Dealing with a lost or missing will
In order to obtain a grant of probate, the deceased’s original will must be lodged at the Probate Registry alongside the probate application. There are occasions when the original will is not available which adds an additional layer of complexity.
Dispute between siblings regarding worldwide estate of property-owing father
We had to carefully consider what the deceased’s worldwide assets comprised of and in particular what would pass under the intestacy rules of England and Wales an advise accordingly.
“Being cut out of a parent’s will”
We advised an adult child of the deceased who had been inadvertently excluded from her father’s will.
Don’t make empty promises…
We recently acted for the wife of a deceased who died in 2012. His last will was signed shortly before his death, and left his entire estate to his wife, our client. The executors of the deceased’s estate were our client, their son and a close family friend.
Having your cake and eating it: Interest and Tax free loans after Varying a Will
Chris advised the clients to put a portion of their £10 million inheritance from their late mother into Trust to potentially reduce the Inheritance Tax liability and ring-fence the assets.
Heirs who have already inherited
A high net worth client who had already given substantial lifetime gifts to the children of their first marriage was unsure whether they wanted their children to receive more inheritance under their
High Net Worth Estate Planning
High net worth clients worth over £60 million were given peace of mind from the full service Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP offer.
Marriage revokes a will
We represented a client who had prepared a homemade mirror will with his partner, i.e. they left everything to the survivor when the first partner passed away. They had a long period of cohabiting but never married. However, the female was diagnosed with terminal cancer and the couple, who were in their later life, decided to marry to enjoy the end of their lives as husband and wife. What they were not aware of was the fact that marriage revokes a will. Had the wills been drafted by a solicitor or will-writer, they would have been advised of this and could have then made new mirror wills upon their marriage.
“Common law marriage”
We acted for a lady whose partner died following a short illness. They owned a property together and had been in a relationship spanning 20 years. The couple had never married and always believed that their estates would pass to each other regardless. However, the concept of “common law marriage” is a myth.
