Who gets the house in Golders Green? Bought for a modest sum half a century ago and now worth far more than the inheritance tax threshold, a family home in Barnet is often the whole estate, and the people who want it are a son in Israel, a daughter in Manchester and a grandchild who has been living in it. A will solicitor in Barnet spends much of the week untangling exactly that, and the most useful appointment is the one made while the owner is still well.
Barnet's older residents, in Finchley, Mill Hill, Edgware and Totteridge, want what anyone wants: a valid will, lasting powers of attorney for finances and for health, and a plan for care fees that does not leave the family guessing. The borough's communities add layers. Jewish clients may want a will that honours religious inheritance custom while remaining valid in English law, a point on which a solicitor who understands both is worth finding; Greek Cypriot, Iranian and Indian families often own property abroad, where forced heirship rules can override an English will, so a second will or a carefully worded single one is needed. Unmarried partners, whatever their background, inherit nothing under the intestacy rules unless a will says otherwise.
Probate follows a death, and in Barnet it usually involves a house to clear and sell, a bank or two, perhaps a pension and some shares, and HMRC. Executors are personally responsible for mistakes, and when a will is contested, or a sibling believes the carer took advantage, the dispute goes to court or, by agreement, to the Beth Din.
Most Barnet firms charge fixed fees for wills and lasting powers of attorney and either a fixed or an hourly fee for probate; ask which before instructing.
Wills and probate firms serving Barnet are listed below, verified firms first. See wills, trusts and probate explained, what a will costs, what probate costs, lasting powers of attorney and the general will solicitors guide.
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