Leading Will, Probate & Trust Dispute Solicitors in Reading, Henley-on-Thames & Wokingham
Dealing with the loss of a family member or someone close to you is never easy. At this difficult time, one of the last things you will want to be faced with is a dispute involving their Will or estate. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon situation and we recognise that such a dispute can be both practically and emotionally challenging, as well as costly, particularly when members of the same family are involved.
When a person dies, their estate will be dealt with as detailed in their Will, or under the rules of intestacy if a Will does not exist. If you do not believe that a Will expresses an individual’s true wishes (for example, because they may have been unduly influenced), or that a Will may be invalid as it wasn’t signed correctly or the person lacked capacity, you may have grounds upon which to contest the Will. If you have been left out of a Will or not properly provided for by the Will or intestacy, you may wish to consider a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
We can advise you on contesting a Will, inheritance claims for reasonable financial provision from an estate, disputes about how a property should be dealt with on the death of an owner, and issues where executors and trustees are not considered to be dealing with an estate correctly - for example not paying out the beneficiaries or providing account - and disputes involving Trusts. You may find our blog article, ‘Contesting a Will - Who can Make a Claim?’ helpful.
Naturally, we are also highly experienced in acting for national and local charities in relation to legacy disputes. Typically, this is where the charity is a beneficiary of a Will and relatives and/or other beneficiaries have chosen to contest the Will with a view to the charity surrendering all or part of their interest.
