Antony A Holmes

Wills
Did you know…???
You are never too young to make a Will. If you are married with children and you die without making a Will your spouse is only entitled to the first £250,000 of your estate (including your house) plus your personal posessions (this would not even cover the value of an average home!!), plus, a life interest (i.e. income only), from one half of the rest of your estate.

Whatever your age, there is no better time to discuss arrangements for ensuring that those you love most are the ones who benefit the most from the value of your estate. Our friendly and experienced Legal Executive will be pleased to assist in any arrangements you may require for a new Will, or amendments to a current Will, and we offer helpful, advice at all times.

If you are under 55 please call our offices on 01386 858 107 to discuss your requirements. As a guide, a single Will usually costs around £140 increasing to £190 for husand and wife 'mirror' Wills. These fees may increase for more complicated work involving, for example trusts, inheritance tax planning etc.

Free Wills for the OVER 55s
We are currently providing a FREE Will service for over 55’s in conjunction with Cancer Research UK. Whether you make a donation to the charity or not, the service will not cost you a penny. The charity do, or course, hope that you will consider leaving them a donation in order to support their vital research, but there is no obligation to do so. Please call our offices on 01386 858 107 to discuss how to arrange your free Will and obtain the benefit of this service.

Home visits
We can provide home visits if required and all our staff are sensitive to the needs of all clients at what can often be an emotional and difficult time. Additional costs may apply.

Living Wills
Living Wills (often known as ‘advance directives’ or 'advance refusals’) allow you to state which medical treatment you would or would not want if you became seriously ill and were unable to say what you wanted to happen. They are generally used for terminally ill patients who do not wish to receive certain medical treatment in extreme cases of ill health e.g. stroke or coma.

Probate
This includes handling the administration and all the legalities surrounding a person’s estate after their death. Sometimes where estates are under a certain value it will not be necessary to obtain a Grant of Representation.

Probate fees are regulated by guidelines laid down by The Law Society and take into account the amount of work involved as well as other factors. Please call our offices on 01386 858 107 for further information and advice.

Lasting Powers of Attorney
Lasting Powers of Attorney (or LPAs) are becoming increasingly vital in cases or matters where you wish to appoint someone else to handle your affairs in the unfortunate situation that you may become mentally incapable of dealing with them yourself. An LPA, which takes around a month to become registered for Deputyship, ensures that your next of kin can avoid potentially expensive and lengthy applications to the Office of the Public Guardian to obtain a Deputyship Order.

Court of Protection Orders
If someone close to you has regrettably lost the mental capacity to deal with their own affairs and did not complete an Enduring Power of Attorney/Lasting Power of Attorney whilst of sound mind it may be necessary to obtain a Deputyship Order from the Office of the Public Guardian to deal with their finances and affairs and for health and welfare. We will be happy to assist you in the obtaining of such an Order.

Telephone:
01386 858107

Fax:
01386 859454

Website Address:
www.aaholmes.co.uk