Wills and probate services

We are able to act for you if you have been appointed as an executor of a Will or if it is your responsibility to administer the estate of someone who has died without making a Will. We can either deal with specific matters such as getting probate or deal with the whole administration of the estate including dealing with the assets of the estate and paying out the appropriate beneficiaries.

Whether or not you will need probate (or letters of administration if there is no Will) will depend upon the nature and value of the assets of the deceased person. Probate or letters of administration will always be required if there is a house or land to deal with. Unless there is a difficulty in establishing the value of the assets or there is inheritance tax to pay probate or letters of administration currently takes about a month to be granted from the date of submission of the papers to the Probate Registry. How long it will then take to call in the estate, pay the debts and distribute the estate depends upon the nature and complexity of the estate.

We are also able to deal with a lasting power of attorney for you. You can have lasting powers of attorney to deal with financial and property matters or your health and welfare or both. We can prepare the documentation quite quickly but it normally takes about six weeks for the powers to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian which is a legal requirement.