I can provide you with as much or as little preparation work and/or guidance as you need with your Probate Application, the Probate process and the administration of the deceased’s estate.

 

In most straightforward cases, the application for Probate can be submitted online, however, there are certain estates which can’t be dealt with using the online service and these will still require a paper/postal application to the Leeds Probate Registry, especially if they are problematic.

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Drafting the Application for a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration: When a person dies, their assets and liabilities need to be distributed according to their Will or the laws of intestacy if they didn’t make a Will. Probate is the legal process of proving the validity of the deceased person's Will and obtaining authority from the Probate Court (Registry) to administer their estate.

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Preparing and submitting the application for the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration: This involves gathering together all of the information about the deceased’s assets, debts and expenses (such as the funeral account) in order to calculate the net value of their estate, before going on to prepare the necessary documents such as the Probate application form, the executors’ Legal Statement and any supporting documents required by the Probate Registry.

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Gathering Information and Assets: Executors or Personal Representatives (PRs) are individuals appointed by the deceased in their Will, or by the Registry to administer the estate), and they often require assistance with some of the more complex stages of the Probate process, including:

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Preparing Inheritance Tax Return forms: Form IHT400 and other taxation forms and calculation of any Capital Gains or Income Tax.

Communicating with banks and other financial institutions, Beneficiaries and Creditors.

Completion of share transfer or sale forms if the deceased has shares or Premium Bonds.

Drafting the Estate Accounts, which can be a complex task if the deceased had several different assets and expenses.

Overcoming any obstacles, such as a missing or defective Will, or deceased executors.

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Once the Probate application is prepared and submitted to the Probate Registry, the application is reviewed and if everything is correct, a Grant of Probate will be issued (if there is a Will) or Letters of Administration (if there is no Will). These legal documents grant the executors/PRs the legal authority to administer the estate.

 

​After obtaining the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration: The executors or PRs can begin administering the estate by collecting in the assets, paying any debts and taxes and finally, distributing the remaining assets to the beneficiaries according to the terms of the Will or the laws of Intestacy.

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By seeking my professional assistance with any aspect of the Probate process you can be reassured that the process will go smoothly, and it follows that the estate will be administered efficiently and in accordance with the law, minimising the risk of errors, disputes, or delays.

 

I can prepare some, or all of the documents to ease the burden at what is a very upsetting, and often stressful time for executors/PRs, especially those who are very close family members. I can also navigate you through any obstacles which you encounter along the way.