Probate Services and Support with Winn Solicitors

When dealing with the affairs of an estate after the death of a loved one, you may be seeking the advice and support of a legal team specialising in Probate services.

It is reassuring to have that guidance and knowledge on your side, allowing you to relax as everything is taken care of.

The Wills, Probate and Trust department at Winns has the expertise, compassion, and diligence to handle all matters of Probate ensuring a legally correct conclusion and one that mitigates risks of a challenge further down the line.

Take that positive first step and contact the team today for a no-obligation chat.

Who will help in our team?

The Probate services team has decades of experience in its ranks, headed by Rebecca Harbron Gray.

With over 15 years in the sector, Rebecca has amassed a range of additional qualifications – including from Solicitors for the Elderly, STEP and STEP Cross Border Estates – on top of her legal knowledge and training.

An experienced and talented Solicitor, she leads a team including Nicola and Josef, both of whom are fully qualified solicitors, as well as Georgia, our trainee paralegal.

Handling matters with a sensitive, compassionate, and appropriate tone, they’ll work diligently on your Probate matters to ensure a compliant legal outcome that lessens the risk of potential challenges against the estate.

In these situations, you want people with expertise, experience, and in-depth knowledge of different Probate scenarios. Our team is here to take the stress from you and help from start to finish.

Can’t thank Rebecca [enough] for the quick and easy probate from start to finish. Extremely professional and so helpful and friendly. Nothing was a bother. Made a difficult time an easy transition. Highly recommend to anyone to use.

Nicola

What is Probate?

Probate is the process of allowing someone else to deal with the property, money, and possessions – a person’s estate – after they pass away. Probate is a legal necessity when attempting to arrange the distribution of an estate or the selling of property within the estate.

An executor shouldn’t attempt to do anything with the estate in question without obtaining Probate first.

Why should someone care about Probate?

Probate is a fundamental requirement when dealing with an estate. By law, it is needed to assume control over matters.

A person doesn’t need Probate in certain circumstances, such as if the deceased:

Only had savings
Owned shares or money with others (this automatically passes to the surviving owners unless otherwise stipulated)
Owned land or property as joint tenants (as above, this automatically goes to the surviving tenant)

But in most cases, Probate is needed. Financial organisations involved in the deceased’s estate will be able to tell you if they need Probate to access assets. Every organisation has their own rules so it is important to check.

Rebecca from Wills and Probate was the ultimate professional: polite, considerate, and efficient when dealing with sensitive family issues.

Josie

Why turn to Winns for Probate services?

Unfortunately, the time for Probate is normally a deeply unsettling period when dealing with the emotions of losing a loved one.

The stress and anxiety associated with loss and grief can feel overwhelming; the thought of conducting Probate, perhaps an unknown subject, just adds to that daunting feeling.

Make things easier for yourself and allow our knowledgeable team to take the legal strain. They’ll be quick to understand your circumstances and provide reassurance as to what happens next.

Seeking to carry out their work with as little intrusion into your time as possible, the team will gather relevant information before working through the processes and procedures effectively and efficiently.

We’ll keep you up to date as things progress. But there’s no need to worry about Probate when you instruct the team at Winns.

Excellent, professional, proactive service; greatly appreciated.

Mike

How does the process look?

After you instruct us to act, this can be part of the process or all of it from start to finish, there will be an initial meeting. This can take place face to face in our office, by phone or video call, or our team can travel to you should you wish (this is dependent on location and will incur an additional charge).

This is an opportunity to gather all relevant information and highlight anything that needs further investigation. You’ll be told what to expect and be given expected timeframes, as some elements are beyond our control, so you have the reassurance that matters are being dealt with and done so in the expected time.

Depending on your circumstances and your requirements from our service, an application for a Grant of Probate will then be submitted. This can take approximately four weeks but is based on the speed of the office it is submitted to.

Once the Grant of Probate is received, the administering of the estate can go ahead, with the need to consider applicable tax implications. Our team can support you with this.

If a Will is in place, these wishes will be acted upon, delivering designated assets or funds to people mentioned in the document.

Whatever you need with regard to Probate, we’re ready to help.

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FAQ

What is a Probate service?

Probate services involve the input of a legal professional to assist an executor as they attempt to distribute the estate of someone who has died. The service at Winns can support clients through all of the process or just a part of it – whatever the client needs.

How much do solicitors charge for Probate?

Often dependent on the personal scenario, Probate can cost more to some than others. You can find a document detailing our applicable Probate fees by clicking here. It is important to discuss this at your initial meeting so the team can provide a clearer picture of the fees involved.

How long does Probate take?

This is mostly dependent on your unique circumstances and the different elements involved in the estate in question. If you’re seeking a Grant of Probate, the timescale is usually four weeks but that can vary based on the speed of the particular office to which the document is submitted to.

When considering the Probate process from start to finish, this can take approximately a year to conduct. But it is important to note this is dependent on a range of external factors which can speed up or slow down progress.

For more information on our Wills, Probate, and Trust services, click here to be taken to our dedicated information page.

Don’t leave Probate to chance, rely on the expert guidance of the legal professionals at Winns.