Wills & Lasting Powers of Attorney
Making your wishes heard
What is involved?
Your Will is perhaps the most important legal document you will make. With careful planning, it can help you to secure a future for those you leave behind. If you do not leave a Will, the law decides who will inherit your property. This may not be what you want, and it is unlikely to provide adequately for your family.
Wills are often straightforward and can be written easily, whether you are single or married. However, some Wills require special technical knowledge.
Our specialist team can advise you on guardianship, Statutory Wills, planning for inheritance tax, and forming trusts. We also have experience of planning suitable Wills for second marriages, unmarried couples who own property or run a business together.
If you wish to leave your estate to a charity or a professional, we offer an executor and trustee service too. We also offer a variety of detailed guides regarding Wills & Lasting Powers of Attorney, including instructions for signing a Will, guardianship of children, disabled beneficiaries, and things to consider when appointing an LPA.
Please get in touch using our enquiry form if you would like a copy.
Why choose Freeths?
- We can draft your Will for a fixed fee, so you immediately know how much it is going to cost
- If you wish, we can register your Will with Certainty (an online register of wills in the UK) for free
- For your security and peace of mind, your Will is kept by us in safe storage, free of charge
- You can meet with us in your home, nursing home or in hospital if this is easier for you
Our team are experts in tax planning and managing personal wealth for the benefit of future generations. Often, we will advise you to incorporate trusts into your will, in order to protect the very young or otherwise vulnerable members of your family. Trusts can also help to preserve your property, possessions and business. The right Will can be a strategic building block in the overall management of your family wealth.
Your professionally drafted Will can provide reassurance and peace of mind for you and help reduce any risks and pitfalls that may arise in the future. We will write it in plain English to avoid any misunderstandings.
Call our experienced Private Client team to find out how we can help you.
Lasting Power of Attorney
There may come a time when, because you are unable to manage your property and financial affairs or personal welfare, you will need someone to do this for you. You can formally appoint a friend, relative or professional to hold a Lasting Power of Attorney that will allow them to act on your behalf. Our experienced Court of Protection lawyers can give you clear and helpful advice about creating your Lasting Power of Attorney.
What is a Lasting Power of Attorney?
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you (the Donor) appoint someone you trust as an ‘attorney’ to make decisions on your behalf about things such as your property and affairs or personal welfare at a time in the future when you no longer wish to make those decisions or you may lack the mental capacity to make those decisions yourself.
Click here to find out more about Lasting Powers of Attorney
Wills & Lasting Powers of Attorney Lawyers
Claire Bendle
Director
0186 578 1107
Nigel Cullen
Partner
0115 936 9385
Charlotte Digby
Associate
0845 030 5819
Natasha Dobson
Associate
0845 166 6345
Sarah Foster
Managing Partner - Oxford
0186 578 1055
Patricia Grout
Senior Associate
0186 578 1170
Victoria Lymer
Solicitor
0845 030 5735
Jane Maitland
Partner
0845 128 6963
Lisa Mark-Bell
Director
0186 578 1154
Jennie McBride
Associate
0115 901 5567
Ruth-Elizabeth McDonald
Solicitor
0845 274 6823
Scott McKittrick
Director
0845 274 6851
Grace Quinn
Associate
0186 578 1133
Charlotte Royal
Senior Associate
0845 1666 344
Morwenna Scott
Solicitor
0845 666 5000
Kirsty Southgate
Senior Associate
01865 781 136
Lilly Toop
Senior Associate
0845 271 6795
Navada Ward
Associate
0845 050 3666
Rachel Wos
Senior Associate
0845 404 4137
Freeths ride high in new High Net Worth rankings
News 20th Sep 2017Freeths Guide to Lasting Powers of Attorney
Articles 24th Jun 2017Freeths contentious trusts and estates team shortlisted for prestigious award
News 15th Jun 2017- Prepared and registered a Lasting Power of Attorney appointing the donor’s spouse and their two children as attorneys.
- Acting for the Administrator in a charitable estate where the deceased had left a homemade Will, leading to a dispute surrounding the interpretation of the Will. This included an application for a Grant of Letters of Administration ad Colligenda.
- Prepared a Will giving a surviving spouse a life interest in a property, thereby protecting the underlying capital for a child of a previous relationship.
- Assisting clients with Will & Inheritance Tax Planning where there are diverse family needs to be met and assets in multiple jurisdictions.
- Preparing tax planning wills for wealthy individuals with complicated investments, including overseas assets.
- Preparing wills and Powers of Attorney for elderly or disabled clients. In such circumstances, we are able to meet with clients in their own home or in a setting which is most comfortable for them.
- Prepared Lasting Power of Attorney documentation and the registration of the same at the Office of the Public Guardian.
- Parents who have one disabled child and two non-disabled children were uncertain how to divide their estate between the three children. Freeths advised them to incorporate a discretionary trust in their wills. This would provide flexibility so that their wills would cater for the different needs of their children as they grew up, with direction provided by a side letter from the parents.
Client service
‘Doing the right thing’ is at the heart of Freeths. Find out more about our excellent client service and the strong set of values that guide the way we work.
Talk to us
Freeths are a leading national law firm with 12 offices across the UK. If you have a query about our services or just want to find out more, why not give us a call?
Contact: 03301 001 014