Probate advice in Bangor and Belfast

It is quite surprising just how many people don’t have wills. In fact, it is estimated that only about 40% of the population in Northern Ireland have wills. Most people agree that making a will is a good idea but yet find plenty of reasons for not making one.

Making a will is more straightforward than most people think, and it makes things a lot less distressing for your family and friends when you are gone. It is particularly important in situations where you have separated but not divorced or where you are living with someone but have not married.

Here at David Russell we have had years of experience in drafting wills and also administering them after the maker of the will has died. If people ring us to enquire about making a will we will arrange for them to attend with one of the solicitors in the practice to discuss what they want to happen to their “Estate” after they die. The term “Estate” actually covers everything that you own, including jewellery, cars, furniture and not just your property (although for most people their house is going to be their largest and most valuable thing that they own).

We will then draft a will for you specific to your wishes and send it to you for you to check. Once you have checked it we then ask you to come back into the office to “execute” (sign) the will.  

A solicitor’s fee for drafting a will, will vary from practice to practice but considering that if a will is improperly drafted (as sometimes happen with “homemade” wills) or if no will has been left, people can spend thousands of pounds fighting over an estate, then the fees for having a will professionally drafted are minimal in comparison.

When someone has died (unless they have left an estate of less than £10,000-00) no-one else can deal with their assets until such times as the High Court has granted probate. This can be a tricky matter as there are now not only court forms to complete but Inland Revenue tax forms to complete even when there is no Inheritance tax to pay! This can make an already distressing situation even more stressful. At David Russell, we hope that we can ease the situation for you by administering the estate in as efficient and timely a manner as possible.