Wills, Probate & Power of Attorney

RMNJ Solicitors have many years' experience of advising and completing wills for clients of all ages and circumstances. We deal with grants of Probate and administration of estates of all sizes and can help minimise Inheritance Tax in some cases. We also advise about and prepare Powers of Attorney and Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Making a Will

You haven't made a will and keep putting it off, we understand. But with the right guidance, the process is far easier than you might think. Choose RMNJ to prepare your will and you'll receive a clear, tailored will that reflects your priorities and provides peace of mind for you and your loved ones.

If you have children, step-children or are part of a blended family, your will requires particularly careful planning.

We can advise you about appointing executors, guardians for the children and trustees.

Our friendly and knowledgeable team will guide you through all the important questions so you can feel confident that your will truly reflects your wishes and circumstances before we begin drafting.

Our will service is not overly expensive and we will give a fixed price for our work in advance.

Call us on 0151 666 8743 office hours or if you prefer email us and we’ll be in touch within one working day.

When Someone Dies: Dealing with the estate

Once you have registered the death and arranged the funeral, when that is all over the estate of the deceased will have to be administered. This involves finding out what the deceased owned and also any debts and mortgages etc. to be repaid.

There may be tax to pay.

RMNJ offers a caring and sympathetic service for administering estates.

To get help from us simply contact the office and talk to an experienced solicitor who can guide and advise you. This initial advice is completely free and is to help you decide what to do and whether you wish to instruct us to deal with the administration of the estate, for which we will be pleased to give a quotation for costs. Call 0151 666 8743 office hours or email us and we will get back to you.

Where there are disputes about estates, we can help. Please visit the Estates Disputes & Inheritance Claims section.

Powers of Attorney

Simple Power of Attorney

If you are going abroad perhaps and want to give authority to a friend or relative to sign papers generally on your behalf whilst you are away its easy for us to prepare a simple power of attorney or a specific one limited to certain things- perhaps authority to sign the sale papers relating to a house.

Lasting Power of Attorney

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is quite different in nature because it allows you to state who you would like to make decisions on your behalf, should you become unable to do so in the future. It lets you choose one or more people you trust to act for you as your Attorney. A Simple Power of Attorney ceases to be of effect if you lose mental capacity to make decisions on your own behalf.

An LPA only takes effect after it has been registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.

There are two different types of LPA: property and financial affairs LPA and health and welfare LPA. Each type covers different decisions and you can make one or both as you wish. You may wish to have the same Attorney for both or different Attorneys.

A property and financial affairs LPA covers decisions about your finances and property. You Attorney can help you with any aspect of your finances but you can chose to limit their powers and decide if they should help you while you still have mental capacity of only when you can't manage your own affairs any more.

A health and welfare LPA allows the attorney to make decisions on your behalf about your health and welfare, such as where you live and decisions about medical care including life sustaining treatment. This LPA only takes effect once you have lost capacity to deal with these things yourself.

There are a number of reasons you may wish to make an LPA:

• It can be reassuring to know that, if you are unable to make a decision for yourself in the future, your chosen person will make these decisions for you.
• Making an LPA ensures that the person you want to make decisions for you will be able to do so.
• An LPA can reduce problems that may occur in the future such as costly application to the Court of Protection.
• Making an LPA is a chance for discussions with your family or others about your future wishes.

Before you can make an LPA someone must certify that you have capacity to do so. RMNJ can provide this service as part of an LPA package. We are happy to provide home visits and offer fixed price quotations for one or both LPA's.