A Lasting Power of Attorney or LPA gives an attorney the legal authority to make decisions on someone’s behalf, should they ever lose the mental capacity to do this themselves. There are two types of LPA: Property and financial affairs LPA; and Health and welfare LPA Different attorneys can be appointed for each type of
What to do if you no longer want to be an LPA attorney Read More »
It is always a good idea to put a Will in place, whatever stage of life you are at. However, there are risks if a Will is not correctly drafted and many legal cases have stemmed from someone making a DIY Will. We take a look at the potential problems. Strict rules apply to Wills
The dangers of having a homemade Will Read More »
A pre-nuptial agreement, also referred to as a prenup, can be helpful to a couple who are intending to pool their resources and marry. A similar type of agreement is also available to couples who are already married. We take a look at the advantages. Pre-nuptial agreements are sometimes thought of as just for the
Why is a pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement a good idea? Read More »
Winding up an estate can be complex and time-consuming, but there are also other valid reasons why you might want to use a Probate Practitioner for probate. After someone dies, their affairs are finalised by their personal representative. This is either their executor, appointed in their Will, or their administrator, if they did not leave
8 reasons to use a Probate Practitioner for probate Read More »
If you own a property jointly with someone else, it is important to make sure you understand what might happen in the future, should one of you die. There are two different ways of holding property with another owner. Which type of ownership you have will affect what will happen to the property in the
Joint property ownership – what happens when one owner dies? Read More »
If you are considering having a Will drawn up and you have a spouse or partner, you may have had mirror Wills suggested to you. We look at what mirror Wills are and the potential problems with using them. A Will is your chance to set out how you want your estate to be passed
What are mirror Wills? Read More »
Wills are often used to set up discretionary trusts to provide for loved ones on an ongoing basis. A discretionary trust gives power to the trustees to decide how and when the trust funds should be distributed and to whom. There can be several advantages to a discretionary trust and they are a popular choice
Discretionary trusts explained Read More »
If you are based overseas and you are dealing with the estate of someone who was British and had UK assets, you are likely to need a Grant of Probate or a Grant of Letters of Administration from the UK Probate Registry. Winding up someone’s affairs after their death is never easy. If there is
Can an overseas executor deal with a UK probate? Read More »
Cohabiting is very different to marriage when it comes to legal rights and responsibilities. We take a look at some of the most common cohabitation misconceptions. Office for National Statistics figures show that there has been a rise in the number of cohabiting couples over recent years. In 2011, the proportion of couples who were
Common legal misconceptions about living together Read More »
If you are dealing with the estate of someone who has died, you may be wondering how long it will take to wind up their affairs. We take a look at the process and how long each stage is likely to take. After a death, the executors named in the Will have the responsibility of
How long does it take to administer a Will? Read More »