Wills, Probate & Powers of Attorney
Straightforward, fixed-fee advice from Crownfield Solicitors
Making a Will
A valid will gives you control over who inherits your estate. Wills are usually straightforward and inexpensive to prepare, but a badly drafted one can cause real difficulties for the people you leave behind — so it pays to use a qualified, reputable practitioner.
A will lets you:
- Avoid the intestacy rules, which decide who inherits for you — and can leave spouses with less than expected and unmarried partners, friends or charities with nothing
- Appoint guardians of your choice for children under 18, rather than leaving it to the courts
- Provide for children financially, for example through a trust that controls when and how they receive money
- Name trustworthy executors and trustees to administer your estate and manage any trusts
- Reduce the inheritance tax payable on your estate
- Protect assets by placing them in trust rather than passing them outright — useful where a beneficiary is vulnerable, divorcing, or on means-tested benefits
- Lower the chance of a dispute, through a professionally drafted, well-documented will
Not every solicitor is a specialist, and not every will-writer is regulated. Crownfield Solicitors will ensure your adviser has the expertise, integrity and knowledge to get it right.
Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
An LPA is a legal document letting you appoint people — your attorneys — to make decisions on your behalf if you’re ever unable to make or communicate them yourself. It’s separate from your will, though many people set both up together as part of planning for the future.
There are two types: one for property and financial decisions (such as selling your home, managing savings, or paying bills), and one for health and welfare decisions (such as care, medical treatment and living arrangements).
Without an LPA in place, a spouse or co-owner cannot automatically manage your affairs if you lose mental capacity. Instead, an application to the Court of Protection is required — a process that is slow, costly and may result in someone you wouldn’t have chosen taking control. As with a will, you must have full mental capacity to make an LPA, so it’s worth arranging in good time.
Our Probate Services
Whether you’re applying for probate or handling the estate of someone who has died, our specialists can help — for estates large or small, with or without a will, anywhere in the country.
Unlike many solicitors and banks, who charge a percentage of the estate plus hourly fees and VAT, we charge a fair, transparent, fixed fee based on our time and expertise.
We can help with:
- Ad-hoc advice and estate valuations
- Preparing HMRC returns and calculating inheritance tax
- Probate applications and preparation of estate accounts
We don’t handle contentious probate (disputes over a will) or cross-border estates.
Get in touch
We’re happy to discuss your matter by phone or email and provide a fixed-fee quote or arrange a consultation — though we’re not able to give legal advice before you’ve formally instructed us. Contact Crownfield Solicitors today to talk about your will, LPA or probate needs.