Wills and Probate

At Anthony Louca Solicitors we can ensure that after your death your estate is passed on to family and friends in accordance with the terms of your Will.  By making a Will you can decide what happens to your property and possessions after your death.

A Will sets out who is to benefit from your property and possessions and who is to receive your estate after your death.

There are many good reasons to make a Will and if you do not, your assets will be distributed according to the law relating to intestacy rather than in accordance with your wishes.

Good reasons to make a Will include:

• You decide how your assets are shared and distributed
• You can always make sure that your partner, children, relatives are provided for
• You can make sure you do not pay more Inheritance Tax then that is absolutely necessary.

There are various legal formalities you need to follow to ensure that your Will is valid.

At Anthony Louca Solicitors we can advise you about how Inheritance Tax affects you.

Our fees for drafting a Will depend upon how complicated your affairs may be but after our initial discussion we can offer a fixed fee so that you know your financial exposure at the outset.

It is important to think about what you want included in your Will.  For example:-

• Who you want to benefit from your Will, that is who are your beneficiaries?
• How much money and what property and possessions are you going to pass on?
• Who will look after any children under the age of 18?
• Who are to be your executives that is who will sort out your estate and carry out your wishes after your death?
• It is usual for your executive to be named in your Will
• You may consider providing a gift upon your death to a favourite charity after you have provided for family and friends.

Once your Will is drafted and executed it is important to keep it in a safe place and to tell your executor or close relative where it is kept.  It is important that your Will is keep up to date and reviewed after having major changes in your life.  If there are any major changes to your Will it is advisable to make a new Will.  Minor changes can be made by a “codicil”, that is an addition or amendment to the existing Will.

At Anthony Louca Solicitors we deal with the winding up of the affairs of the deceased in accordance with the terms of the will or where there is no will under the Rules of Intestacy.

Our role is to assist the executors to collect the assets, pay the debts, agree and pay taxes and distribute the balance in accordance with the will or the intestacy rules.

We deal with instances where someone is unreasonably excluded from a will or where there is a dispute over the distribution of assets. These contentious issues are dealt with by challenging or defending the validity of a will or making/ opposing a claim against the deceased’s estate.

All matters are dealt with efficiently and with sensitivity and understanding.