If you choose to have a solicitor, like Lyons Bowe, act as an executor of a Will, they will usually charge a fee for their time and work in administering the estate. This fee can be calculated in different ways, such as a percentage of the value of the estate or based on the amount of work involved. We can give you a clear estimate of our fees for acting as an executor.

Yes, absolutely. It's very common for someone who is named as an executor in a Will to also be one of the people who will inherit from the Will (a beneficiary).

You can contest a Will if you believe it's not valid. Common reasons include concerns about whether the person making the Will had the mental capacity to do so, if they were pressured into making it, or if the Will wasn't signed correctly. Contesting a Will is a legal process, so it's important to get advice from a specialist solicitor like Lyons Bowe to understand your options.

If someone dies without a valid Will in place, they are said to die ‘intestate’ meaning that the rules of intestacy decide what happens to their estate, regardless of what the deceased would have wanted. You can find our handy intestacy checker here.

Yes, we can help you with everything that you need to deal with an estate remotely via video calls or phone calls.

From when we submit the application to the Probate Registry, it usually takes between 8 and 12 weeks to process probate, however if you are submitting a paper application, it can take around 16 weeks. We will submit your application as soon as we have either a completed questionnaire from you ,or after fully investigating all assets and liabilities. We may also need to send you some tax forms to sign and have them processed by HMRC before we can apply for probate in IHT paying estates.

Should your Will become more complex, your fees may vary but your solicitor will discuss this with you before performing any work. For a Single Will, our fees are £250 + £50 VAT (total £300). For a Mirror Will, our fees are £350 + £70 VAT (total £420).