Estate Administration
If you lose a close relative or friend, quite often the last thing you want to do is to be involved in the administration of the estate. If you have been named as an executor, or are the closest relative then this is a responsibility you may need to face. We are here to help.
Our team of solicitors and lawyers have decades of experience in ensuring that an estate is properly administered, quickly, and efficiently. Whilst some people may think they can carry out this task, we are confident that nearly every time we would have been able to have completed the task more quickly, and more importantly, save money, more than covering the costs of our fees.
If you would like to carry out some of the tasks then we will work with you, doing as much or as little as you like. You can therefore take advantage of our expertise, tap into our knowledge, whilst carrying out some of the tasks yourselves.
Where a person has died without a will and there is an intestacy, there may be issues as to who will benefit and how the process is governed by the law. We can guide you through this maze and act on behalf of the administrators.
Having Brachers acting on your behalf means that any issues that arise with beneficiaries and relatives can be passed on to us and we can provide you with protection against any claims of maladministration. If we act for you then you can rely upon us to give you advice and protection against unwarranted claims.
There may be occasions when you might be advised to consider a deed of variation (or deed of family arrangement) where you wish to change your inheritance in order to save tax or to redirect it to another person. We will be able to advise you on when to consider taking such a course of action and the best way to achieve it within the timescale set down by the law. Deeds of variation can save some, if not all, the tax which arises when a person dies, as well as rearranging the affairs where perhaps a deceased person had not considered the consequences of a particular legacy or bequest.
If a person should have been provided for under an individual’s will or intestacy, and has not, then they may have a claim against the estate under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975. We can give you advice if you are an executor or administrator, or if you have a claim, we can act on your behalf in a claim against an estate, ensuring it proceeds to a sensible and cost effective conclusion.
There may be an occasion where a will or an intestacy is disputed for various reasons. It may be that a person has been the subject of undue influence or did not have capacity when he signed his will. You will need detailed advice in order to protect your interest when trying to make or defend such a claim and we can introduce you to one of our partners, Alexander Wilson, who has many years experience in these claims and also claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975.
