Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Probate Solicitors Important Role In Estate Settlement

By Steven Harrison


If you need to prepare a will, probate solicitors offer this service. They will help you with any matter pertaining to property transfer after you die. Their service will also guide beneficiaries and the executor of your estate in settling your estate.

These skilled professionals ensure all claims on assets are established, all assets are correctly identified and distributed to beneficiaries and any taxes owed are paid. These are some of the complex tasks that need to be completed after the demise of the testator. In Scotland, this process is identified as a confirmation of estate. In the absence of a will, a letter of administration is granted. A solicitor will also be involved in this process until final settlement.

After the granting of either by a court, a grant of representation is produced. This empowers an executor to discharge his or her responsibilities. This will be under the Intestacy Rules when there is no will. These rules determine disposition of an estate when a deceased dies intestate.

If this disposition is disputed, qualified advisers and representatives are required in what becomes a contested probate. This is settled under an Inheritance Act passed in 1975. The law allows survivors to make their claim to property under a will or subject to intestacy or both. A challenge must prove no reasonable financial provision was made for someone who was entitled.

In reaching its conclusion, a court will respect the rights of other parties, size and type of assets at stake and any other relevant matter. Prospective claimants can be anyone living in the same house, a youngster considered to be a family member and any individual receiving support from the deceased. Any claim must be made during first six months of granting. A failed challenge will bear the financial risk. Weak claims should not be entertained for this reason.

This action can be bypassed if other beneficiaries are willing to share. A deed of post death variation can resolve such a conflict without litigation. Probate solicitors are an indispensable part of what can become a complicated task.




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