If you are a business owner, in business with one or more partners, have you taken time to consider what might happen to the business if you, or one of them, were suddenly not around or capable of taking part?
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April 2019 sees the introduction of the new sliding fee scale for probate fees in England and Wales. Prior to these changes, a fee of £215 was payable to obtain the authority to deal with the financial affairs of somebody who had died. If the estate (the deceased person’s assets) was worth less than £5,000 then no fee was payable and if a solicitor was appointed to deal with the estate the probate fee was slightly cheaper (£155).
Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets
The exact cost of this service will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. 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. Total costs are estimated at £1298 – £2950 (+VAT).
We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:
Disbursements 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.
As part of our fee we will:
Potential additional costs
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 2-12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6-16 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 8-12 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 6-8 weeks.
Contact us to discuss your probate requirements.
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If you registered a Power of Attorney between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017, you can now apply for a partial refund of your application fee. The refund is available to those who applied to register Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) and Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs) during that period.
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Over the last 20 years, changing social attitudes have led to a shift away from traditional familial relationships towards more informal arrangements. As of November 2017, the unmarried cohabiting couple was the fastest growing type of family in the UK with over 3.3 million cohabiting couples in 2017 in comparison with 1.7 million in 1997 (1). Over a third of cohabiting couples also had dependent children in 2017 (2). Unfortunately, an increasing number of people are taking the decision not to marry without understanding that the relationship between unmarried cohabitants has no legal status in the UK. If the relationship were to break down, there is no body of law upon which the cohabitants can rely for their rights to be protected, unlike when a marriage ends.
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David joined Bermans in 2014 to develop our Private Client service.
He has a degree in law and qualified as a solicitor in 1987.
David advises on a diverse range of matters including IHT planning, Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Trusts and Probate (including contentious) as well as residential and commercial property.
David is an estate planning expert and regularly advises clients on how best to protect their assets. He also has a special interest in clients who don’t have mental capacity to manage their own finances, through illness, injury or old age, using the Court of Protection or powers of attorney.
David also has considerable expertise with charities and has been the Chair of the Education & Charities Committee at the Liverpool Law Society for many years. In 2015 he received a ‘Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Service’ for his tireless work as Committee Chair, where he runs 3 charitable funds, organises the high profile Conkerton Memorial Lectures, public speaking competitions and other such work.
As an experienced private client lawyer, his key aim is to develop a thorough understanding of his clients’ goals so that he can provide rounded practical advice to maintain and develop their wealth protection strategies.
Away from the office David enjoys water polo, golf, football and horse riding.
Email: david.tournafond@bermans.co.uk
Tel: 0151 224 0505
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