Wills and Probate Solicitors in Shaftesbury

Wills and probate solicitors advise on estate planning and manage the legal process after someone dies. They draft wills, prepare lasting powers of attorney and set up trusts for children, a surviving partner or a vulnerable relative. Inheritance tax planning covers the nil-rate bands, the residence nil-rate band, lifetime gifts and reliefs for farms and woodland.

After a death, solicitors can value the estate, report it for inheritance tax and apply for the grant of probate. Without a will, letters of administration are needed instead and the intestacy rules decide who inherits. Solicitors collect the assets, resolve title and access issues on rural properties, handle any sale and distribute the estate. A deed of variation can rearrange gifts within two years of the death, and disputes over a will can often be settled by negotiation.

Shaftesbury is a hilltop market town in north Dorset, close to the Wiltshire and Somerset borders. Wills and probate solicitors in Shaftesbury can draft wills, plan for inheritance tax and handle probate. Firms in Gillingham, Sherborne and Blandford Forum also serve the area.