Losing someone close to you is always hard, as the death of the ones we love will also cause us to go through a highly emotional time. Following the death, some people may feel they are being put under more stress, as decisions have to be made about the funeral and around respecting the last wishes of the deceased, navigating your way through all of this may be hard work and can prove emotionally exhausting.
But what happens if you come across legal issues? What if the deceased left a large estate? This is when you need to think about probate solicitors Portsmouth, as they may be able to help.
If you need probate solicitors you must understand their role, as this may be a legal term you may not have come across in the past. While it may appear simple to wind up the affairs of someone who has passed, the reality can prove to be very difficult, for this reason, it is best to involve a legal professional.
Probate is the process that normally needs to be undertaken to wrap up the affairs of any estate larger than ten thousand pounds unless jointly owned. During this process all the estate of the person who has died will be collected and catalogued by a solicitor, this will include possessions, finances, pension premiums and any investments.
Once all the estate has been laid out and the details are together a solicitor will then apply to the high courts for a grant of representation, at this point executors are appointed to oversee the decision-making processes involved in dealing with the estate of the deceased.
All organisations, such as banks and pension schemes, will be contacted and informed of the death so that any funds they hold on behalf of the deceased can be released and brought together in a single place. It is recommended that a solicitor be instructed to contact these organisations, as each will have their own rules and procedures when it comes to probate. It would be best not to overwhelm yourself by trying to deal with these organisations, allow a solicitor to do this for you.
Once all details of the estate are collated the appointed solicitor may then apply for a grant of probate to allow the executors to take possession of the estate as a whole for distribution. When the grant of probate is granted the executors can then instruct the solicitor to begin the distribution process, at this point any debts that need to be paid will be dealt with first.
The final stage of the probate process is the distribution stage, this is where the estate is distributed to the beneficiaries per the final wishes of the deceased. Once this is carried out, given no one is contesting the outcome, the probate process is then complete.
If you have lost a loved one and find that you need probate, you should contact a solicitor as soon as possible. Allow them to deal with the probate process, this will help to create the time and space you may need to grieve and come to terms with your loss.
