Probate Made Simple

Author's site

Wills, Probate and More www.willsprobateandmore.co.uk

Jacket text for Probate Made Simple

Dealing with probate comes at a difficult time when a stressful legal process is particularly unwelcome. Probate can certainly appear daunting in its complexity and can be expensive in solicitors' fees, but it is possible to simplify the process and minimise the cost by taking a logical approach.

The essentials of probate work do not require special skill or expertise and it is therefore eminently feasible for most people without legal training to do the bulk of the work themselves. This means you can avoid paying expensive legal fees for select parts of the probate, making a saving of hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

Probate Made Simple, written by a solicitor with over 15 years' experience in wills and probate, sets out the detailed and specific steps to follow in order to work on probate logically, ensuring that the reader completes everything in the the right order and at the right time and that no vital stages are overlooked.

It also identifies areas of probate where the advice and indemnity cover of a solicitor is beneficial.

Where the involvement of solicitors is necessary, essential inside information is provided to help the reader negotiate realistic legal fees, no matter the level of professional help required. Guidance on how to minimise and evaluate solicitors’ quotes, and get the most out of legal professionals for less - with breakdowns of what typical probate tasks involve, and what charging methods solicitors employ - make the book an indispensable guide for getting fair legal services.

In addition to this, over thirty template letters are provided as practical examples of the correct approach to follow when contacting banks, insurance firms, beneficiaries of the will, solicitors and others.

Saving money on probate work in the simple ways outlined in this book could make a real difference to your inheritance and to the sums received by the other beneficiaries of a will. This is the book anyone going through this potentially expensive, stressful and opaque process needs to have to hand.

Potential purchasers of the book are recommended to visit the author's website at www.willsprobateandmore.co.uk to make use of the extensive free probate information (available as PDF downloads) provided by the author.

Chapter headings for Probate Made Simple

Introduction

1. Understanding Probate - What Probate Means
2. Probate in a Nutshell
3. Work That Does Not Require the Input of a Solicitor
4. Work That May Require the Input of a Solicitor
5. Summary of Your Options
6. Pros and Cons of the Three Options
7. Recommendation on Which Option to Choose
8. Saving Money if You Choose Option 1 - Giving Everything to a Solicitor
9. Saving Money if You Choose Option 2 - Doing Some of the Work Yourself and Giving the Legally-Challenging Work to a Solicitor: a Step-by-Step Guide
10. Saving Money if You Choose Option 3 - Doing Everything Yourself

Appendices
Appendix 1: How to Estimate the Time it Will Take Your Solicitor to do the Work That You Instruct Them to Do
Appendix 2: Bank of Precedent Letters
Appendix 3: Duties of Executors and Administrators (Precedent Letters cont.)

Disclaimer
Index

About Andrew Komarnyckyj

Andrew Komarnyckyj is the Director of a niche legal practice delivering innovative legal services to the public and to other professionals. He had a successful career in sales and marketing prior to qualifying as a solicitor. He studied law by correspondence course while working full time, and was awarded two prizes for achieving the highest marks nationally in one of his law exams. During his legal career he has been the head of the Probate Department for two leading West Yorkshire firms of solicitors, at one of which he became a partner. He has over 15 years legal experience working exclusively in the field of wills, trusts, tax planning and probate. He left conventional legal employment in March 2009 in order to establish Wills, Probate and More, www.willsprobateandmore.co.uk, his own niche legal services company, and to be free to comment on the legal profession as an outsider. He now divides his time between legal practise and writing.

More about Andrew Komarnyckyj

Reviews for Probate Made Simple

Praise from readers:

"I found [Probate Made Simple] very informative and useful. I shall put in a good word for you with friends, family and acquaintances regarding this excellent work."
- M Hesketh