Estates, Probate & Trust Management
We help individuals and families plan for the protection, management and transfer of what they own, during their lifetime and after it. The work covers estate planning, the administration of an estate following a death, and advice on trusts and the practical side of managing estate assets.
People writing or updating a will, executors and administrators facing a court process, families settling an estate where there was no will, and beneficiaries who need to know where they stand.
What we do
- Estate planning: A considered plan for what you own: who should receive it, how it should pass, and what that means for the family left behind.
- Wills and testamentary planning: A will that says clearly who gets what, names executors who will act, and is executed so that it holds.
- Probate and letters of administration: The court process that gives executors or administrators authority to deal with an estate, with or without a will.
- Administration of estates: Collecting the assets, settling the debts, and distributing what remains, with an account the family can follow.
- Trust creation and management: Trusts set up for a purpose, with trustees who understand what they may and may not do.
- Estate and asset transfers: Transferring land, shares and accounts into the names of those entitled, with the documents each institution requires.
- Advice to executors, administrators and beneficiaries: What each role may do, must do, and is answerable for.
- Estate-related disputes: Contested wills, disputed entitlements and administrations that have stalled or gone wrong.
How a matter usually runs
- A private conversation: What you want to arrange, or what has happened and who is involved. Everything stays confidential.
- The estate on paper: A list of assets, debts and the people concerned, so that the route and the cost can be set out honestly.
- Documents or application: We prepare the will and plan, or the application for probate or letters of administration, and see it through the court.
- Distribution and hand-over: Assets transferred, accounts rendered, and a note of what the family should keep for the future.
What to bring
- Identification and, where relevant, the marriage certificate
- The death certificate and any will, for estate matters
- A list of assets and debts as far as you know them
- Land documents, share certificates and bank details for the estate
- Names and contact details of the family members involved
Common questions
What happens if someone dies without a will?
The Intestate Succession Law decides the shares, and they may not match what the family expects or what the deceased would have chosen. Someone must still apply to the court for authority to administer the estate.
How long does probate take?
It depends on the court, whether anyone objects, and how complete the papers are. Straightforward estates move faster when the asset list and death certificate are ready at the start.
Can a will be challenged?
It can, on limited grounds, and a badly executed will invites it. Careful drafting and proper execution are what make a will hard to unsettle.
Do I need a trust?
Not everyone does. A trust is useful where assets must be held for someone over time, such as a child or a dependant, and it carries duties for whoever agrees to be trustee.