Probate Solicitors

If you have been appointed as the executor of a will, it is your responsibility to not only ensure that the estate is administered in accordance with the terms of the will, but that all relevant institutions are notified and that all appropriate taxes and liabilities are paid.

The team at JMW is highly experienced in this area of law and we understand how stressful and upsetting it is to lose a loved one. We are therefore on hand to take the weight off your shoulders. We can take care of as much or as little as you want of the probate process, from handling all the administration to drafting application documents on your behalf.

To contact us about an initial consultation, either call free on 0345 872 6666 or complete our online enquiry form and one of the team will be happy to advise you.

Meet Our Team of Probate Solicitors

Our probate team provides expert legal advice to help you navigate the probate process and protect your estate. We offer clear, practical guidance tailored to your needs, ensuring your assets are managed and distributed with care and in accordance with your wishes.

The Probate Process

If you plan on handling all or the majority of the probate process yourself, you will need to:

• Register the death
• Arrange funding for the funeral
• Obtain and implement the will
• Seek legal advice regarding intestacy rules (if no will has been made)
• Apply for a Grant of Representation (not always applicable)
• Administer the estate and make necessary Inheritance Tax arrangements

To find out more about probate and trust disputes, click here.

Registering the Death

Within five days, you must register the death with the Registrar for Births and Deaths in the area in which the death took place. You will need to make an appointment at the relevant Register Office and it is the closest living relative or person present at the death who should register the death.

In order to register the death you must first obtain the medical death certificate from the certifying doctor (either from the hospital or local GP surgery) and take this together with the following information to your appointment:

• The deceased's full name at time of death
• Details of any previously used name or maiden name
• The deceased's date and place of birth
• The deceased's last address
• The deceased's occupation
• The full name, date of birth and occupation of the deceased's surviving spouse or civil partner

Once the death has been registered, the Registrar shall issue a death certificate and provide you with a form that authorises you to arrange the funeral. There will be a small fee for any additional death certificates that you require.

Arranging Funding for the Funeral

Ensure that you first check the will (if there is one) for any funeral wishes or details of any funeral plans that may have been made. You will then need to take the relevant form as provided by the Registrar to a funeral director who shall then arrange the funeral with you.

If the deceased held a bank/building society account, you can take the funeral invoice together with the death certificate to a branch of the bank/building society; the branch shall then issue a cheque from the deceased's account made payable to the funeral director.

Obtaining and Implementing the Will

If the deceased made a will, you will need to obtain it from its place of storage. This may be within the deceased's paperwork at home, or it is likely to be with their solicitor or with their bank. The will appoints the Executors of the estate and it is these people who are responsible for administering the estate in accordance with the terms of the will.

If no will can be found after all reasonable searches have been made, the deceased is considered to have died Intestate. This means that the Intestacy Rules shall apply to the estate and as such the law shall govern who is entitled to administer the estate and who is entitled to benefit from the estate. As the Intestacy Rules are complex you may wish to seek legal advice at this point.

Applying for a Grant of Representation

The Grant of Representation is the legal documentation that is issued by the Probate Registry that authorises a person(s) to administer an estate. The Grant of Representation is know as a 'Grant of Probate' if there is a will, or a 'Grant of Letters of Administration' if there is no will.

Whether or not a Grant of Representation is required on an estate will depend on the assets of the estate. Typically, if there are assets in excess of £5,000 or if there is a property, then a Grant of Representation will be required.

To apply for a Grant of Representation, you will need to obtain full and accurate details of all the assets and liabilities of the estate as at the date of death. This information is then inserted on to the relevant tax return form. The tax return together with the relevant Oath (that must be sworn) forms the application for the Grant of Representation. If you are applying for the Grant of Representation in a personal capacity, the Probate Registry may require you to attend an interview. Alternatively, a probate solicitor can attend to all the paperwork on your behalf.

Why Choose JMW?

This area of law can be particularly complicated and stressful, so you need to make sure you have experienced and professional solicitors to guide you through the process, making sure everything is carried out as it should be.

At JMW, we have helped many people with many different aspects of probate, each with their own specific circumstances and needs. We understand this area of law and will give you the very best chance of getting the outcome you are after.