Dealing with probate and estate administration matters can be a difficult task in normal circumstances, but during the COVID-19 pandemic it has been especially challenging for many.
This is an order issued by one of the Probate Registries of the High Court, which confirms or confers the authority of the personal representatives also known as executors or the administrators to administer the estate of the deceased.
Channel 4’s Grand Designs programme recently featured an inspirational couple who, despite both suffering from serious health issues, self-built their ‘dream home’ by renovating an old barn.
Leading South East law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore announces 11 promotions from across its core practice areas.
There is often confusion about when probate is needed. Some personal representatives presume that an estate is too straightforward to require probate, whereas others believe probate is always required. So what are the rules? Paul Hill from our probate team explains all in this article.
Leading South East law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore has welcomed the Non-Contentious Probate (Amendment) Rules 2020 (NCPAR 2020), laid before Parliament.
Sarah Crane share key tips to help the probate process run as efficiently as possible during the ongoing pandemic.
The probate process can be difficult and emotional at the best of times. With the country on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, many are increasingly concerned about how to proceed with the matters arising following a death.
The introduction of social distancing measures following the outbreak of Covid-19 has seen the majority of the UK workforce shift to working from home.
Leading South East law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore has welcomed two new members to its Probate department, bolstering its offering and making it one of the largest Probate practices in the South East.
The HM Courts & Tribunals Service recently launched an online probate service for legal professionals representing executors. Thomson Snell & Passmore’s probate team has been an early adopter of this new offering.
According to a recent survey, 68% of UK adults do not have a will. When someone dies without a will they are considered as passing away intestate. Contrary to what many believe, in these circumstances an estate cannot just be divided how the family wishes or how the family feels the deceased would have wanted – instead the intestacy rules apply.
When someone dies it can be a difficult time for family or friends who are left to deal with the deceased’s estate. At Thomson Snell & Passmore we aim to help the bereaved due to our joined up and client centric approach.
Thomson Snell & Passmore welcomes HM Courts and Tribunal Service’s update that the backlog of grant applications is beginning to fall and they expect to resume normal service ‘very shortly’.
Justice secretary, Robert Buckland QC has said the proposed increase in probate fees will no longer be pursued.
An almost century-old law has been used in an interesting inheritance case, in which the court had to decide which spouse of an elderly couple died first.
The motion to approve the Non-Contentious Probate (Fees) Order had been due to be voted on in the House of Commons for some time.
Dealing with probate can be extremely stressful, particularly if the estate of the deceased is not straightforward. Our specialist lawyers are experienced in all aspects of probate matters and can support you as much, or as little, as you like.
Dubbed a “stealth tax” by critics, probate costs will increase under controversial plans to introduce a new sliding scale of fees.
Thomson Snell & Passmore has been named as one of the Top Law Firms for its private wealth practice for the fifth consecutive year.
Probate fees are set to go up from April, with charges ranging from £250, for estates worth between £50,000 and £300,000, and up to £6,000 for estates valued at £2 million or over.
A warm welcome to Helen who has recently joined us from Coole Bevis. Helen is an associate in our expanding, specialist probate team
Despite an overwhelming objection to proposals for a fee increase through a consultation paper in 2017, the Government pushed ahead with its progressive fee scale proposals
The Government has recently announced that probate court fees are set to rise to fund the Courts and Tribunals Services for the purpose of ensuring justice is done and to protect victims and vulnerable people.
There is an increasing amount of debate around what you should do to protect your online assets. Failure to recognise digital assets in estate planning can lead to loss of value for intended beneficiaries and may create unnecessary difficulties for your family or executors.
The Government is pushing ahead with controversial plans to dramatically raise the fees paid by families when they wind up the estate of a loved one.
The role of an executor does not come into play until the person who made the will, known as the testator, passes away.
The Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB) has now been in force for a year and applies to estates where the deceased died on or after 6 April 2017. Where the deceased owned or, in some cases, had an interest in, a residence the RNRB makes available an additional tax free amount if the residence is inherited by someone closely related to the deceased.
The Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB) has been recently introduced and is only able to be claimed on estates where the deceased has died on or after 6 April 2017. The RNRB increases the amount which can pass free of Inheritance Tax on the death.
Independent administration is a service solicitors and families can use when there are recalcitrant executors, intractable differences of opinion or contested wills combined with a need to protect an element or the whole of a deceased’s estate.
Thomson Snell & Passmore has responded to the Law Commission’s consultation on the law of wills.
New powers over what happens to digital legacies upon death have been called for by solicitors and legal academics
Nicola Plant, Partner and Head of Private Client speaks to The Law Society Gazette about the government's decision to scrap probate fee increases.
Personal representatives are expected to make full enquiries regarding lifetime gifts made by the deceased, as well as the assets in the estate. Failure to do this could result in a penalty being imposed by HM Revenue & Customs. Helen Stewart, Partner and Head of Probate, considers a recent case and provides some tips for avoiding penalties.
The Solicitors Journal reports on Thomson Snell & Passmore's recent significant promotions within the firm.
We are pleased to receive, for another year, the accolade from eprivateclient of being listed as one of the Top 25 Law Firms in the UK.
Probate is a subject that is increasingly grabbing the headlines not least because disputes are increasing, particularly in relation to who inherits and how much they inherit from a testator’s estate.
For most of us, and increasingly irrespective of age, the digital world has crept into our lives. Whether we manage our bank accounts or investments online, store our photographs in the cloud or manage our social lives through Facebook, our digital footprints are becoming deeper and deeper.
