Probate and Wills

Grants of Probate / Letters of Administration

The loss of a relative or friend can be increased by uncertainty about the legal status of the deceased’s property. These difficulties can be eased with the help of a Solicitor who can explain the process clearly and aid the relatives through the next steps.

There are two methods by which an estate of a deceased person can be administered:

• Grant of Probate – if the deceased made a Will during their lifetime then a Grant of Probate can be extracted through the Probate Office. All documentation is submitted to the Probate Office and they will decide if the Will was correctly executed and in turn allow the distribution of assets according to the deceaseds wishes.
• Letters of Administration – if the deceased did not make a Will or made an invalid Will then Letters of Administration will be applied for to distribute the estate to the next-of-kin of the deceased.

Wills

Doyle Hanlon, through sensitive advice giving, can ensure that clients do not leave their estate compromised at a later date.

Our advice is to protect your loved ones by making a Will and getting the best advice on how to structure your estate.

In order to ensure that your Will is valid there are a number of formalities which must be adhered to:

• A Will must be in writing
• A Will must be signed before two witnesses. The witnesses can not be beneficiaries of the Will
• The person making the Will must be of sound disposing mind and must have reached the age of 18 years
• There must be no ambiguities in the Will. It must be clear and precise to the subsequent readers.
• Every Will must have at least one executor – this is the person who will be responsible for the administration of the deceased persons estate. Whilst one executor is sufficient we would advice that the best practice is to have two as it is possible for one executor to revoke their responsibility which would in turn make the Will no longer valid.

Other issues that we can advice on are the creation of Trusts, Charitable Bequests, Inheritance Tax Planning, Specific and Conditional Legacies.

Why not talk to us and we will guide you through the process in a sensitive and understanding approach.

Doyle Hanlon Solicitors can also facilitate home visits and hospital visits for the purpose of the making of a Will.

Contact Jeremy or Niall at 1890 947 332 or jeremy@doylehanlon.com for further details on any Probate related matter.