Wills & Probate Services
Ronald Fletcher Baker’s efficient and empathetic Probate department has extensive experience in all areas of private client practice. Ranked in the Legal 500, the department acts for a wide variety of clients including high net worth families, foreign domiciled individuals, entrepreneurs, and elderly and vulnerable clients.
The department is able to provide a wide range of legal services for families and individuals based both in the UK and overseas with UK assets.
We work closely with our clients and where applicable their financial advisers, accountants, and foreign lawyers to understand their priorities to enable us to advise on the most tax-efficient ways of passing wealth to future generations. We are then able to draft wills, deeds of gift, and other documentation in the way which best meets their needs.
Our team is experienced in winding up a wide variety of estates including those with cross-border elements. We can negotiate with HMRC where probate valuations are not immediately agreed to minimise any additional inheritance tax liability. We will also advise when it may be tax efficient to consider varying the distribution of an estate or appropriating assets to beneficiaries.
We are frequently consulted in relation to the preparation of lasting powers and issues of capacity. Where appropriate we will assist with making or opposing applications to the Court of Protection for deputyship and specific issues including the sale of property and statutory wills.
We can assist with the formation and registration of charities and provide advice to charity trustees.
- - Wills and codicils
- - Estate planning and lifetime gifts
- - Administration of estates
- - Post death variations
- - Contentious probate matters
- - Lasting powers of Attorney
- - Court of Protection applications
- - Declarations of trust
- - Creating and managing trusts
- - Cross border succession, taxation and domicile status