This document provides information on legal documents such as wills, lasting powers of attorney, trusts, and the process of estate administration. It outlines key components of wills including executors, beneficiaries, funeral wishes, guardians for children, and tax planning. It also describes lasting powers of attorney and how they can appoint attorneys to make decisions regarding health, welfare, and finances if one loses capacity. The document notes the process is lengthier and costly if a deputyship order is required instead of an LPA. It provides an overview of post-death services including obtaining grants of probate, preparing tax forms and estate accounts, and distributing assets. Finally, it discusses types of trusts including those used for land ownership and vulnerable persons.

1. Susan Shuttle
Private Client Solicitor

2. Wills
Contents of a Legal Binding Will
• Executors
• Funeral wishes
• Guardians for children
• Mutual Wills
• Beneficiaries
• Protection of assets for
beneficiaries – Trusts and Life
Interests in property
• Tax advice
When a person dies without a Will
• Government decide who will be
your administrators.
• Your funeral wishes may not be
followed
• Your children may be placed in
care.
• Government dictate where your
assets pass.
• No tax planning

3. Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs)
Financial and Property LPA & Health
and Welfare LPA
• You can chose your Attorneys.
• You can include wishes and instructions such
as:-
Whether you wish to have
treatment to prolong your life if you
are vegetive state
Whether you wish to go into a care
home
• Where you wish your money to be invested.
• In the Property and Financial LPA, you can
state that your Attorneys can assist you whilst
you have mental capacity but lack physical
capacity.
If a person lacks capacity without an
LPA, a Deputyship Order is required
• Loved ones have to apply to the Court of
Protection to become your Deputy
• The Local Authority could be appointed as
your Deputy.
• This is a lengthily process
• It is costly
• During the process your loved ones cannot
make decisions about your health and your
welfare.

4. I assist Executors with obtaining a Grant of Probate and Administrators
with Grants of Letters of Administration. This includes:-
• Collating the value of the deceased’s assets.
• Preparing tax forms
• Preparing court applications to obtain a Grant.
• Preparing estate accounts
• Distributing the estate
• Preparing Deeds of Variation.
Post Death Services

5. Trusts
Trust of Land
I prepare Declarations of Trust which state:-
• Individual shares in a property
• What would happen if a party wants to
sell the property
• Who pays the bills/mortgages and in
what percentages
This saves the need to apply to court if the
co-owners fall out.
This also saves time and money
Other Trusts
I prepare Lifetime Trusts and Will Trusts
such as:-
• Discretionary Trusts
• Vulnerable Person’s Trust
• Life Interest Trusts of land