Trusts & Probate Disputes

Making a Will to ensure that loved ones are properly provided for after an individual has passed away is one of the most important things that a person can do.

Unfortunately, many people fail to leave a Will or to regularly update a Will if one has been made to take into consideration changing life and financial circumstances. This can lead to complicated issues for the people left behind at a time when emotions are often running high, following a person’s death.

Problems can include inadequate or unreasonable provision for a spouse or other loved ones, tensions between people who have been nominated to look after the deceased person’s affairs and the people who are supposed to receive an inheritance under a Will, or even situations where it appears that the deceased person may have been influenced or pressurised into leaving certain assets to certain individuals whilst cutting others out of the Will.

Quite frequently, as a result of the recent years of an increase in property values and rising inflation, the assets in a deceased person’s estate can be of significant value. If a Will has not been made there are statutory rules which determine how a deceased person’s estate should be split up.

Our team has excellent experience in this area of law which includes;

– Assisting with the interpretation of Wills and Trusts
– Advising on solutions for problems between Executors or Trustees and Beneficiaries
– Negotiating the terms of varied Wills
– Bringing and defending claims for undue influence
– Dealing with inadequate financial provision left by a deceased person ranging from small value claims to multimillion pound disputes
– Advising on cases where there are assets abroad