Elizabeth Fry

Contentious Probate and Trust Work involves working for clients who are often dealing with a very stressful stage of their life following on from a death, usually of a relative. The work is varied, dealing with difficulties over the Will of the deceased, the administration of the deceased's Estate or where someone who has not been provided for, wishes to vary the terms of a Will or the Intestacy Rules. The work often requires extreme sensitiviy in the way it is handled. For instance I have dealt with some very sad cases, involving the death of a parent, leaving young children, where adequate provision has not been made. This has required not only a grasp of all the legal issues, but great care too in the way that the remaining family members are guided through the court process. Wards can offer legal aid where it is required, which means that we can act for those who would not otherwise be able to access legal advice, when faced with this sort of claim. I am a member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Solicitors and had to comply with stringent quality criteria in connection with my level of expertise in order to do so. The Association promotes good practice and shares information in connection with developments in this area of the law. I deal with Probate claims challenging the validity of a Will, Administration claims to resolve problems about the administration of a deceased's Estate, Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claims for financial provision by dependants of the Deceased against the Estate, Proprietary Estoppel claims in relation to breach of promises made, Breach of Trust claims in relation to the ownership of land, Court of Protection claims to challenge decisions made about someone who has lost capacity I am also a member of the Court of Protection Practitioners' Association which aims to promote good practice in this area of the law