Wills
Many other firms of solicitors, banks and financial institutions will tempt you with second-rate ‘Will Writing Services’, but not Joseph A. Jones & Co. With us you’ll get a true, expert service that will ensure your wishes are met in the most financially prudent and totally professional way.
We will make sure you meet one of our specialist Solicitors and offer all our Clients:-
- Our initial meeting to take your instructions. At this meeting we will discuss your individual circumstances including your assets and liabilities, personal circumstances and your precise wishes in detail;
- Our specialist knowledge to consider your options;
- Advice to help prevent post death challenges to your will;
- An initial draft complete with a detailed letter of advice explaining the Will in layman’s terms;
- Making any desired alterations to the initial draft;
- The facility for you to sign your Will at our office in front of two independent witnesses to ensure it is legally valid;
- Free storage of the wills in our strong room if desired.
In addition to our standard Will service, we can offer additional advice on:-
- Providing for another person such as a partner to have rights of residence over property you ultimately want to leave to a third party;
- Trusts for example to provide for children under the age of 18 or other vulnerable persons;
- Taking into account the ownership of foreign property.
- Inheritance tax mitigation;
- Care home fee planning;
- Issues arising from more complex family arrangements.
Your Will is a vital document. Don’t trust it to a ‘jack of all trades’ service. Trust it to Joseph A. Jones & Co. Call us today to discuss your needs.
Trusts
A trust is a way of making arrangements for beneficiaries (usually family members) to benefit from property held in trust and looked after by trustees. Trusts can be set up during your lifetime or by your Will upon death. At Joseph A. Jones & Co, we have set up and administered a considerable number of trusts over many years and have a wealth of experience of dealing with such matters. We also act as trustees if desired.
For many people, the idea of setting up a trust is not relevant for them or their circumstances. They are considered old fashioned or something for “other people” and “not us”.
Like everything we do at Joseph A. Jones & Co, we would aim to explain to you the benefits (and drawbacks) of setting up a trust if it is something that we consider appropriate for your circumstances. Trusts are a useful means of sheltering assets for the benefit of your family for now and for years to come and it may be that it is something that you should think about.
Come and talk to us at and we will take you through what would be involved on a step by step basis.
Probate
The death of a loved one, either a family member or a friend, is an extremely emotional time and here at Joseph A. Jones & Co, we are aware of and sensitive to that. We also recognise that receiving tactful and reliable legal advice following a bereavement is a valuable service to our clients.
At Joseph A. Jones & Co, we are on your side and at no time is that more important than if you are feeling vulnerable because of bereavement. All the members of the Private Client team are highly experienced in dealing with probate matters and will ensure wherever possible that you get to deal with the Solicitor or Probate Administrator that you have dealt with previously or who dealt with the affairs of the person who has died.
Some estates are complex and some are not. Sometimes you may wish to deal with part of the administration of the estate yourself and sometimes you may wish to hand over everything to us. We will meet with you at a time and place of your choosing and we will discuss with you the options as regards the administration of the estate of the person concerned so that together we can decide on the best way forward.
Unlike other firms of Solicitors, probate is a priority for us and we will endeavour to deal with the administration of an estate as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Powers Of Attorney
A Lasting Power of Attorney is way of appointing someone else to make decisions about your finances and also if desired your welfare should you become unable make those decisions for yourself. Such an important decision should be taken in advance and clearly requires expert and sensitive guidance, which is something the solicitors at Joseph A. Jones & Co are renowned for.
Generally it is family members or friends who are appointed under such a power, but we also act as attorney for clients if desired. Gary Rycroft and Jennifer Sammons have many years’ experience of acting as attorney for a number of clients and whilst we obviously need to charge for this service, you’ll enjoy the full peace of mind that your affairs are being dealt with in a professional and businesslike manner.
However, the most important thing is that you make the decision of who to appoint in advance and that we empower that decision on your behalf.
We can offer advice to the donor of the power or to the attorney appointed – as long as we don’t feel there’s a conflict of interest.
