Individuals

Home / Individuals / Wills, Estates and Probate

Wills, Estates and Probate Solicitors

Planning for the future doesn’t have to be daunting. Our team are here with expert advice to support your choices for your future, whatever they may be.

Whether you want to specify what your care should look like, or how your estate should be divided, we are here to help you keep the choice in your hands. You can trust our friendly and flexible team of solicitors across Colchester and Clacton to deliver professional advice with compassion.

Georgia Bolton
Emma Cherry
Fiona Ashworth
Robert Ashworth
Helen Geldart
Ann Coutts
Carlie Brown
View our people

If you would like to talk about what you can do to plan ahead, get in contact with us today.

How can we help you?

We understand that often our services are required at the most difficult time and so we endeavour to make our impact on that time as negligible as possible. We have fully accessible offices in both Colchester and Clacton with ample car parking, as well as offering home visits and online appointments.

TSP’s Wills, Estates and Probate team is led by Robert Ashworth. Their work supports people all across East Anglia, in particular Essex and Suffolk. Both the team and Robert have been repeatedly recognised by the Legal 500 as leading in wills, estate administration and probate.

Our areas of expertise

Wills

We offer expert advice whether you are looking to make a Will for the first time or update your existing Will. It can be daunting to consider what you want life to look like for those you leave behind   but our compassionate team are here to put your mind at rest with advice tailored to your circumstances.

Inheritance Tax (IHT)

The rules on Inheritance Tax mean the situation can quickly get complicated. Our team of Estate Solicitors in Colchester and Clacton can take the stress out of planning around Inheritance Tax and inform you of any exemptions and reliefs that you are entitled to.

Powers of Attorney and Deputyship

In the case that your capacity ever deteriorates, Powers of Attorney for Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare allow a person of your choosing to make decisions on your behalf. Our team are here to draft Lasting Powers of Attorney, and further to advise you if you find yourself acting as an Attorney or Deputy on someone else’s  behalf.

Probate and estate administration

Administering the estate of someone who has passed away is a big responsibility. Whether the deceased had a will or not and no matter the size of the estate, the team at TSP are here to help with a flexible, efficient, and compassionate service.

Trusts

Thinking about setting up a trust? There are several kinds for different circumstances. We are here to help you decide what the best approach is for your circumstances. If you have been appointed as a Trustee, we can help you understand your powers and responsibilities.

Challenging a Will

Challenging a Will is a demanding process at an already incredibly difficult time. To reduce the burden it’s important to get good legal advice. We’re here to help you navigate the rules and communication breakdowns.

Agricultural Estates

A large amount of land or a working farm can complicate a Will or probate process, particularly when it comes to Inheritance Tax and Reliefs. Our team has strong ties to Suffolk and Essex’s farming communities and they are here to help.

Elderly and Vulnerable Client Matters

Our Wills, Estates and Probate team is built of Dementia Friends and accredited members of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE). Care and compassion are at the core of their expert advice.

Wills, Estates and Probate Frequently Asked Questions

A Will is a legal document that outlines who should administer your estate after your death (your Executor), who should receive the benefit of your estate (your beneficiaries) and who should look after your children if they are under 18 (their guardians).

If you don’t have a Will when you die, then the Intestacy Rules will be used to decide what happens to your estate. Under Intestacy, only married partners or civil partners,  blood and adopted relatives can inherit.

A tax paid by your estate on the value of your estate at the time of your death, and on certain gifts you might give in your lifetime.

If Inheritance Tax is payable on a deceased’s estate, then in most cases you have six months after the end of the month in which the deceased died. After this, interest will be charged on the unpaid amount. You can pay in annual instalments over ten years if the value of the estate is tied up in property.

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that gives authority to a person of your choice (your Attorney) to make decisions on your behalf if you can no longer do so yourself.  There are two types, one for Property & Financial Affairs and one for Health & Welfare.

In the case that you don’t have a Power of Attorney, the Court of Protection will appoint a Deputy to make decisions for you, should you be incapable of doing so yourself. The Deputy will typically be a close friend or relative of yours, and they are bound by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to act in your best interests.

Our Wills, Estates and Probate Pricing

We are able to handle some of the more straightforward work we do for you on a fixed fee basis, for example we are able to offer a fixed fee will from £250 + VAT. For other more complex work we charge on an hourly rate basis. Where this is the case, we will tell you the hourly rates charged by everyone we expect to work on your case and give a realistic estimate of your likely overall costs.

Contact our Solicitors in Colchester or Clacton

We’re here to help. Get in touch or contact one of our offices: