Trusts
What is a Trust? Quite simply, a Trust is a box that you can place your assets into in order to protect your estate or your intended beneficiaries, from the threats of probate costs, sideways disinheritance, divorce or bankruptcy of your beneficiaries, remarriage, inheritance tax and in some cases it may help mitigate care fee costs.
Trust planning is a very specialised area of law and we have a team of professionals that are expert in this field. Be very careful to ensure that this is dealt with by specialists. This is our main area of business within the firm and our main area of expertise.
Wills
The vast majority of people put off making a Will, believing that the people they would wish to inherit will automatically do so or because they think having a Will drawn up is too complicated or expensive.
The reality is that without a Will, even the most seemingly insignificant assets will either go to the wrong person or to the state. At Portcullis Legals, we provide willwriting services that are cost effective and presented in plain English so that the entire process is easy and seamless for our clients.
Without a Will…
- Minor children could be taken into care whilst Guardians are appointed.
- Your spouse or civil partner will not automatically inherit ALL of your estate.
- Common Law partners may not receive anything at all.
- People outside of your immediate family are unlikely to benefit.
- Lengthy disputes and delays are likely to prevent your beneficiaries from receiving the funds they need to settle your estate and benefit in the way you intend.
Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA’s)
There may come a time in your life when you are unable to manage your financial affairs or personal welfare, owing to some form of incapacity. To protect you and ensure the right decisions are made, you will need someone you trust to act on your behalf.
If you were to become incapacitated due to injury or illness, who do you TRUST to make important care and financial decisions on your behalf? Without a Lasting Power of Attorney, the decision is out of your hands. Don’t leave this critical decision to others, who may or may not have your best interests at heart – protect yourself, your family and your hard-earned assets with a Lasting Power of Attorney today. Ask the clients who needed an LPA but couldn’t have one because they left it too late, how expensive and soul destroying the process is to go to the Court of Protection to take over the affairs of a loved one.
Probate
If you need help now that someone close to you has passed away, WITH OR WITHOUT A WILL, we offer a cost-effective personal probate service throughout the country.
Navigating your way through the probate system can be confusing, complicated and time consuming. Let the experts at Portcullis Legals help you streamline the process and take the worry and anxiety out of your life at this difficult time.
At Portcullis Legals, we provide caring, personalised services designed to relieve the stress and worry involved with settling your loved one’s affairs.
We guarantee to:
- Provide a personal service with a face-to-face meeting in your home
- Provide only the highest standards of service
- Fill out all the lengthy paperwork, including Capital Tax and Inland Revenue forms, Probate Registry forms and all other paperwork necessary to settle the estate
- Relieve the burden from you and your family
- Deal with all assets and liabilities
- Transfer all gifts to beneficiaries
- Provide full, itemised accounts for all beneficiaries when the work is complete
Business Legals
Many of our clients have interests in businesses whether that is as a sole trader, a partnership or a Director of a Limited Company. Specific succession planning is required for this area of law and we have a team of specific Business Legals experts to help ensure that these assets are distributed correctly within legal documents which may include Business Wills, Cross Option Agreements, Business Trusts et al.
Conveyancing
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Funeral Bonds
The Guaranteed Funeral Plans that we offer guarantee to cover your funeral costs – no matter how much prices rise in the future or when the plan is needed. It also means your family won’t have to find the money to pay for your funeral. Most importantly the service provides support and guidance for your family and will help with all the arrangements for your funeral, ensuring that everything is carried out in accordance with your wishes.
Supporting You
Storage
Having taken the important step of planning your estate, you may be wondering “where shall I keep all my legal documents safely?”. Portcullis Legals offers all our clients storage security of their documents in our vaults. This is absolutely critical if your wishes are to be fully met. Please remember your Will is invalid if it is lost or defaced or tampered with in any way.
Benefits of our service include:
- Secure location
- Electronic back-up
- Storage Certificate for you and your Executors
- Regular reviews and FREE amendments to your Will documentation
- Problem free access
- Peace of mind.
The Portcullis Advantage
Along with our storage facility, we offer a service in which we will contact you or arrange to visit you at your home annually for any updates that may be relevant to your affairs. It is important that you keep your planning up to date, such as in the event that an Executor or Trustee change their name or address for example, the birth of a child, marriage, divorce, moving home etc. This service ensures that you receive a call or a visit once a year to check that everything is as you intend and you can rely on Portcullis Legals to keep your wishes up to date. We also offer all our clients that have The Portcullis Advantage 15% off other *selected* services with us.
