Ensuring that children and other rightful beneficiaries will inherit the wealth you have created, regardless of what the future may hold, is essential. So is making sure that the value of the family home is protected from hostile creditors or unnecessary Inheritance Tax.

Without professional guidance, much of your hard-earned money might end up in the wrong hands or be lost to the State. Taking professional advice on the drafting of your Will, and updating it regularly as your circumstances change, is the only way to be sure that your wishes will be known and your family fully safeguarded.

Also, by drawing up Enduring Powers of Attorney, you will be providing a lifeline by appointing someone you trust to help you if, through sickness or accident, you cannot handle your own affairs.

If you die without a Will, you are said to have died ‘Intestate’. The consequence of this is that it is the law who decides who will inherit your estate, not you. Only three out of ten people in the UK have made a Will. Should you have no close family your property may pass to relatives you have not seen for years or if there are no relatives, to the State.

Intestacy can cause great heartache. Further, badly planned Wills can lead to disputed Wills. Preparing your Will to provide for your family and loved ones is of vital importance, not only to ensure that they receive what you wish them to, but also to ensure maximum use is taken of tax planning.

An Attorney under an Enduring Power of Attorney cannot make health care decisions. You can help those close to you by asking us to draw up a ‘living will’. In essence, it is a written expression of wishes made by someone of sound mind indicating the circumstances in which they do not wish to continue with medical treatment.

Valid advance refusals of treatment are recognised. Statements of general belief and the appointment of health care proxies (someone who knows your wishes and can speak for you) may be persuasive and helpful to your partner, family and medical advisers although they have no legal status.

We can advise on a wide range of issues including:

• Claims enabling some relatives (in particular a surviving or a former spouse    and children), cohabitees and all dependants to apply for provision from the    deceased’s estate where a Will or intestacy does not make adequate    financial provision.

• Challenges to the validity of a Will.

• Disputes involving personal representatives, beneficiaries and creditors

• The interpretation of trust documentation.

Disputes of this nature can be emotionally taxing. But we will provide a sympathetic and realistic approach designed to achieve a successful outcome.

Sometimes you may wish to protect your assets against known or as yet unknown circumstances. We are able to advise on a series of measures that may remove or at least mitigate their effects. Amongst these are:

• Lifetime Asset Trusts

• Life Policy trusts

• Accumulation and Maintenance Trusts

• Life Interest Trusts

• Loan Trusts

• Fully Flexible Tax Trusts

• Discretionary Trusts

• Will Trusts

Every situation is different. Call us and see if we can help.

We offer an elderly client service encompassing such issues as:

• Wills – these can be useful tax planning tools

• Enduring powers of attorney

• Probate and administration service

• Deeds of variation of Wills

• Inheritance Tax planning

• Gifts

• Placing insurance policies in trust

• Dealing with the family home

• Capital Gains Tax planning

• Nursing home fee planning

• Independent financial advice

• Personal income tax

• Trust problems/administration

• Court of Protection work

If you become unable to deal with your financial affairs you can help matters greatly if you have already appointed an Attorney under an Enduring Power of Attorney. An Enduring Power of Attorney may be effective immediately or, if you prefer only if and when you become mentally incapable of dealing with your affairs.

You may give your Attorney power to deal with all of your property and affairs or restrict the power to specific property for a particular purpose. You may, and indeed it is often advisable, appoint more than one Attorney.

Your Attorney will have authority to deal with your financial affairs but cannot make decisions on health care or where you should live, although they may have some influence over these matters.

At a time of emotional stress, it is vital that you should be able to rely upon your professional advisers not only to provide calm and considered advice but also to assist in distributing the pecuniary and other bequests under the Will.

We have long experience in the administration of estates, whether passing by will or under intestacy. Our senior Probate practitioners are experienced members of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. You will find them sympathetic, practical and focused on helping you through a difficult time.