48 • Financial planning, legal services & donations Creating Wills and LPAs
At Home & In Te Garden • Sunday 24 May 2020
Lockdown and social distancing rules aren’t coming to an end anytime soon. Tere’ll be a gradual relaxation over the coming months, as life very slowly adjusts to the ‘new normal’. Te coronavirus crisis is encour-
aging more people to think about their future, such as choosing a trusted friend or family member to act under a lasting power of attorney (LPA) should they lose capacity and they need someone to look after their affairs. Others are wishing to create a Will to protect their loved ones after they die. Anyone thinking about a Will or
LPA is urged to seek bespoke, profes- sional advice from a lawyer. It might be tempting to choose a do-it-your- self option during lockdown, but there’s a much higher risk of your wishes becoming invalid, as the legal processes may not have been followed and the intestacy rules could apply. As this is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make, a lawyer
will encourage you to think about options that you might not have thought about and enable your deci- sions to be as tax-efficient as possible.
How can B P Collins help? • Although LPAs can be created without a lawyer, B P Collins fully explains the pros and cons and what an LPA means for the donor. • B P Collins makes sure that the client has capacity to understand the process and that there’s no undue influence involved. • Te company acts as a sounding board when you are deciding who to appoint as an attorney or how to deal with your estate under the terms of your Will. • It ensures the documents are correctly executed (getting this wrong can invalidate the Will or LPA). • B P Collins makes sure you get it right and that your wishes are accu- rately recorded. A homemade Will may not work in the way the testator
expected if incorrect words or phrases have been used. • Te firm looks at the whole picture, establishing your overall aims and considering how best to achieve those while identifying any potential issues and tax considerations. • B P Collins can be appointed as attorney, executor and trustee in more complex situations. • Te company can add an extra safe- guard by safely storing the Will or LPA for you.
Recording your wishes during lockdown with B P Collins Te recent social distancing meas- ures introduced as a result of Covid-19 have changed the traditional approach to procuring legal advice. B P Collins is offering virtual or phone appointments
to those wishing to
make a Will or create an LPA. Te meeting via video or phone will
be used to take your instructions, ask questions and receive some options and inheritance tax advice, if appro- priate. Following that meeting,
the
company will send a draft legal docu- ment for you to review. Once happy, it can then send out the document for signing with detailed instructions, which adhere to the most recent social distancing guidelines. B P Collins’ team of qualified Wills,
trusts and probate lawyers are both regulated and insured for the work the company does. B P Collins has a duty to keep its legal knowledge up to date to give you peace of mind and to deal with any queries you may have.
For further advice and information, please contact Lucy Wood from the Wills, Trusts and Probate team on 01753 889995 or email
enquiries@bpcollins.co.uk.
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