• An administrator must be appointed to act as the personal representative of the estate. The administrator usually instructs solicitors to administer the estate and ensure that all the necessary legal procedures are complied with. We can help you in selecting a firm with specialist expertise in these types of cases.
  
  
• A grant of probate or letters of administration must be obtained from a probate court.
  
  
• The assets will be disclosed and sold to convert them to cash. This money will be placed in an interest bearing account.
  
  
• The administering solicitors will start to calculate various taxes: this requires extensive correspondence and may take considerable time. We are unable to speed this stage up for you, as it is dependent on various tax offices, which are not legally required to answer immediately.
  
  
• A statutory notice will be placed. Under section 27 of the Trustee Act 1925, creditors have two months to make a claim.
  
  
• Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, "dependent relatives" have a 6-month period during which they may make a claim. For this reason, irrespective of other legal issues, it is prudent not to distribute the estate until this 6-month period has lapsed.
  
  
• Missing Beneficiary Insurance quotes are obtained: insurance companies know the level of professionalism to which we work, and give good rates as a result.
  
  
• Missing Beneficiary insurance taken.
  
  
• Once all the legal procedures have been completed, the estate can be distributed to all the beneficiaries.
  
  
  

Time: Approximately 12 months
will take longer in complex cases or where the deceased was abroad