Evans + Webb - Solicitors

Probate

It is for the Executors of a Will to deal with the estate of someone who has died.

The Executors are appointed by the Will, and from the date of death they are responsible for the disposal of the body and all the deceased’s assets.

To finally dispose of assets and to distribute them to the beneficiaries under the Will, a Grant of Probate is normally required.

Obtaining the Grant of Probate involves filling in forms and completing and declaring an Oath and sending these to the Probate Office. This can be done personally, by the Executors visiting the Probate Office, or we can do this on their behalf.

Once the Grant of Probate has been obtained, this must be shown to the asset holders to allow the assets to be transferred or cashed in. We can obtain the Grant of Probate for the Executors, and then they can deal with the asset holders. Alternatively, if the Executors wish, we can deal with all aspects of any estate.

Where there is no Will, then Administrators are needed, together with a Grant of Letters of Administration. Again we can do as much or as little as the Administrators require.

The procedure for obtaining a Grant of Letters of Administration is similar to the Probate procedure.

When an Estate is finalised and the assets distributed, an Estate Account should be prepared detailing all the financial transactions made during the administration of the Estate. This will include the payment of taxes (where appropriate) and debts, distribution of the legacies and any estate expenses. Every penny of the Estate has to be accounted for and again, this is something we can deal with for you.