Probate & Estate Administration

Sorting out the financial affairs of a person who has died can be very difficult, especially when that person may have been a loved one. AWB Charlesworth Solicitors Limited will help share this burden, offering a combination of sensitive, practical support and professional expertise.

We can assist with, or obtain on your behalf, a Grant of Probate when a Will has been left. 

Where there is no Will and a person dies intestate, we can assist with, or obtain on your behalf, a Grant of Letters of Administration. In situations like this there are rules that govern who benefits and in what amounts. 

We can deal with the full administration of the estate on your behalf – fully relieving you of any administrative duties. Or, we can simply apply for the Grant on your behalf.

We offer advice about the Inheritance Tax that will be payable (if any) and complete all the necessary forms to ensure that Probate is obtained as smoothly and quickly as possible. 

We advise upon the steps to be taken once Probate has been obtained to ensure that the administration of the estate is conducted correctly. We can assist the person who has obtained the Grant, to identify and locate beneficiaries. We can also advise upon the steps to be taken to ensure that no personal liability is placed on them. In these ways the estate can be safely distributed, again with the beneficiaries receiving their due entitlement.

Our in-house accountant can also advise about the Income Tax liabilities and Capital Gains Tax liabilities of the estate and complete the necessary forms to ensure that they are reported correctly.

Problems can arise following someone’s death. The Will may be missing, the Will may be out of date, the assets of the estate may include assets that are difficult to manage like a business. Or, there may be differences of opinion about how best to deal with the estate. We can assist with complex cases like this. 

Our specialist team has a wealth of experience in dealing with all types of cases from the very simple to the complex. A number of our team are members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, which means that we are recognised as being specialists in estate administration and the taxation of estates.