Wills & Probate Solicitors North Wales

Bennett Smith have a team of Will writing solicitors in North Wales that can provide legal advice for individuals who are making a personal Will and need assistance administering estates upon death.

Despite making a personal Will being of great importance, many people in the UK fail to put this key measure in place.

When a death occurs without a written Will, bereaved family members can experience further emotional distress and unwanted financial complications when they attempt to manage the estate of the deceased.

With no personal Will to follow, intestacy rules are enforced and government legislation determines the order of distribution of the estate. In many cases this may not match the deceased family member’s wishes. Current intestacy rules also do not recognise cohabitees in the same way as married couples or civil partners, making a Will particularly important where you want to ensure loved ones and dependants are properly provided for.

Administration of a deceased person’s estate

When an individual dies, authority must be given to the Will’s executors, or when no Will is present to their closest relatives, to handle the estate’s distribution according to either the Will or the intestacy rules. This process is referred to as probate.

At Bennett Smith, our experienced solicitors can advise and assist on all aspects of the probate process to ensure you complete all necessary tasks.

We can help regardless of whether a valid Will exists or whether the estate is intestate. We specialise in providing a cost-effective and conscientious service that minimises stress for our clients.

Our team of Wills and Probate solicitors are specialists in Wills and administering estates and can conduct the probate process on your behalf.

Wills & Probate solicitor costs

The following represents our typical range of costs, with fixed fees for additional work where appropriate.

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

We anticipate this will take between 5 and 20 hours to complete. Our total costs would usually range from £1,275 to £5,100 plus VAT.

Our charges also contain an element based on the value of the estate. This is because the value reflects the importance of the matter and consequently the responsibility of the firm. Therefore, we will also charge 1% of the gross value.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter, the complexity and size of the estate. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

We use the same charging structure whether the executors are individuals or directors of the firm.

These are guidelines only and we are more than happy to provide a personalised estimate based on the specific instructions and facts if you ring us on 01248 679000.

What our probate service includes

We will handle the full process for you. This includes:

• Providing an experienced specialist from within our team to be your main point of contact.
• Speaking openly with you to give the most suitable advice.
• Identifying the existence of a Will.
• Identifying the legal executors or beneficiaries and administrators and advising them on their duties and responsibilities.
• Determining whether the estate is subject to Inheritance Tax.
• Finding out whether any reliefs on Inheritance Tax should be applied for.
• Advising you on the form of Probate application you need and the process involved.
• Completing and submitting the Probate application and subsequent HMRC forms.
• Arranging any of the estate’s Inheritance Tax payments.
• Obtaining Probate.
• Collecting and distributing all of the estate’s assets.

Disbursements not included in this fee

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

• Probate application fee of £526.00.
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches at £6 per beneficiary.
• Fee for posting in both The London Gazette and local newspapers, £360.00. This protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.

Not all of these disbursements may be payable in every matter.

Potential additional costs

If there is no Will or the estate consists of any share holdings such as stocks and bonds, there are likely to be additional costs. These can vary significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with.

We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.

If additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 each, with one usually required per asset.

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included within the probate fee.

Who will be dealing with your matter?

Your matter will be dealt with by our Head of Wills & Probate Department, Hannah Nell Morris, whose current hourly charge-out rate is £255 plus VAT.

How long does probate take?

Estates included in this range are usually completed within a period of six to 12 months on average, subject to ongoing delays at the Probate Registry.

This typically breaks down as follows:

• Obtaining a grant of probate: between four and six weeks.
• Gathering assets: between one and six months.
• Distribution of assets: between two and six months.

Our dedicated team of Wills and Probate solicitors in North Wales will do everything possible to progress the process efficiently and deliver a successful outcome.