Our Patch APRIL 2016
is no will made, they may not get
anything.”
Richard also handles situations
in which children may have
been excluded by parents.
“The other area I deal
with is challenging the
validity of wills; whether
someone had the capacity
e
hi t
to make a will, whether it
w
n
e
.ow
was properly signed and
w w w li n . c o . u k
so on.”
c a t 74 1 7 1 7 1
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He urged people to
0
02
be wary of internet will
services, especially when assets
potentially worth hundreds of
thousands of pounds are at stake.
“You may be able to find a will
service for £50 to £100 on the
internet… but you could be saving
a few hundred pounds, but risking
hundreds of thousands by not having
your will prepared properly.”
The same warning of caution
applies to probate, which is dealing
with the estate after death. “People
often do their own probate, but you
never know if an estate is going to be
straightforward,” said Richard.
“For example, there could be
significant tax advantages in how the
estate is distributed, saving thousands
of pounds.
“This is something an experienced
probate solicitor could advise on.”
He said that there was a general
assumption that in the case of joint
assets, no action need be taken and
the survivor simply inherits. However
there can be tax implications which, if
ignored, can be very expensive.
Richard’s advice is – at the very
least – to make one appointment with
experts to confirm whether everything
is as straightforward as it may appear.
uncontested… but Richard steps in
It’s particularly important in these
to deal with situations where there is
days of high-value property, when few
contention or difficulty.
flats and houses are worth less than
“I specialise in people who are
£500,000.
entering into disputes over wills,
OWC, established soon after the First
or where a will hasn’t been
World War, has built up a detailed
made,” said Richard, whose
understanding of the local property
depth of knowledge about the
market, and puts that depth of
subject means that he lectures
experience to use for all clients.
on it to other solicitors.
Having offices in Hammersmith
“For example, people
and Chiswick means clients can
who aren’t married but who
deal with issues locally; often
live together often assume
speeding up the signing and
that their partner will
collection of documents.
Visit www.owenwhitecatlin.
automatically get the
co.uk or call 020 8741
property when they
7171.
die… but where there
WHITE
OWEN
& CATLIN
PROBATE
PROMISE
When dealing with an estate, local knowledge
gives important peace of mind to clients
of a veteran Hammersmith legal firm
T
he process of administering
an estate – probate –
inevitably coincides with a
time of bereavement, so it
needs to be approached
professionally and
sensitively. Owen White & Catlin of
King Street, Hammersmith, has
unrivalled expertise in handling wills,
and in dealing with intestacy (where
there is no will), with nearly 100 years
of experience.
Richard Land (pictured inset) has been
with OWC for 18 years, and is a partner
specialising in will disputes.
The lion’s share of the firm’s
probate work is straightforward and