Wills, Probate, Trusts, Charities

At Abrams Collyer we are able to provide a wide range of expertise on matters related to Wills, Trusts and the administration of estates. The head of department, Michael Dew, is a member of the Society of Trusts & Estate Practitioners (STEP), Solicitors for the Elderly, and the Charity Law Association.

The main areas which we cover include:

1 Wills

Whether your main concern is to appoint guardians for your children, to mitigate inheritence tax or to provide for a disabled beneficiary, we can produce an appropriate Will for you.

We can also advise you on "living Wills"/advance directives if you wish

2 Powers of Attorney and the Court of Protection

Medical advances mean that people are living longer but sadly more and more people are suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Therefore, nowadays it is just as important to provide for what is to happen if you lose the ability to manage your own affairs by making a power of attorney as it is to provide for what is to happen on your death by making a will.

The relevant law changed significantly on 1 st October 2007 when lasting powers of attorney replaced enduring powers of attorney. A person may now make a lasting power of attorney either to deal with their property and financial affairs or their personal welfare (such as decisions on medical treatment), or both (although separate documents are required) and we are happy to advise you on this.

Where a person loses capacity but does not have an enduring power of attorney or the new lasting power of attorney then it is necessary to apply to the Court of Protection for the appointment of a deputy (formerly called a receiver). At Abrams Collyer we have wide experience of making applications to the Court of Protection both on behalf of members of the family and when acting as receivers ourselves. Michael Dew has frequently been asked to act as receiver by the Court of Protection when there is no suitable family member available.

There have also been significant changes to the law on advance directives (also known as living wills) and we would be pleased to give you detailed advice appropriate to your own circumstances in this area.

3 Administration of Estates

We are able to deal with the administration of estates whether a person dies leaving a Will or dies intestate. This includes obtaining all the details of the estate to make an application for a Grant of Probate (where there is a Will) or a Grant of Letters of Administration (where there is no Will), applying to the Probate Registry to obtain the Grant and then winding up the estate, distributing it to those entitled and supplying them with a full set of Estate Accounts. We can also advise on Deeds of Variation to reduce inheritence tax and for other purposes.

4 Creation of and Administration of Trusts

Trusts may be set up for many reasons. Sometimes they are set up to reduce a tax liability and sometimes they are set up to provide for someone who, through their youth or disability, is not able to look after their money themselves. Abrams Collyer can not only set up a trust but can deal with the accounting and taxation formalities for you. We can also supply trustees (and executors and attorneys where appropriate) and we will be happy to discuss this further with you.

5 Contentious Probate and Inheritance Act claims

Unfortunately it is all too common for there to be disputes when someone dies. These may be as to the validity or interpretation of the Will or it may relate to a claim by someone entitled to reasonable provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. These matters are dealt with in conjunction with our Family Department.

The death of a family member is a traumatic time and we aim to resolve these disputes as sensitively as possible with litigation being the last resort.

6 Charity Law

We are able to set up charitable trusts and to advise charities on all aspects of charity law, including the implications of the Charities Act 2006.

For some of our services, such as Wills, we charge a fixed fee and you will be notified of what that is. For others, the charge will be based wholly or partly on the time spent and we will tell you the hourly rate of the individual solicitor dealing with your matter and endeavour to give you an estimate of the amount of time likely to be involved before we start work.

Please contact Michael Dew for further information.

Call Us on 01590 677888 or complete our Enquiry Form