going to estranged spouses, distant relations, the Tax man, or even the Crown.

Anybody who has recently married or divorced, is single, has children, has no dependents, or any property of any value - great or small should make a Will.

Making a Will is the only way of ensuring you make suitable provisions for your children. You can:-

nominate a guardian to look after your children, should anything happen to both parents.

specify at what age your children should take control of your property.

leave directions to allow money to be made available for your children during their upbringing and education.

We work very closely with a number of independent financial advisors and together we can offer you comprehensive ways to minimise any Inheritance Tax that may be payable upon your death, through efficient use of exemptions, reliefs, lifetime gifts and Trusts.

In most cases it is not expensive to make a Will and it is the only way to be sure that your wishes are followed on your death.

In the event that someone close to you has died then we can assist with the Probate process. Executors are now legally required to perform their duties with the utmost care and “due diligence”.

If you take on the role of an executor or administrator then you become personally liable to the beneficiaries for any loss resulting from wrongful use of the deceased's property, negligence or maladministration. We can assist you in the performance of your duties.

We will take the necessary steps to register the death and obtain details of the deceased's assets and liabilities, with the assistance of professional valuations if required.

We can prepare the Oath for Executors or Administrators. Depending upon the value of the Estate, it may be necessary to prepare Inheritance Tax Accounts and lodge them with the Inland Revenue. This can often involve complicated calculations to work out the amount of Inheritance Tax that is payable.

Once a Grant of Probate has been issued, we can collect in all the deceased's assets, taking into account the relevant provisions in the deceased's Will.

Once the assets have been realised we can ensure that all debts and liabilities of the Estate are discharged, including funeral expenses and any other outstanding bills including Tax.

Once the assets have been realised and all the debts discharged we can then distribute the residue of the Estate in accordance with the wishes of the deceased's Will.

It may be necessary to distribute the assets according to the law of intestacy, in the event that there was no Will. This can often be a complicated procedure, to ensure that all those who are entitled to benefit under the laws of intestacy are traced and receive their payment.

We can provide detailed Accounts to show how the assets and liabilities of the Estate have been dealt with.

We can offer advice on post-death variation of the deceased's estate in order to try and mitigate any Inheritance Tax that is payable.