What is probate?
Many people will have heard the term ‘probate’ before, but may not be entirely clear on what it involves. In legal terms, probate is the process that confirms a person’s Will is valid and authorises the appointed representatives to deal with their estate. Where there is no Will, a similar legal process applies to determine who has the authority to manage the estate.
Our probate services
With over 65 years of experience to our name, we’ve successfully handled probate issues of all sizes and can support you with:
- Probate Applications – handling every stage of the application process required to lawfully administer an estate.
- Estate Administration – managing a range of estate administration tasks on your behalf. This includes steps such as collecting and distributing assets, as well as settling debts.
- Inheritance Tax Planning – advising on practical and tax-efficient ways to structure your affairs for the future.
- Contentious Probate – helping you navigate disputes involving Wills and estates with practical advice and experienced legal support. Common examples of contentious probate cases include invalid Wills, Inheritance Act claims and more.
- Intestacy Administration – if your loved one has passed away without leaving a valid Will, we can manage the legal process required to administer and distribute the estate in line with the rules of intestacy.
- Trust Administration – assisting trustees with the legal and administrative responsibilities involved in managing a trust and carrying out its terms effectively.
- Professional Executor Services – acting as an independent executor to oversee the administration of an estate.
- International Probate – leveraging years of specialist insight to navigate international probate cases. This could include everything from managing overseas assets to handling multi-jurisdictional issues.
- Executor Support Services – if you’ve been appointed as an executor to a loved one’s estate, our team will provide comprehensive support from start to finish.
How do we support you through probate administration?
The first step in any probate case is an initial estate review and assessment. Our probate solicitors in Burnley will work to learn as much as possible about the estate and issues in question, building a full picture of assets and beneficiaries. At this stage, we’ll be able to answer any questions you may have, suggest the best ways to proceed, and identify any risks or obstacles we may encounter in the process.
Once we have this information, we’ll turn our attention towards securing authority via the grant of probate or letters of administration. Following this, our team will focus on collecting and valuing estate assets, handling tax requirements and settling any debts. Finally, we’ll ensure that all assets are properly distributed among beneficiaries.
