Westons Wills & Probate

Mandy qualified as a Fellow in 2004. Her specialism as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives being in Wills and Probate. I was one of the rare sixteen year olds who knew what I wanted to do when I left school.

During my last year at school I was very fortunate to have a week's work experience in a long established firm of solicitors in Kidderminster, who invited me to get in touch when I had finished the following year at college.Mandy studied to qualify as a Legal Executive whilst working to achieve her qualification as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives.

If you fail to make a Will and leave everything to chance you will die intestate, the "intestacy rules" will apply. The rules will govern who benefits from your estate. The non-contentious probate rules set out who is able to apply to be your personal representative.

It really doesn't matter how large or small your estate is, by making a Will you are giving yourself the opportunity to make certain decisions about how your property and affairs will be dealt with.By making a Will you are able to choose who you would like to be your Executors (personal representatives).

Divorce/Dissolution of Civil Partnership- ex spouse treated as predeceased as to gifts and appointment as Executor or Trustee;. Widow/widower remarries - consider leaving second NRB to someone other than the new partner in circumstances where the whole of the NRB has been used from the deceased's estate to the widow/widower.

A Lasting Power of Attorney provides an opportunity to make provision in advance for the possibility of you becoming incapable of managing your own financial and welfare affairs. This is even more important now due to life expectancy increasing along with mental incapacity.

By putting an LPA in place whilst you are fit and well enables you to choose who will have the responsibility for looking after your affairs at a time when it is vital that they are dealt with efficiently and sympathetically.Without a Lasting Power of Attorney it would be necessary to make an application to the Court of Protection for a person to be appointed as a Deputy.

An advance decision, sometimes referred to as a "living will" has been given authority by the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Advance decisions may also be called an advance refusal and advance directive.

It can be distinguished from a health and welfare lasting power of attorney, which in effect appoints a healthcare proxy to step into the patient's shoes to make decisions in the patient's best interests at a time when the patient lacks mental capacity.Neither patients nor their relatives can demand specific treatment to be given.