It is an unfortunate fact that a shocking number of people die without leaving a valid Will creating unnecessary uncertainty, expense and delays for those left behind.

A properly drafted and signed Will is the only way you can ensure what happens to your estate after your death and it also means your loved ones have one less thing to worry about at what is understandably an upsetting and emotional time for them.

We offer a fixed price service in almost all cases and can tailor a Will to meet your individual needs whether it’s providing for young children, disabled family members, or minimising inheritance tax liabilities. We are happy to visit housebound clients in the local area for an additional charge. Our offices and meeting rooms are accessible for wheelchairs and buggies.

It is still possible to reduce your potential inheritance bill by careful planning that may involve the creation of trusts. We are happy to advise on this complex area and deal with the creation of trusts suited to your needs.

Trusts (Declarations of trust relating to property and establishing and maintaining formal trusts)
We can assist with deeds or Declarations of Trust for property. These may be required in situations where the legal owners of the property on the title at the Land Registry are different to the beneficial owners. We work closely with our conveyancing department to assist clients who require a declaration when a property is purchased or whether a declaration needs to be made for tax purposes or because the ownership has changed.

We can assist clients with establishing both lifetime trusts, and trusts created on death. We work closely with accountants to ensure that any trust works for our clients’ specific circumstances. We can also deal with registering trusts with HMRC and the Trust Registration Service. We can assist Trustee with the ongoing maintenance of any trust, recording any decisions made by the Trustees and on the termination of trusts.

Our Department

We are proud to have experienced Solicitors and support staff who may work on your matter. Work carried out from our Beckenham office is supervised by Caroline Mills, Partner, and Head of Private Client. Work carried out from our Bromley office is dealt with by Tony Bentley.

David Arnott – Consultant Solicitor

David has over 30 years’ experience in private client work, specialising in wills and probate on which he spends over 90% of his time. David has been working in this area since the early 1990s and in that time has helped thousands of families and individuals.

David qualified as a solicitor in 1988 after gaining a Law Degree from Aberystwyth University. He worked at in London and locally before moving on to join our firm in 1994. He became a partner in 2000 and thereafter a Consultant in 2023 as part of working reduced hours in the run-up to retirement, and is based in our Beckenham office.

Lasca Carson – Solicitor

Lasca has more than two years’ experience at a local firm before joining this firm. She obtained her degree in Law at City, University of London. She completed her LL.M LPC, at the University of Law in Guildford. Lasca qualified in 2020 and deals with all aspects of Private Client work. Lasca also deals with family and contentious probate claims within the litigation department. Lasca is based in the Beckenham office.

Our Support Team

We are extremely lucky and privileged to have the amazing support of experienced secretaries, trainees and paralegals who help us to provide the best service to our clients.