Wills & Probate Lawyers in Manchester, Stockport & Cheshire

Our Wills & Probate Solicitors have years of experience helping individual planning for the future of their estate. This is amongst the most important legal decisions you can make.

We understand it’s hard to find time in your busy life to sit down and think about what will happen after you’re gone, but it’s crucial to plan ahead.

The dedicated Wills & Probate Solicitors at Clifford Johnston & Co. work with clients in Manchester, Stockport and throughout Cheshire to create comprehensive legal documents that ensure the long-term security of your spouse, partner and children.

We take an individual approach to make sure every base is covered and that your money, property, possessions and other assets are distributed in the way you intended.

Advice on Wills, Trusts & Probate Solicitors

Taking action to sort out what will happen once you’ve gone is easy to put off.  Take the first step today by calling our friendly Wills & Probate Solicitors in our Manchester or Stockport offices.

Writing a will is your way of making things as easy as possible for your loved ones. A will helps to reduce delays and confusion that may surround your estate.

Our Wills & Probate Solicitors in Manchester have the expertise to help you with:

Will Writing

The preparation of a legal document to determine who will get your money, assets and possessions.

Probate and Grant of Probate

The process of accessing and distributing the assets of a deceased person.

Living Wills & Advance Directives

A legally binding statement detailing any treatments that you do not wish to receive in the future, including those that could potentially keep you alive.

Powers of Attorney

A legal document appointing one or more people to manage your affairs should you ever be unable to do so yourself.

Intestacy & Inheritance Act Claims (Where no Will is left)

The legal process of distributing the assets of someone who died without leaving a will.

Court of Protection

If a relative or loved-one is no longer able to manage their affairs, we can help you to make an application to the Court of Protection.

Inheritance Tax Planning

Inheritance tax planning doesn’t have to be complicated. It simply helps ensure you make the most of any reliefs and exemptions, take advantage of any changes in the rules, avoid any pitfalls and minimise the inheritance tax liability.

Business Owner Estates

As a business owner it is particularly important to document who you wish to inherit your estate.

Personal Injury Trusts

If you have received personal injury compensation you can place it in a trust to protect it from any benefits and care means testing.

Contentious Probate

Whether you are involved in a dispute over the value of Estate assets, the interpretation of a Will, or you are dealing with disagreements between beneficiaries, you need an experienced solicitor on your side.

What happens if you don’t make a Will?

If you die without making a will, then your possessions will automatically pass under the intestacy rules.  This is known as dying ‘intestate’ which may not always mean the best provisions for your loved ones and may not be in line with your hopes and plans for your estate.

The laws of intestacy give priority to your closest relative, with spouses coming first in line, followed by children, parents, siblings and so on.  While this seems to make logical sense on the surface, modern families are ever more complex, and these laws can cause big problems.

For instance, if you live with a partner but are not married, under the laws of intestacy your property would go to your closest relatives in the order set out above ahead of going to them.  This could leave your partner without anywhere to live.

There are other pitfalls to be aware of too.  There are no provisions in the law of intestacy for stepchildren, even if you consider them to be family.

If you are separated but not divorced, your ex-husband or wife will inherit your assets.  This can lead to bitter disputes between the remaining family members.

Talk to our expert no will probate lawyers in Manchester and Stockport today for help dealing with the estate under the rules of intestacy.

Why should I make a Will?

If you’ve read this far, you should know by now that making a will is the best way to ensure your instructions are carried out after your death.  Writing down exactly how you want your estate to be handled is about more than just controlling who gets what though.

Although you may think your situation is simple, either because of the nature of your family structure or because you don’t have vast wealth or complicated assets to distribute, the process of thinking carefully about different eventualities can throw up some challenging questions.

Taking the time to consider the future is quite simply the right thing for everyone to do.

A will can also assist in reducing the liability of your estate to pay inheritance tax.  Reason enough alone to take an hour with an experienced Wills Solicitor and put your plans for the future of your estate down on paper.

How do I register a Will?

Registering a will ensures that it can be found easily by the beneficiaries and executors of the will.  Registration does not mean that your will can be found or read before it is supposed to be. The location and contents will remain confidential until a person with a genuine interest comes forward and presents a death certificate.

Once we have written your will, we can store it for you securely and register it for you with The National Will Register if you wish.

How much does it cost to write a will with a Solicitor?

We offer a fixed fee service for a will and we charge £300 plus VAT.  If it is for two people at the same time, then we will charge £500 plus VAT.

If your will is particularly complex, then we may need to charge more but we can discuss that with you from the outset.

Is it possible to write your own Will?

It is possible to write your own will, but it’s usually not advisable to do so.

In theory, you could literally write your wishes on a piece of paper and if it is properly signed and witnessed, it should be legally binding.

However, writing a will properly with the advice of an experienced Wills Solicitor will save time, money and stress for the people you leave behind, and it will give you the peace of mind that your affairs will definitely be taken care of in the way you intended. If you want to guarantee that your wishes regarding your estate are followed to the letter, then a will constructed properly by Wills & Probate Solicitors will ensure that possibilities to challenge your decisions are kept to an absolute minimum.

Using a solicitor to write your will is especially important if you have overseas property, a business, assets above the inheritance tax threshold and/or a complicated family situation, which may mean there are multiple beneficiaries to be considered.

We’ll make sure your will is valid and that common mistakes are avoided.

Solicitors are authorised and regulated by the solicitor’s regulation authority and insured at high levels, so in the unlikely event that something does go wrong, you are well protected.

We stay up to date with any changes to the laws, ensuring that the complicated areas of inheritance tax and estate administration are handled efficiently and effectively.

Probate Solicitors

We offer a full probate service.  We understand that the death of a loved one is a particularly difficult time and your case needs to be dealt with sensitively and compassionately but also professionally.  If you instruct us then your case would be handled either by Christopher Furbey, Philip Walsh or Shane Flannery all of whom are qualified and experienced Wills and Probate Lawyers.

We understand the distress and difficulty that bereavement causes, and we treat all our clients with respect and dignity.

We can discuss the probate procedure with you and offer expert legal advice.

What is the probate process?

The process of probate and estate administration can be complex, and it will vary greatly depending on the circumstances of the individual case.

The executor must apply for a Grant of Probate before the process can start. This will give them the right to administer the property of the person who has died.

The full details of the deceased, their assets, and their debts should now be collected.

If any inheritance tax is applicable, this should be paid, and a proper inheritance tax return should be completed. Grant of Probate may have been approved and received at this stage, meaning any outstanding debts of the deceased should be paid.

Following this, the executor is free to distribute the assets within the estate in the manner outlined in the will.

Get in touch with the Wills and Probate Solicitors at Clifford Johnston & Co

With over 35 years of experience providing legal advice across a wide range of services and sectors we are leading Wills and Probate Solicitors in Manchester and Stockport providing professional administration of estate services from our offices in Heaton Moor and Burnage.

We are proud of the Wills and Probate Services we provide and the positive difference we make for our clients. Our experienced Wills and Probate Lawyers are experts in their fields.

Call today or complete the enquiry form and we will get back in touch with you quickly. We will always respond promptly, and we will be happy to help.

Our Stockport and Manchester Solicitors aim to build lasting relationships with our clients.  Most of our work comes from existing clients, referrals and recommendations.

Clifford Johnston & Co. have long been recognised for our expertise in the administration of estates for high net worth individuals and business owners.

Our Wills Solicitors in Manchester act regularly for clients from across the North West and Cheshire including Altrincham, Hale, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow and Knutsford.

As recognised experts in Wills, Trusts, and Probate services in Manchester we can support your needs wherever you live in England, Wales & Northern Ireland.