This service is provided to our charity clients in conjunction with our Wills, Estate Administration and Trust Administration services.

Most charities are reliant upon the ongoing support of their regular patrons and a legacy left under a supporter’s Will can make a huge difference to the work of a charity.

The continued lack of regulation in the estate administration industry, coupled with ever more complex challenges to Wills, mean that the need for good quality advice and support is greater than ever. In accordance with our pricing philosophy we offer a range of services to suit the varied budgets of our charity clients. We will work closely with you to develop the appropriate strategy in each case.

Prevention is better than cure

As in every legal matter, the avoidance of a dispute through careful planning is always cheaper than becoming embroiled in a contentious matter. We therefore work with our charity clients to enable easy, efficient access to our professional will drafting services. By ensuring that the Will is drafted by a solicitor you can take comfort in knowing that issues such as capacity and undue influence have been considered at the point of Will preparation.

Efficient administration

The benefit of a legacy can be quickly eroded by poor estate administration and we can help you secure maximum value with a range of flexible service options. These run from the monitoring and encouragement of third party executors through to acting as your attorney to take out the grant on your behalf. It is important to at least validate the estate accounts and query any areas of concern. Common issues include estate administration costs, inappropriate lifetime gifts and failure to challenge care fee payments.

When all else fails

Sadly contentious estate matters are becoming more common and many charities are finding themselves embroiled in costly, complex negotiations and ultimately litigation. Its important to be aware of both the legal position and the reputation risk arising from these situations. To support your decisions we can advise on a wide range of Will and trust disputes, missing Wills, trust administration and the validity of existing Wills.

In our work as panel deputies we have seen an increasing issue for charities in responding to statutory will applications in the Court of Protection. Many smaller charities have shied away from challenging adverse applications but we would encourage you to think carefully before making a decision to defend or ignore an application.