In order to make a Will in England or Wales, the law requires you to understand fully what you are doing and its implications. This is known as having “testamentary capacity”, which is a special category of capacity. Broadly, in relation to making a Will, it relates to whether a person is capable of understanding:…
The old saying goes that there are only two guarantees in life: death and taxes. Therefore, with this in mind, it makes sense why so many of us want to ensure that after we die, our hard-earned assets are passed to the people who mean the most to us. Although Barrett & Co recommends that…
It is a common misconception that people think they do not need to make a Will because they do not have anything of ‘significant value’ to leave to family and friends. However, with the modern world and technology constantly evolving, most people now have some form of digital assets which are equally as important to…
Among the Private Client team, clients often ask us whether putting their home into the names of their adult children would be a good idea. This is usually due to concerns about the costs of care as they become elderly, or perhaps fears that their home would have to be sold to pay Inheritance Tax…
When you decide to buy your first house there are many things to consider: what colour to paint the walls? or where you are going to put that bookcase? so it is easy to forget about some of the (perhaps) less exciting, but nonetheless important, things. To assist, we compiled a non-exhaustive list of matters…
At the start of September 2020, the Private Client department expanded with Charlotte Corcoran qualifying from Trainee Solicitor to Solicitor. Having qualified, Charlotte joined the Private Client team to work alongside Hilary Buckle, Jane Whitfield, Vanessa Ruparel and Juliette Spanner on various matters including Wills, Probates, Trusts and Lasting Powers of Attorney. Charlotte has a…
It is important to have a plan in place for your business and here is some guidance depending upon how you trade. If you are a sole trader Your sole trader business may include the intangible asset of goodwill. As many sole trader businesses are fundamentally “you”, i.e. people deal with you for your particular…
Digital assets have a very broad definition but essentially it means an electronic record in which an individual has a right or an interest. The digital asset should be treated separately from the device on which it sits, so for example you may leave your computer to your son, but the family photos stored on…
A few years ago, a young man called Sam moved into a block of flats near Maidenhead. He started to notice an 85-year-old woman called Dorothy who lived in the flat across the hall. Curious to hear Dorothy’s life stories, Sam began stopping by to see her regularly. Sam quickly discovered that Dorothy had no…
Traditionally some of the main things to consider when someone has died are whether there is a valid Will, what assets the deceased owned and who is going to inherit after the administration of the estate had been completed. However, as technology continues to advance and social media becomes a way of life there are…
