Probate & Estate Administration

Why choose Rix & Kay’s dedicated probate team?

Our large Probate Team has many years specialist experience in assisting executors and trustees in a sensitive and efficient way. We handle matters ranging from the very straightforward to highly complex multi-million pound estates.

At the outset a dedicated probate executive is assigned to each client to guide them through the whole probate process and to call in the expertise of other specialist staff members as and when required.  These can include the lawyers from our Wills and Estate Planning Team, to cover tax and trust issues, our Residential Property Team, for property sales, and our Contentious Probate Team, in the case of disputes.

Our aim is to help our clients complete the administration of the estate as quickly and efficiently as possible while avoiding the difficulties and pitfalls that can arise on the way.

We have a very flexible approach to our services and we leave our clients to choose how much, or how little, they wish to make use of our expertise. Our charging basis reflects this flexibility.

Our flexible probate services:

Our services fall into three broad categories:

• Full service – we can take full responsibility for all aspects of the estate. This involves everything from arranging the funeral, clearing the deceased’s property, identifying and arranging valuations of assets, preparing the probate papers, collecting in the assets after the grant of probate has been issued, dealing with all tax matters, paying liabilities, preparing the estate accounts and distributing the balance of the estate to the beneficiaries. We always work on a flexible basis so that if the executors wish to deal with some matters themselves, such as arranging the funeral or clearing the property, we can, of course, accommodate that.
• Grant only service – in straightforward cases, we can deal with the legal formalities of obtaining probate leaving the executors to handle all the administrative work. It requires the executors to notify all banks, building societies and other organisations of the death and to obtain account balances or values for the deceased’s assets (and for any accounts or assets in the joint names of the deceased and another) as at the date of death. Once this information is provided to us we will prepare all the papers, advise about the Inheritance Tax issues and make the application for the grant of probate. After the grant has been issued, the executors will take responsibility for the collection and distribution of the estate. We will, of course be available to provide additional assistance as required. This could range from finishing off the administration of the estate to advising about specific matters such as the meaning and effect of the will, tax issues, the preparation of estate accounts and inheritance tax and financial planning for the beneficiaries. We can also provide our grant only service where the deceased left no will and the beneficiaries need to apply for a grant of letters of administration of the estate.
• Advisory service – in some cases, executors wish to undertake nearly all the work involved with the estate but need advice about certain aspects, such as Inheritance Tax, or on an ad hoc basis when they reach points of difficulty.  We are happy to help in this way.

To find out more please take a look at our explanatory case studies:

• Case study: Full probate administration (estate value £279k)
• Case study: Grant only (estate value £147k)
• Case study: Grant only (estate value £1.2m) 
• Case study: Full probate administration (estate value £800k)

Or read our probate guides:

• Our guide to estate administration
• How long will probate take?
• Guide to probate pricing

Alternatively please contact us if you would like to speak to one of our experienced team members.

I recently dealt with the Probate team. I had no idea how any of Probate happened. Each step was fully explained with lots of patience and although they took the lead I always felt in control of proceedings. Thoroughly professional and very caring, Leon and Fran made my life so much easier! Thank you.

Client Review, July 2020

 

The Solicitors were kind and considerate and responsive to my needs in the wake of my dad’s death. I would recommend the firm to others.

Client Review, May 2020

 

I was very well satisfied as a Executor of an estate which was large and complex in the way Rix & Kay dealt with matters and the attention of the staff to matters was extremely good.

Client Review, January 2020