Court of Protection
If arrangements have not been made in advance, we are also experts in dealing with applications to the Office of the Public Guardian for the appointment of a Deputy (formerly known as a Receiver) and related matters under the jurisdiction of the Court of Protection.
At Joseph A. Jones & Co we are familiar with the procedures of the Court having built up many years’ experience of such matters. We can guide you through the maze of paperwork and lift the burden from you at what can be a worrying and difficult time.
Wills and Inheritance Disputes
Disputes about Wills and Inheritance can be emotionally and financially challenging. They often strike at the heart of family relationships, so need to be handled sensitively and yet firmly, with sympathy and expertise.
Disputes of this kind fall into two major categories. Firstly, a challenge to the validity of a Will left by a person who has died. The basis of the challenge may be alleged lack of mental capacity by the person who made the Will, or alleged lack of understanding about what the content of the Will, or an allegation of fraud or undue influence (duress) by the third party. Many home made Wills are also found to be invalid because they have not been made according to the correct formalities.
Secondly, an Inheritance Claim may be brought by a person who considers that inadequate financial provision has been made for them on the death of a person they were related to, or otherwise close to. The law sets outs who may bring such a claim under The Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975. Strict time limits apply for claims of this kind and so expert legal advice should be taken as soon as possible after the death of the person whose estate is to be the subject of a Claim.
We can offer expert advice to any one who wishes to bring or defend any such Claims. Gary Rycroft has undertaken training with the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists in association with The University of Law in order to be able to provide advice in this very niche area of the law.
In addition, disputes sometimes arise in respect of the the conduct of attorneys acting under a power of attorney, executors administering an estate or trustees looking after a trust and we also provide advice to either those bringing a claim or defending claims of this kind.
We are sometimes asked to interpret the clauses of Wills and Trusts prepared by other law firms. In addition, Gary and his team have also dealt with – and have expertise in – cases alleging that agreements to make Mutual Wills have been breached, where there have been death bed gifts (donatia mortis causa) or conduct by persons with a deliberate intention to poison the mind of a person against a potential beneficiary (fraudulent calumny).
At the outset of any matters if this kind, we will provide out with an appraisal of the merits and weaknesses of the case and agree a way of charging for our work. We will explore finding options with our clients, including insurance.
Elderly Clients
At Joseph A. Jones & Co the elderly are treated with the respect they deserve. In fact we’ve taken a great deal of pride in becoming renowned as specialists in the field of legal advice for the senior generation. Senior Partner Sue Hodgson (who retired in 2017) has been interested in providing legal expertise for the elderly for over 30 years. And it’s an interest keenly shared and practised by Gary Rycroft and Jennifer Sammons.
Over the years we have increasingly found ourselves being asked for advice when an elderly person moves from home into residential care. It may be that a person’s Will needs to be reviewed or a Lasting Power of Attorney Form made. It may be that advice is required about the sale of the family home or the payment of Care Home Fees.
As solicitors we have a fundamental professional duty to act in the best interests of our client. At Joseph A. Jones & Co this philosophy is at the heart of what we do, so what ever we are asked to advise upon, it is our client and what is best for our client which is of paramount concern to us. We do not watch the clock. Rather we take the time to listen and to approach potentially difficult issues with professionalism and integrity.
Home visits are always possible if requested.
Charities
Charity is the voluntary giving of help to those in need. In English Law the concept was set out in statute for the first time in the Charitable Uses Act 1601 and in the U.K. we have a strong history of organisations set up for the public good.
At Joseph A. Jones & Co we assist philanthropic individual clients or organisations who wish to set up a new entity to be registered with the Charity Commission. We can deal with drafting the documents to set up the new entity and with the registration process itself. Sometimes individuals wish to put provisions in their Will for a new charity to be set up on their death.
We also help the trustees of existing charities with ongoing administration and also compliance with the legal requirements imposed on registered charities. We liaise with other professionals involved in the compliance process such as accountants and fund managers.
In our local community we support a number of charities which have been set up to give grants to individuals and/or organisations who are doing work or projects for the benefit of the wider society. For more information please see our Local Community page.
