Mary Rimmer, Partner, Private Client solicitor

Partner,

Private Client

Mary is a Partner at Brachers, having qualified as a solicitor in 2003 and joined the Private Client team as a Senior Associate in 2017.

Profile:

Mary is a Partner with over 18 years’ experience as a private client solicitor and heads up the department’s Elderly and Vulnerable team.

Mary regularly advises clients on complex wills, including advising individuals of appropriate ways for providing for disabled and vulnerable beneficiaries. She also deals with estate planning work for wealthy clients including business owners and those with agricultural interests.

Mary specialises in later life planning including powers of attorney, deputyships and looking after the personal affairs of clients for whom BTC are deputy or attorney. She also deals with statutory will, gifting and other applications to the Court of Protection. Mary has recently passed with Merit the STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising Vulnerable Clients.

Mary deals with estate administration and has experience of complex estates including farming and business assets and advises on post-death planning through deeds of variation.

Mary is a trustee of both Maidstone Mencap and Spadework, both of which she is passionate about supporting both in and outside of the office.

Mary is a Dementia Friend Champion and delivers information sessions to enable others to become dementia friends. She strives to be an advocate for people with dementia and a source of information and support for those around her. She has created over 1,000 dementia friends. Mary was a finalist in the Emma Kent Award for Outstanding Contribution Category in the Dementia Friendly Kent Awards 2019.

Mary has given talks to local charities including Mencap and Tunbridge Wells Mental Health Services on topics relating to elderly and vulnerable clients such as wills and estate planning, powers of attorney and deputyships. Mary has also written articles for publication including for the Trusts and Estates Journal, South East Farmer, STEP Journal and STEP Advising Families website.

Mary enjoys being able to help clients put their legal affairs in order and strives to do with a practical yet sensitive approach.

Mary is named as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ in the Legal 500 2022 directory.

Mary specialises in:
- Wills for clients with a wide range of requirements and estate and tax planning.
- The creation and registration of Lasting Powers of Attorney and the registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney.
- Administration of estates and post-death planning through deeds of variation.
- Charity advice also deals with advising charities on choosing the appropriate legal structure and provides a range of advice from set-up to advising on charitable gifts and legacy donations
- Court of Protection applications including Deputyship applications, Trustee Act applications, Statutory Will applications, Gift approval applications, and looking after the general affairs of the elderly and vulnerable.
Practice and Sector Focus:
Qualifications and Memberships:
Recent Cases:
- Advising clients on the use of a discretionary trust will for their disabled child as a means of safeguarding their estate during their child’s lifetime and advising on the appointment of trustees.
- Advising client on completing a deed of variation from her father’s estate to transfer monies into a discretionary trust and preparing a loan from the trust back to the client to mitigate the inheritance tax liability on death. The process saved approximately £260,000 of inheritance tax.
- Advising a client with a degenerative brain disorder on the importance of making Lasting Powers of Attorney and preparing the documents for them.
Mary is passionate about and specialises in Elderly and Vulnerable work. She spends approximately a third of her time dealing with this area, a third with wills and estate planning and a third with probate and estate administration.
Awards:
- Mary Rimmer has great empathy – was very clear in her explanations – nothing was too much trouble – a really nice person who did a great job.
  
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