Wills & Probate
Welcome to
PFM Dental
Legal
In addition to our legal services for dentists selling or buying a practice we also offer expert advice in other areas of the law, specifically Wills, Powers of Attorney and Probate matters.
Dentists are among the estimated 50% of the UK population who do not have a Will. Our Wills service may be suitable if you are an associate and have recently bought a house. Other life events such as getting married or having children are also reason to consider a Will.
If you are a practice owner, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Business Lasting Powers of Attorney are of particular relevance especially if you have business partners or co-directors. For sole traders with an NHS contract it may also be important to have a Lasting Power of Attorney in place.
Our dedicated solicitor in this area is Claire Trueman who offers many years of relevant experience and considerable expertise.
We Offer
Wills
We provide a Will drafting service with meetings in person, on the phone or by Zoom/Teams. Whether it is a simple, traditional Will or a more complex Trust Will, we will review your situation and help find the right Will for you.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
We prepare and register Lasting Powers of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian so that you can ensure that you have appointed the right people to look after your affairs if you are unable to because of physical or mental incapacity.
Business Lasting Powers of Attorney
We can prepare a tailored Business Lasting Power of Attorney for business owners to ensure that their business can continue to run effectively if they become physically or mentally incapacitated.
Registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney
We can register the old style Enduring Powers of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian if the donor has now lost mental capacity.
Grant of Probate/Grant of Letters of Administration
We can deal with just the application for the Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration on behalf of the executors/administrators. This would involve us completing the paperwork for the probate application, including any necessary inheritance tax forms for HMRC.
Estate Administration
We can deal with the complete administration of the estate, to include notifying all the financial
institutions, obtaining the Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration and then collecting in the assets and dealing with the distribution.
FAQs
What is a Will?
A Will is a legal document setting out your wishes for what will happen to your assets on your death.
This could include guardianship of your children, specific gifts of property or money and who will ultimately benefit from your remaining assets. It is important for everyone to consider making a Will.
What should I consider when making a Will?
Some things to consider are:
Executors Guardians
Pets
Gifts
Vulnerable people
Main beneficiaries
Funeral
Find out more on our Wills- What to consider fact sheet
What is a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)?
An LPA is a legal document that allows you to appoint the people that you trust to make decisions on your behalf should you lose physical or mental capacity in the future.
There are two different types of LPAs; one for Property and Financial affairs and one for Health and Welfare.
A Property and Finance LPA allows the Attorney to look after your finances and property, such as dealing with bank accounts, selling property and paying bills.
A Health and Welfare LPA allows the Attorney to make decisions about your health and welfare when you are unable to make these decisions for yourself. Such decisions can include giving or refusing consent to life sustaining treatment, choosing where you might live in the future and the type of care you receive.
What should I consider when making an LPA?
Attorneys/Replacement Attorneys – the people you trust to act in your place and make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so in the future due to losing your physical or mental capacity.
Certificate Provider – someone who confirms that you have the mental capacity to understand and enter into the LPA now.
Wishes – within the LPA, you can specify particular wishes about your future, such as where you might want to live or medical treatment you receive.
What is a Business Lasting Power of Attorney (BLPA)?
Whilst traditionally used to deal with your personal affairs, an LPA can also be tailored to specifically cover your business. It can name the same or different individuals from your personal LPA to deal specifically with any decisions regarding your business.
As a business owner, you may choose a trusted business associate to become your Attorney under a BLPA and then your spouse or children to deal with personal matters under an LPA.
More details can be found on our BLPA fact sheet
Why set up a BLPA?
A Company or a Partnership could be left with a Director or a Partner who is not capable of fulfilling their duties and responsibilities and having a BLPA in place can protect that risk.
More details can be found on our BLPA fact sheet.
What is a Grant of Probate?
A Grant of Probate is the legal document that is issued by the Probate Registry and gives the Executors of a Will the legal authority to deal with the estate of a person that has died. This may be collecting in money held in bank accounts and investments, selling property or distributing personal possessions and house contents.
What is Grant of Letters of Administration?
This is the equivalent of a Grant of Probate and is used if there was no Will in place at the time of death. In this case the law dictates which relatives would be entitled to apply for a Grant of Letters of Administration.
Pricing
Service
Fee
Single straightforward Will
£395 plus VAT
Pair of straightforward Wills (Mirror Wills)
£650 plus VAT
Single Life Interest Trust Will
£750 plus VAT
Pair of Life Interest Trust Wills
£950 plus VAT
Single Discretionary Trust Will
£750 plus VAT
Pair of Discretionary Trust Wills
£950 plus VAT
Letter of Wishes (to accompany Trust Wills)
£150 plus VAT
Notice of Severance with Trust Wills
£110 plus VAT
HMLR Office Copy fee
£3
Single LPA (just health or finance)
£495 plus VAT
2 x LPAs (health and finance for an individual or just health or just finance for a couple)
£895 plus VAT
4 x LPAs (health and finances for a couple)
£1,650 plus VAT
Business Lasting Power of Attorney
£895 plus VAT
EPA registration
£500 plus VAT
Probate – Administration of the estate
£250 plus VAT hourly rate plus 0.5% of the estate value above £1million
Grant of Probate Application (or Grant of Letters of Administration Application) – where there is no Inheritance Tax to be paid and the estate value is up to £650,000 for a married couple or £325,000 for a single person
£1,500 plus VAT
Grant of Probate Application (or Grant of Letters of Administration Application) – where there is no Inheritance Tax to be paid due to spouse or charitable exemption and the estate value is between £650,000 and £3 million or where there is no Inheritance Tax to be paid due to applying for the Residence Nil Rate Band.
£2,500 plus VAT
Grant of Probate Application (or Grant of Letters of Administration Application) – where Inheritance Tax must be paid and the estate value is up to £1 million.
£3,500 plus VAT
Grant of Probate Application (or Grant of Letters of Administration Application) – where Inheritance Tax must be paid and the estate value exceeds £ 1million.
£4,500 plus VAT
HMCTS Probate Fee
£300.00 plus £1.50 per copy
Deed of Variation of a Will
£500 plus VAT
Declaration of Trust
£500 plus VAT
Charges for ID verification for each person
£10 plus VAT
See what other dentists are saying
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Wills – Things to Consider
The subject of death is one that many of us don’t want to think about, especially the death of a loved one. Putting a Will in place is, however, the only way to ensure that your wishes are carried out after your death.
