Solicitors, Wills and legal matters

Probate (administration of an estate)

This is the legal process for the distribution of the deceased’s estate, for example money and property. You need to establish if the deceased had made a Will. This may be found at their bank, solicitor or home, or with family or a friend. If the Will has been registered, you should call the Principle Probate Registry who can be telephoned on 020 3985 9553.

When a Will is in place

The Will may include funeral wishes, wishes regarding the deceased’s estate and the name of the executors or people legally entitled to deal with the estate. The executors are legally responsible for administrating the estate according to the wishes in the Will. If the Will is with a solicitor, they should be informed of the death. Named executors can administer the deceased’s estate on their own (visit www.gov.uk for further information) or they may prefer to get help from a solicitor to carry this out. Further information on Wills can be found at

www.ageuk.org.uk.

When there is no Will in place

When someone dies without making a Will, they are said to have died ‘intestate’ and different rules apply. When this happens, the law sets out who should deal with the deceased’s affairs and who benefits. This can be complex and there’s a list of people who may be entitled to the estate in turn. Further information can be found at www.gov.uk. This website also contains a step-by-step guide on how to proceed if you want to administer the estate yourself. Or you can involve a solicitor to help you through the process.