Disputes about Wills and Estates
If you become involved in a dispute about a family member’s Will, or the way in which their estate is being dealt with, we can help.
We have the experience and expertise to help you to resolve your dispute. We can give you practical legal advice and we can represent you in Court proceedings if they become necessary.
Inheritance can be a confusing issue, the rules involved are different depending on whether the deceased left a Will or not.
We can assess the situation and set out who should inherit, according to either the Will or the Laws of Intestacy when the deceased did not leave a Will.
This is a specialist area of law and you should always obtain expert legal advice. We can help with all areas of contested probate, including:
Invalid Wills
There are a number of rules which must be followed for a Will to be valid, including having it witnessed in the correct manner. A Will may not be valid if it was not made following the correct procedures set out by law.
An estate not being administered correctly
If you feel that the people dealing with the distribution of the deceased assets are not following the instructions in the Will, or are not following the rules of Intestacy where there was no Will, please contact us.
Not providing for financial dependants in a Will
Someone making a Will can leave their assets to whomever they like. However, financial dependents such as young children do have a protected status and should be provided for. If this is not the case then it may be possible to make a claim against the estate.
Placing undue influence on the Will maker
If it can be shown that the person making the will was overly pressurised, for example to include or exclude a person from the Will, it may be possible to challenge the Will.
Lack of mental capacity to make a Will
With more and more elderly people suffering from diseases such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s, which may affect their mental capacity, this can bring rise to challenges as to whether they were in a fit state to make the Will and whether they understood what they were doing.
Please contact us for advice on any of the above issues or for anything else relating to Wills or Probate.
