Estate Planning

Whether your estate is relatively straightforward or includes complex business interests or blended family dynamics, our specialist solicitors are here to help you put robust and thoughtful arrangements in place.

What is estate planning?

Estate planning involves the legal, financial, and practical preparations for managing your estate during your lifetime, as well as directing what happens to your assets upon your death. It provides peace of mind by ensuring your affairs are in order and helps avoid confusion, disputes, or unnecessary costs for those you leave behind.

A comprehensive estate plan might include:

• A valid, up to date Will
• Trust structures to protect wealth or provide for others
• Lifetime gifts to loved ones
• Powers of attorney to manage decisions if you lose capacity
• Provision for dependants, vulnerable relatives, or charities
• A review of asset ownership and beneficiary designations
• Consideration of tax efficiency and succession strategies

Each plan is unique, shaped by your family, values, and priorities.

Why estate planning matters

Failing to plan can leave your estate exposed to avoidable complications, unintended distributions, and emotional strain for your family. A carefully considered plan helps to:

• Ensure your wishes are followed
• Provide for your loved ones in a fair and controlled way
• Reduce the likelihood of disputes or challenges
• Support beneficiaries with specific needs, such as minor children or vulnerable adults
• Avoid intestacy, where assets are distributed under rigid statutory rules
• Enable smooth business succession or property transfers
• Put trusted individuals in charge of decision-making if you become incapacitated

Estate planning is not just for the wealthy. Every person with assets, responsibilities, or dependants can benefit from a structured approach to planning ahead.

If you haven’t got an estate plan in place, and a dispute arises, you can contact our Contentious Probate team for further advice.

Our estate planning services

We take time to understand your goals and your wider family circumstances before offering clear, tailored advice. Our estate planning services include:

Will drafting

Your Will is the foundation of any estate plan. We ensure your Will is:

• Legally valid and clearly written
• Tailored to your specific wishes
• Updated to reflect major life changes (such as marriage, divorce, or children)
• Structured to appoint guardians, executors, and trustees as needed

Whether your estate is simple or complex, we help ensure your Will provides clarity, security, and direction.

Lifetime gifting

Gifting during your lifetime can be a valuable way to pass on wealth, support family members, and begin a transfer of responsibility. We advise on:

• Structuring gifts to minimise risk or complications
• Legal implications of large or regular gifts
• Ensuring gifts do not impact your own financial stability
• Recording and formalising gifts as needed

Lifetime giving can form part of a broader legacy strategy, allowing you to enjoy seeing the benefit of your support.

Trust advice

Trusts can be a key part of estate planning –  particularly when safeguarding assets for children, vulnerable individuals, or future generations.

We help to:

• Select the right trust structure
• Draft bespoke trust deeds
• Appoint appropriate trustees
• Provide guidance on the ongoing management of trusts

Trusts can be set up during your lifetime or through your Will, and we will advise on the best route for your circumstances.

Powers of Attorney

Planning for the unexpected is just as important as planning for death. Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) allow you to appoint someone you trust to make decisions about your property and finances, or health and welfare, if you are unable to do so yourself.

We prepare and register LPAs, advise attorneys on their responsibilities and integrate these arrangements into your wider estate plan.

Our Wills Trusts and Probate team are known for their down to earth approach and deep technical knowledge.

No two clients are the same. We take time to understand your family dynamics, values, and financial picture before offering bespoke advice. From simple updates to long-term succession strategies, we build relationships with our clients that last generations. Our advice is practical, clear, and sensitive to the emotional aspects of estate planning.

Let us help you plan for the future clearly, confidently and with care. To arrange a confidential consultation, contact us today.