Bereavement Solicitors (Probate and Administration)
Losing a loved one can be a heart-breaking and stressful experience. At Paul Crowley & Co Solicitors Limited, we understand how emotionally distressing this can be.
Our highly qualified and dedicated bereavement team will be on hand throughout this difficult time to guide you every step of the way, helping you to gain peace of mind and rest assured you will feel in safe hands.
Our promise to you
- A trustworthy and approachable Solicitor who can be contacted directly
- An individual service tailored to your needs
- Your instructions will be dealt with professionally and efficiently
There is a lot to think about when you are dealing with the death of someone close to you. Unfortunately the pressures of dealing with these things come at a stressful time and can feel overwhelming. At Paul Crowley & Co Solicitors Limited we can help guide you through the process, and can help in more ways than you realise.
What to do when you suffer a bereavement
- Get a medical certificate from a GP or hospital doctor and register the death.
- Arrange the funeral – you can use a funeral director or arrange it yourself.
- Inform people of the death. Many people need to be informed, from family and friends, to the banks and utility providers.
- Find out if there is a Will.
- Apply for the grant of representation (‘probate’), or letters of administration, if there is no Will.
- Administer the estate – gather in all of the assets (property, savings, shares and valuables) and pay all of the liabilities (mortgages, loans and funeral account). Distribute the remainder in accordance with the Will or intestacy rules.
How Paul Crowley & Co Solicitors Limited can help
At Paul Crowley & Co Solicitors Limited we will help you every step of the way. Many people don’t realise that your Solicitor is not just there to help with technicalities. We can help guide you through the practical steps to deal with things after a bereavement. We can help with everything, from arranging the funeral to administering the estate, and can be involved in as much or as little as you need us to be.
FAQs
You want to make sure that your loved one has a good send off, no matter what the cost.
- There may be a pre-paid funeral plan or policy of insurance in place.
- The funeral can be paid for by family members or friends.
- Funeral costs, including costs of the wake, are recoverable from the person’s estate. A Solicitor can help you get access to this money by applying for a Grant of representation. If the Solicitor has been instructed to deal with the administration of the estate then the invoice can be sent directly from the funeral home to the Solicitor’s office to be paid when enough money becomes available.
A grant will be required if the person who died has left more than £5,000.00 in assets. Sometimes a grant will still be needed even if the estate is worth less than this amount, for instance if the person held any shares or certain insurance policies.
If there is no will then a grant of letters of administration will be granted, usually to a close relative, if there is one. A Solicitor will provide advice as to who the administrator should be, and help the administrator carry out their obligations.
- Look in the person’s home.
- Enquire with local solicitors.
- Ask whether there are any documents stored at the bank or building society.
- Ask a Solicitor to help you do a search on a will register such as ‘Certainty’.
Paul Crowley & Co Solicitors Limited can help guide you through this process, and provide support and advice if there is no will. We can advise on the intestacy rules and who is entitled to inherit the estate if there is no will.