Wills and Probate
The Wills and Probate team at Ringrose Law are able to take instructions and advise on the best course of action for you and your family according to your individual circumstances.
Your Will
Seven out of ten people who die leave their loved ones with unnecessary problems. If you die without a Will, the law will decide how your property will be divided. Don't let this happen to you – contact our team.
Tax Planning
Inheritance Tax is payable on a deceased's estate at a rate of 40% on assets over and above the inheritance tax threshold (£312,000 for the tax year 2008-2009). This tax is payable on an increasing number of estates due mainly to the rise in house prices. Inheritance tax can be limited or eliminated by including certain provisions in your Will – contact our team for specialist advice.
Probate
We can help you obtain a Grant of Probate and act with you to administer the estate. We have recently introduced a new software probate package and provide an extremely competitive and comprehensive probate service.
Trusts
Trusts can be used to reduce inheritance tax liability, provide for your family during lifetime or after death and protect your assets for the next generation. Contact our team for advice on the need for a trust and for help in the administration of existing trusts.
Lasting Powers of Attorney and the Court of Protection
We can advise on the need for and uses of a Lasting Power of Attorney. We have team members specialising in the affairs of elderly clients and able to act as attorney or receiver and assist when someone is no longer able to manage their own affairs. Please see the Related document on this subject.
Contested Probate
Will dispute and estate advice
Ringrose Law has recently established a dedicated contentious trust and probate team – one of the few firms in the country to have one. The team deals with any dispute relating to Wills, Estates, Trusts and Court of Protection issues and acts for all parties - individuals; estate executors and administrators, etc.
We are experts in estate & will dispute claims
Martin Roberts, the lead Solicitor in the team, is based at our Boston office and is an Associate member of the Association of Contentious Trusts & Probate Specialists (ACTAPS) thus bring greater skill to the field. He has extensive experience in dealing with cases under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, with cases where removal of an executor/administrator is sought or the executor’s competence has been challenged and has also acted in cases involving fraud on trusts, and of course cases where the Will maker’s testamentary capacity or freedom of choice when making a Will has been challenged. He also acts in professional negligence cases in this area.
All of the solicitors in our team can be contacted by email and are happy to speak to you if you call. All are familiar with the changes in this area brought about by the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
All of the team can call upon the support of our specialist non–contentious trust and probate colleagues and you can find more detail about them here on our website. In addition we can call upon specialist accountancy, taxation, wealth management, medical and other areas of expert advice as and when the need arises.
We offer expertise, experience, attention to detail, convenience and value for money. We take the time to explain the legal issues to our clients in plain English without the use of confusing legal terms and phrases
