Probate

Let our highly experienced Probate team help minimise the stress for you at a difficult time. We offer a wide range of options, depending on how much support you need.

As one of the largest teams of probate and contentious probate lawyers in Kent and the South East, we have a vast depth and breadth of experience and combine sensitivity with a practical approach to dealing with even the most complicated of issues. Our award winning team specialises in administering complex, high and ultra-high net worth estates, as well as estates with agricultural and business assets.

If problems arise, our highly regarded Will, Trust & Estate Disputes lawyers help resolve issues as quickly and cost effectively as possible. We can also draw on expertise from our Wills, Estate & Tax Planning, Tax Management and Residential Property & Conveyancing teams as needed.

Our probate experts also have a great deal of experience in working on international estates and the complexities involved here and have a trusted network of overseas lawyers we work with regularly.

We also have specific expertise in dealing with unusual assets and holding structures. In addition, our team can assist with heritage assets and reliefs, conditional exemption and offers in lieu of tax.

We understand what it means to lose someone and that each estate is unique. This is why we offer a bespoke service, delivering support tailored to your individual needs at this difficult time.

• Full estate administration: We will deal with each aspect of the probate process, so you are not burdened with the responsibility
• Executor support service: You choose which parts of the process you want to carry out yourself and which parts you would like to hand over to our probate experts
• Grant-only service: We apply for the Grant of Representation on your behalf, enabling you to do the rest of the work yourself
• Independent Administration: A service for estates where those involved in administering an estate feel that they can go no further with the process and require an Independent Administrator to be appointed to resolve the issue.

Fill out our probate questionnaire and we can come back to you with our recommendation for support.

Probate is the process involved in dealing with the property, money and possessions of a person who has died. Depending on the nature of the assets involved, it can be very complicated.

We have extensive experience of handling high net worth estates involving complex tax issues. Many of the estates we administer include multi-jurisdictional assets and farms or business interests.

Our team takes a very proactive approach to dealing with the Probate Registry and HMRC and always endeavours to complete the probate process as swiftly as possible.

To learn more about how we can help and the process involved, visit our dedicated probate process timeframes and costs page.

Intestacy means dying without having made a valid will. In England & Wales the intestacy rules set out who inherits the estate if this happens. Contrary to what many believe, in these circumstances an estate cannot just be divided how the family wishes or how the family feels the deceased would have wanted – instead the intestacy rules apply.

These rules do not include unmarried partners or step children. In fact, the intestacy provisions not only mean your assets may not pass to those you wish to receive them, they can also potentially be Inheritance Tax (IHT) inefficient.

This is one of the reasons why it is very important to make a will, which is something our Wills, Estate & Tax Planning team can help with.

You can find additional information on our intestacy page.

Our expert probate lawyers specialise in estate administration for non-domicilied individuals and those with international assets.

We have strong links with a wide range of legal experts in a range of jurisdictions, including the US, Spain and Poland.

Visit our dedicated International Estates page for further information on domicile and international assets.

Combining sensitivity with a practical and straight forward approach, our probate lawyers have particular expertise in administering large landed and farming estates and in dealing with their unique complexities.

We understand what it means to lose someone and that each estate is unique, which is why we offer a bespoke service, delivering support tailored to your individual needs. Our team and the firm as a whole has a deep connection to the agricultural sector and has delivered peace of mind to generations of farming families.

If you are dealing with the estate of a landowner or farmer it is important to assess the intricacy of the estate and the type of support you need. Farmland and other agricultural assets, even possibly the farmhouse, may qualify for Agricultural Relief (AR). Our team can offer expert probate advice to help you understand and navigate the process of administering an agricultural estate and claiming the relevant reliefs. By working closely with our Will, Trust & Estate Disputes, Wills, Estate & Tax Planning, Trust & Tax Management, Residential Property & Conveyancing and wider Agricultural teams, we have the depth and breadth of experience to advise on every aspect of probate and beyond to obtain the best result for the family.

See our Agricultural estates page for further information.

We all own assets that are stored digitally, or that we can only access online.  In many cases, we would want our family and/or friends to be able to access those assets after our death, but unlike physical assets, bank accounts or traditional investments such as bonds and shares, it is much harder to track down digital assets.

Digital assets are treated like any other asset in terms of how they pass on death. To learn more about digital assets visit our dedicated page.

When someone benefits from a deceased person’s estate under a will or intestacy, or as the surviving owner of a jointly owned asset, they may wish to redirect the inheritance to others. There are considerable tax advantages if this type of gift is made by a qualifying deed of variation.

Please visit our post death variations page for more information on how we can help.

Independent Administration is a specialist service for estates where those involved in administering an estate feel that they can go no further with the process and require an independent administrator to be appointed to resolve the issue.

We have one of the largest Independent Administration teams in Kent, advising clients across London and the South East. Our lawyers have many years of experience dealing with complex estate administration.

Our Trust Corporation is regularly appointed by the Court as a completely neutral party, whose role is to act for the greater good of the estate, and ensure it can be administered, despite any ongoing issues between the original executors or beneficiaries. The appointment of an Independent Administrator ensures that the estate will be dealt with professionally, independently and efficiently and that any assets will be preserved.

For more details on how we can support you, please see our independent administration page.

It is completely natural to have questions when you find out you will benefit from the estate of a family member or loved one who has died, especially as it often comes at an incredibly difficult time, when you are mourning the loss of someone close to you.

We have pulled together a wide range of information and resources for anyone who has discovered they are a beneficiary of an estate, to help you understand what it means to be a beneficiary, how the probate process works and what rights you have.

At a time when you are most vulnerable, our expert probate and contentious probate lawyers can help explain the often complex legal rules (and jargon) which govern estate administration, and the implications of being a beneficiary.

Visit our dedicated beneficiary support page here.