WHEN THE MOMENT COMES

Probate handled with care, clarity and speed.

When someone passes away in the UK, the legal process of administering their estate — Probate — can take six to twelve months. Sometimes longer. We can do it for your family. Or we can act as Professional Executors and Trustees so your family does not have to.

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WHY THIS MATTERS

Probate is the moment most UK families discover what was not planned.

Bank accounts in the deceased's sole name are frozen until the Grant of Probate is issued. Property cannot be sold or transferred. Pensions sit unclaimed. Investment accounts cannot be accessed. Standing orders bounce. Mortgages keep accruing interest. And the Inheritance Tax bill must usually be paid before the assets that would fund it can be released.

The waiting averages six to twelve months. Complex estates, contested Wills, or HMRC enquiries can take two years or more.

All of this falls on whoever was named as executor — usually a grieving family member trying to make sense of paperwork they have never seen, on top of the emotional weight of what has just happened.

The cruelty of probate is not the process itself. It is who carries it.

WHAT IT IS

In plain English, Probate is the legal authority to administer someone's estate after they die.

If there is a Will, the executors named in the Will apply to the Probate Registry for a Grant of Probate. This document gives them the legal power to collect in the deceased's assets, pay any debts and taxes, and distribute what remains according to the Will.

If there is no Will, the next of kin applies for Letters of Administration. The administrators have similar powers, but the distribution follows the Intestacy Rules — not anyone's wishes.

Probate is generally required if the estate is worth more than £5,000, contains property, or contains certain types of investment. Smaller estates can sometimes be administered without a Grant.

Executor duties include:

Registering the death and obtaining the death certificate
Locating the Will and notifying beneficiaries
Valuing the estate
Completing HMRC Inheritance Tax forms
Paying any IHT due
Applying for the Grant of Probate
Collecting in assets and paying debts
Distributing the estate according to the Will

It is a substantial responsibility. For a complex estate it is also a full-time commitment for months.

HOW WE WORK

When a Professional Executor or Trustee is the right call.

REASON ONE

You do not want to ask your family.

The people you would naturally name are too close to the loss, too busy with their own lives, or too geographically distant to handle a months-long administrative process. A professional executor lets your family grieve, not file forms.

REASON TWO

The estate is complex.

Business assets. Foreign property. Trust interests. Multiple beneficiaries. Charitable bequests. Tax planning structures. Complexity multiplies the work and the risk of error.

REASON THREE

There is risk of family conflict.

Blended families. Disputed inheritances. Estranged siblings. A neutral professional executor removes the relationship strain that family executors often cannot avoid.

REASON FOUR

The named executor is also a beneficiary.

Most executors are. But where the executor's actions could materially affect their own inheritance — particularly where they could be challenged by other beneficiaries — independent professional involvement can protect everyone.

REASON FIVE

The Will includes Trusts.

Trust structures need active management. Professional Trustees provide continuity, regulatory compliance, and independence.

Probate is the moment most estate planning becomes real. Or fails. Our role is to make sure it is the former, not the latter. The legal kind of trust — the documents properly drafted, witnessed, and executed. And the relational kind — the conversations with the family before and during, so probate is a process of clarity rather than discovery.

We do both. Every time.

WHO NEEDS THIS

Probate help is for anyone administering, or facing, a UK estate.

Families who have just lost someone and need help getting started
Executors named in a Will who do not want to handle it alone
Families dealing with intestate estates and applying for Letters of Administration
Anyone administering an estate with property, business assets, or foreign holdings
Anyone setting up a Will today who wants Professional Executors named in advance
Trustees of family Trusts wanting professional support or replacement
Families where conflict makes a family executor impractical

If probate is in front of you, it does not need to be on you.

A NOTE ON REGULATION

Probate is regulated work.

UK probate practice is regulated. Legacy Creators is not directly SRA-regulated; we partner with SRA-regulated solicitors and STEP-accredited practitioners to deliver Professional Executor, Probate, and Trustee services. We coordinate the process and the family conversation. Our regulated partners deliver the legal work.

This lets us offer a single point of contact for your family, with regulated specialists handling the documents behind the scenes.

HOW IT FITS THE BIGGER PICTURE

Probate is the moment everything else gets tested.

Wills — a properly drafted Will makes probate faster and cleaner
Trusts — assets held in Trust pass outside probate entirely
Lasting Powers of Attorney — cease at death; probate takes over
Life Insurance written in Trust — pays out directly to beneficiaries, bypassing the probate process
Pensions — most sit outside the estate and bypass probate
Trust structures named in the Will — need Professional Trustee support to operate properly

The better the original plan, the less painful probate becomes.

PRICING

Bespoke. Explained in plain English before you sign anything.

Probate, Professional Executor, and Trustee services are priced based on the estate size, complexity, and the level of involvement your family wants. We explain the fee structure in plain English before any work begins.

The Free Legacy Review is always free. We look at what you have, identify what your family actually needs, and tell you the cost in plain English before you sign anything.

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