When someone dies, going through probate is a necessary but often sad and stressful experience. Things can very quickly go from bad to worse if a dispute arises over the way probate is being handled. But you don’t have to go through it alone. Having the right legal support can make all the difference.
If you need help bringing or defending an inheritance dispute, our specialist solicitors in Eastbourne can help you.
An inheritance dispute can be complicated but instructing a solicitor early can help to keep it from escalating, no matter how heated things get.
We try to find a positive solution quickly and cost‐effectively, so most of our cases settle without court proceedings, which reduces stress and enables our clients to get on with their lives.
The types of inheritance disputes we can help with include:
- Challenging the validity of a Will
- Claims for financial provision
- Claims to estate property
- Disputes between executors (or administrators) of the estate
- Disputes between executors (or administrators) and beneficiaries
- Disputes between trustees and between trustees and beneficiaries
- Removing and replacing executors, administrators and trustees
- Professional negligence claims (including claims for negligent valuations of estate property)
Get in touch with our experienced inheritance dispute solicitors in Eastbourne
For help resolving any kind of inheritance dispute, contact our solicitors in Eastbourne.
Or fill in our online enquiry form, and we will be in touch shortly.
How our inheritance dispute lawyers in Eastbourne can help
Challenging the validity of a Will
There are various grounds for challenging a Will, including:
- Lack of capacity
- Lack of knowledge and approval
- Failure to properly execute the Will
- Undue Influence
- False representations
- Forgery
Our team have substantial experience of bringing and defending claims that challenge the validity of a Will.
Inheritance Act claims
A wide range of people are entitled to seek financial provision from the estate of someone who has died, including:
- Their spouse
- Their cohabitee
- Their child
- Someone they treated as their child
- Someone they maintained.
Our team have substantial experience of bringing and defending claims for financial provision from the estate of someone who has died.
Claims to estate property
You may have a claim to property after someone dies if:
- The property was held in your name and the name of the deceased
- The property was in the deceased’s name, but you contributed towards it
- The deceased promised you the property
- The deceased gifted you the property
Equally, the person who died may have gifted their assets during their lifetime as a result of undue influence, such that the executors (or administrators) of their estate may have a claim to restore the assets to their estate.
Our team have substantial experience of bringing and defending claims regarding estate property.
Disputes involving executors
Being appointed the executor of a Will is a vital job and not an easy responsibility to take on. As representatives of the estate, the executors can face many issues, including disputes between:
- The executors themselves
- The executors and the beneficiaries
- The executors and other interested parties, such as people who would have inherited had the deceased died intestate (without leaving a Will)
- The executors and trustees
We regularly advise in disputes over:
- The application for the grant of probate
- Collecting the estate’s money and property
- The repayment of the estate’s debts
- Estate accounts and inheritance tax liability
- How the estate’s assets have been handled while the estate administration is ongoing
- Delays in the estate administration
Our team have substantial experience acting in serious cases of alleged estate mismanagement by executors, including making and defending applications to remove and replace executors.
Disputes over intestacy
When a person dies without leaving a valid Will, it can be a confusing and uncertain time for the people they leave behind. There will not be any specific instructions, so the deceased person’s estate will need to be distributed according to the rules of intestacy.
These rules mean that only certain people can inherit and take on the estate administration. The result is that those closest to the deceased often end up inheriting nothing or being unable to sort out their loved one’s final affairs. For example, unmarried partners, and stepchildren are not allowed to inherit under the rules of intestacy. Charities and organisations are also not allowed to inherit, even if the deceased supported their causes for years.
Our probate dispute solicitors can help you resolve problems that have arisen because a person has died without leaving a valid Will, such as:
- Disputes over the application for the grant of letters of administration
- Disputes between the administrators over how to administer the estate
- Disputes over the way the administrators are handling the estate administration
- Disputes over the existence of a Will
Disputes involving beneficiaries
When a person dies, their beneficiaries (or heirs) inherit their money and property. The deceased will have either named their beneficiaries in their Will or, if they died intestate, the rules of intestacy dictate who will inherit.
There are many reasons why a dispute might arise over beneficiary rights. For example:
- You may have expected to inherit but were passed over and disinherited
- The deceased may have died intestate, and you inherited nothing
- The deceased may have been unduly influenced by someone else to change their will, meaning you did not inherit as much as you should
- You may have an issue with the way the executors or administrators are handling the estate administration
We advise beneficiaries and people who are expected to inherit about resolving disputes and making claims in relation to their interests under a Will or the rules of intestacy. Whether you are in a dispute with an executor (or administrator), another beneficiary or a trustee, we can provide clear, practical advice about your rights and options.
Disputes involving trustees
If you are in a dispute with a trustee or you are a trustee who needs advice about defending a dispute, we can help. The types of disputes we can assist with include:
- Disputes between trustees over the management and administration of the trust
- Disputes between trustees and beneficiaries
- Allegations of trust mismanagement
- The interpretation of trust documents
- Family trust disputes, such as claims by siblings
Get in touch with our friendly, experienced inheritance dispute solicitors in Eastbourne
For help resolving any kind of contentious probate dispute, contact our solicitors in Eastbourne.
Or fill in our online enquiry form, and we will be in touch shortly.