Probate Solicitors

When someone close to you dies, somebody has to deal with their estate. A person's estate is considered to be made up of the money, investments, property and any possessions they had at the time of their death. The process of dealing with someone’s estate after they die, commonly known as Probate, involves collecting any assets that the deceased owned, settling any debts due (including outstanding taxes) and dividing the estate amongst the respective beneficiaries.

The majority of assets (including property) in an estate will remain frozen, until the Probate Registry gives the authority (via a document known as a Grant of Representation) to the "executor" named in the deceased’s Will. If there is no Will, certain rules, known as the rules of Intestacy, will apply and set out who is entitled to apply for the Grant of Representation and to benefit from the estate. Collectively the persons entitled to deal with an estate whether or not the deceased left a Will are known as the “Personal Representatives”.

We can provide practical guidance to help the Personal Representatives through the whole process of dealing with the administration of an estate.

We can help you determine the size of an estate for Probate and Inheritance Tax purposes.

We can complete the necessary inheritance forms as well as preparing the application for the Grant of Representation on your behalf, and help you lodge the required forms with the relevant organisations to collect in or sell the assets of the estate and settle any outstanding debts, before finalising and distributing the estate to the beneficiaries.

We can arrange the transfer or sale of any shares, and work with our residential property team to handle the transfer or sale of any property or land owned by the deceased.

To speak to our expert Wills, Trusts and Probate Solicitors in South Wales, please contact your local JCP Solicitors office. We have offices in the following locations:

• Swansea
• Cardiff
• Caerphilly
• Carmarthen
• Cowbridge
• Haverfordwest
• St Davids 

If there is not a local office to you, contact us on 03333 208644 as we are happy to arrange telephone and video meetings where appropriate. Alternatively, please feel free to email us at hello@jcpsolicitors.co.uk, fill in our online enquiry form, or use our live web chat facility.