Probate Solicitors Brighton: Wills and Probate Services

• Brighton
• Wills & Probate
• Conveyancing

Based in Brighton, Cunningtons’ Wills and Probate team is highly experienced, and aims to give you an efficient, friendly and approachable legal service

Planning your life and estate is important to both you and your family. That is why we are careful that the advice and information we give you is comprehensive and easy to understand. We are clear about your options and the likely consequences. Our services include guidance on wills and trusts to ensure your wishes are honoured and to protect your loved ones, including family members, from financial issues and disputes.

We like to work with our clients in a personable and stress-free way, understanding and addressing your circumstances to clearly communicate your options and the outcomes.

Private client expertise

Our Wills & Probate solicitors are Dementia Friends and have strong links within the local community. They have years of experience dealing with vulnerable clients and their families; this means that all concerned are dealt with in a kind and caring way.

The Brighton Wills & Probate team has you covered

Our Brighton and Hove private client department can help you and your family with:

• Probate,
• Wills,
• Lasting Powers of Attorney,
• Deeds of Variation,
• Court of Protection,
• Trust Deeds, and
• probate, trust administration, and estate planning.

More about the services offered by our Brighton Wills and Probate solicitors

Probate and Estate Administration

Dealing with someone’s estate and the probate process when they are gone can be complex and stressful, especially as it is such a difficult time anyway. There are time limits to observe, tax allowances to be claimed (or otherwise lost), tax to be reclaimed, assets and the deceased’s estate to be protected, and legal responsibilities to HMRC, the Probate Court and the estate in general.

Handling estate accounts and the role of personal representatives are crucial in managing the distribution of the estate according to the deceased’s wishes. This means that we can act as executors or estate administrators on your behalf.

Our probate solicitors use their professional experience to help guide you through the legal maze of probate and estate administration dispassionately and impartially.

Writing Wills

Getting your affairs in order with a properly drafted Will can avoid a lot of additional stress when you are gone. It is already a difficult time for those you love, and taking some of the stress away from your friends and family with a valid Will is a great help. Additionally, creating wills and trusts is crucial in estate planning to protect your family and assets after death.

A carefully drafted Will can:

• avoid your tax allowances being reduced or lost;
• make use of any charitable exemptions, whilst potentially reducing the rate of inheritance tax paid;
• set aside assets for children; and
• be used to protect any vulnerable family members.

Succession planning through the use of trusts ensures the smooth transition of assets to beneficiaries, such as children, and helps manage wealth effectively.

Our Brighton branch Wills and Probate specialist

Jensen Bourke specialises in Wills, Probate, Tax, Trusts, Court of Protection and Powers of Attorney and aims to deliver legal advice in plain English and in a helpful, approachable and timely manner.

More about Brighton and our branch

Inheritance Tax Planning

Inheritance tax planning is an essential aspect of planning your estate, ensuring that your loved ones receive the maximum benefit from your estate. Our expert probate team provide guidance on the intricacies of inheritance tax laws and help you develop strategies for tax efficiency.

Lasting Powers of Attorney

A Lasting Power of Attorney sets out your choices when it comes to who will manage your financial affairs and personal welfare if you are unable to do this for yourself.

Talk to us to learn about why having a Power of Attorney in place is important and what benefits they provide.

Deeds of Variation

The use of a Deed of Variation to redirect assets received from an estate could provide you with a powerful tool when it comes to your planning for issues like Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax and other aspects of intergenerational taxation. This can be particularly beneficial when considering the needs of each family member involved.

The Deed of Variation is fully tailored to fit your circumstances, and there are rules to be followed for a Deed of Variation to work, so expert advice is a must. Read more about Deeds of Variation here.

Court of Protection

Losing your mental capacity throws up all sorts of challenges if you have no Power of Attorney in place. You assume that a spouse or family member can manage your finances and obtain legal authority, but this is not true.

Issues such as

• who will administer your finances,
• how they obtain legal authority to do so,
• what can and cannot be done when it comes to making gifts, managing investments,
• as well as the day-to-day administration of your life,

are thrown up.

Our Private Client lawyers have a wealth of experience in helping you with your legal and administrative duties and have been Court-appointed Deputies

Trust Deeds

A properly drafted Trust Deed can be used as an agreement between partners as to who will get what back if your home has to be sold on separation.

Trusts have other uses which may help protect your family from third parties and from tax. Ask us for more information.

Trust Administration

Trustees and any family member involved in the process have many responsibilities, duties, and accountabilities. We can help you with the correct administration of your Trust.

Contentious Probate

Contentious probate arises when there is a dispute over the administration of an estate, often involving a challenge to the validity of a will or a dispute between beneficiaries. Our experienced probate solicitors can provide expert advice and representation in contentious probate matters.

Resolving Disputes

Our probate solicitors work with our civil litigation department when resolving disputes in contentious probate matters, including:

• challenging the validity of a will;
• disputes between beneficiaries;
• disputes between executors or personal representatives;
• claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975; ans
• mediation and alternative dispute resolution.

We understand the emotional and financial strain that contentious probate disputes cause, and our experienced probate and litigation team work tirelessly to resolve the dispute fairly and efficiently.

Our Brighton & Hove Wills and Probate team

Our Brighton branch is handy for most of the south of England. It is within easy reach of Gatwick Airport and the towns of Worthing, Eastbourne, Haywards Heath and Chichester.

The team is headed by chartered Legal Executive Jensen Bourke, who is a Dementia Friend who helps promote an understanding of what it is like for people living with dementia. The team has extensive experience in handling disputes involving family members, ensuring that sensitive issues are managed with care and professionalism. Jensen is heavily involved in charity work through Mid Sussex Roundtable which collects monies from local people to help local causes and people in Sussex.

You can contact Jensen by email at jensen.bourke@cunningtons.co.uk.

Other branches offering Wills and Probate services

Click to find out more about our Wills and Probate solicitors in Braintree, Chelmsford, Croydon, Hornchurch, Solihull and Wickford.