Client Instruction Form
Please complete our online instruction form.
Any legal terms contained within the form are explained in the panel on the right.
LEGAL TERMS
Assets – everything that you own, including your share in assets held jointly with someone else
Beneficiary – a person or organisation who will receive a gift in your Will
Estate – your property, money and possessions
Executor – someone you choose and name in your Will to deal with your affairs in accordance with your Will after you’ve died
Grant of Probate – a document which confirms who is authorised to deal with your affairs after you’ve died
Guardians – the people you choose and name in your Will to look after your children in the event of your death
Inheritance – when someone receives money, property or another personal possession from the person who has died
Inheritance Tax (IHT) – is a 40% tax imposed on the portion of an estate exceeding £325,000. Money left to your spouse or a charity is usually not subject to tax. If your spouse dies before you and didn’t use their full IHT allowance, it will be added to yours, at the rate current when you die
Intestacy – where someone dies without leaving a Will. There are then legal rules governing who can deal with your estate and who benefits from it
Legacy or Bequest – a gift you leave in your Will to an individual or organisation
Liabilities – any money that you owe or bills that must be paid from your estate
Probate – the process of confirming your Will is valid, identifying what you owned and any debts or liabilities that need to be paid, then submitting an application to the Probate Registry. If everything is in order the Probate Registry then issue a Grant of Probate
Pecuniary legacy – a cash gift – this is a gift of a set sum of money
Residuary legacy – a share of an estate – this is a percentage of everything you own after any pecuniary legacies, specific legacies, debts and legal fees have been paid out
Specific legacy – a specific item, such as a house, car or jewellery
Testator/Testatrix – the man/woman whose Will is being written
Trusts – where someone holds money or property on behalf of somebody else