Wills, Trusts & Probate solicitors

For a simple estate a professionally drafted will is inexpensive and dramatically reduces the risk of the will being challenged or misinterpreted. If you own property, run a business, have children from more than one relationship or want to exclude someone, a solicitor's will is strongly advisable because homemade documents fail surprisingly often.

Probate is the legal authority to deal with someone's estate after death, obtained through an application to the Probate Registry based on the will. A straightforward estate typically takes six to twelve months from instruction to final distribution, with the grant itself usually arriving in a few months where tax forms are straightforward.

The estate is distributed under the intestacy rules, a fixed order that prioritises spouses and blood relatives and makes no provision for unmarried partners, stepchildren or friends. The result is often not what the person would have wanted, and the process is slower and more expensive. This is the strongest argument for making a will.

Many firms charge either a fixed fee based on the estate's size and complexity or an hourly rate, plus the probate registry fee and any valuation costs. Ask for a written quote covering the whole administration, not just the grant application, and compare total figures between firms.