When you lose a family member, the last thing you want to be doing is worrying about taxes. As sad as it seems, the loss of a family member will inevitably incur a great amount of paperwork and assessment of what has been left behind financially.
At a time of such high stress and emotion, your attention will turn to your family, and you may find it impossible to cope with sorting through possessions and bank accounts to determine what goes where. This is where a legal expert trained in probate can be your saving grace amongst the grief.
While you may not want to get any legal entities involved at such a hard time, hiring probate solicitors can allow you to focus on those all-important details of your loved one’s life, while they sort through the paperwork and tax forms. Trained in the complex area of probate law, these solicitors can help to assess everything from the legality of any wills that have been left behind or working with conveyancing solicitors to accurately assess the amount of any properties in your loved one’s name.
But what instances should lead you to hire probate solicitors? Read on to find out.
Large inheritance
It is a common portrayal on television that a distant relative is left a fortune from an aunt they never knew they had, but in cases where your loved one has a large estate, you will need to hire probate solicitors. Even if you have been named as the sole beneficiary in such cases, a solicitor can help you to navigate the taxes that will be placed on the inheritance. Probate law is complicated at the best of times, so you don’t want to try and do this by yourself!
No will
This is a sad occurrence that is most commonly seen in younger people who pass away suddenly, which certainly warrants the hiring of a legal professional. In such instances, a solicitor will help to devise inheritance based on next of kin, which could be any children that they have had or their closest living relative.
Contesting a will
At such an emotive time, many people can feel that they have not received what they were promised and may contest a will that has been left. This can be heightened if the will which has been left appears to be fraudulent, which will need a legal professional to look it over to determine its validity. If the will is identified as being a forgery, legal recourse will be required in many cases.
Non-naming
If the now-deceased loved one has not named you in their will and you feel this is odd, seek the advice of a specialist solicitor. If you are a dependent, you may have legal access to the estate and should not assume that you have no right to your share of the assets; the last will is not always the ultimate basis of how assets should be divided.
