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Contested Wills & Probate

A contested will can cause a great deal of distress and division within families at what is already a stressful and upsetting time. All the more reason to call on our experienced specialist professionals who can provide clear guidance, practical advice and strong support to help you achieve the best possible solution under difficult circumstances.

Whether you feel the need to contest a loved one’s will – perhaps you have been inadequately provided for, or left out completely – or as an executor you are dealing with another’s attempt to challenge a will, our experienced and approachable legal specialists can help.

When can a will be contested?

If you act quickly, within six months of the granting of probate, it is usually possible to challenge a will if you can prove it is unfair. Of course, this is often not as easy as it sounds, and what may seem unfair to one party may seem perfectly acceptable to another – so the fairness of a will is judged against established criteria designed to offer clear guidance to the disputing parties.

A will may be contested if it can be proved undue pressure or influence was exerted on the will-maker, or if there are grounds to believe the will-maker lacked full mental capacity at the time of writing the will.

Any evidence of fraud – a forged signature, or signs the will has been tampered with, for example – may constitute good reason to challenge the document’s validity; a will may also be deemed invalid if it was drawn up incorrectly or is in breach of current legislation.

And if a will fails to make adequate provision for a dependant – a child, for example, or a current or former spouse, civil partner, cohabitee or other dependant – it may be possible to challenge it under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.

How can we help with contested wills or probate?

However you are caught up in a wills, probate or inheritance dispute, we are on your side.

Our knowledgeable team will advise you on the most appropriate course of action from the start, including any action that may be needed to preserve disputed assets before the estate is distributed.

Whenever possible, we will seek to resolve your case without the distress and expense of going to court and, by communicating regularly and in plain English, we will make sure you remain firmly in control of the process every step of the way.

Why choose us?

Our dispute resolution team has a wealth of experience in all manner of disputed matters. We pride ourselves on getting to know our clients personally and forging the strong relationships we believe are essential in order to represent your best interests in everything we do.

You can count on our dispute resolution lawyers for consistently excellent top-quality advice and support at all times and, as a valued client of our leading full-service law firm, you will have access to extensive and dependable legal and financial expertise from professionals you already know you can trust.

Getting started

Whatever your concerns, contact us as soon as possible – timely advice, given in confidence, can make all the difference.

Our respected team can also help with the full range of wills and probate services including will-writing, inheritance tax, grant of probate and deeds of variation, while our fully-qualified financial advisors can provide you with professional investment advice.

To find out how our expert dispute resolution team can help, call us on 01243 786668 or click here. Alternatively, you can email us at info@georgeide.co.uk or contact us directly using the details shown.

George Ide LLP. We’re on your side

Contact our dispute resolution team

For further information about any of our services or to book a no-obligation consultation, call us on 01243 786668, email the dispute resolution team at info@georgeide.co.uk, click here, or contact us directly using the details shown.

Mark Robertson | Head of Dispute Resolution

Dispute Resolution

01243 971549 mark.robertson@georgeide.co.uk

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Paul Lewis | Partner

01243 812408 paul.lewis@georgeide.co.uk

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Ian Oliver | Partner

Dispute Resolution, Compliance Officer, Legal Practice (COLP)

01243 812421 ian.oliver@georgeide.co.uk

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Zoë Halliday | Legal Assistant/Secretary

Litigation

01243 786 668 zoë.halliday@georgeide.co.uk

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Client Testimonials

On a personal note : Thanks for everything you have done, some may say you are just doing your job but the support you offered both in the structure you set up to get me fit again, as well as the emotional counsel you gave got me through one of the most difficult and frightening situations I had dealt with to date. I will certainly be highly recommending you to anyone else that needs such a service. You are a great asset to the firm and hope they know that!

Simon Horn

Paul Lewis

I must of course take this opportunity to tell you how grateful I have been for all your advice, assistance and counsel during the past difficult months. You have been demonstrably skilful, resolute and responsive in all aspects of dealing with my case. I have always felt in very safe hands and your experience shines through, knowing just how to procure the best outcome. I can’t thank you enough for getting me through this horrid and complicated experience. With very best wishes.

Linda Tudor

Paul Lewis

I have received the final settlement cheque and I am happy with this. Thanks again for your services. You’ve been excellent in every way. I would recommend you to anyone. Thanks.

Fazal Mahmood Chishty

Paul Lewis

I take this opportunity to thank you for the support, professionalism, and wonderful advice you gave us throughout this difficult time. It was a very stressful period for us as it was our first experience with the court. Without all your help and legal advice, I would undoubtedly have been in a much more precarious situation. Thank you so much for your support and hard work. On behalf of me and my wife I would like to say a big thank you for taking up my case and representing us as our legal counsel. When we thought it was too much to handle, you were there for us to give us strength and hope. We always found you to be very friendly when we needed any legal advice. Once again, I thank you so much for your understanding, for your patience, your dedication to my case and most of all, thank you for being friendlier, making us more comfortable with your advice and guidance than just a mere professional lawyer during that difficult moment. This means a lot to us, and we will be forever grateful to you.

Haresh & Varsha Naik

Paul Lewis

Dear Paul. Thank you for you email. I am so pleased that everything has finally come to an acceptable solution. I am grateful for all your attention throughout. I have, at all times, felt supported by yourself and your firm and confident that you were working in my best interests to resolve the claim.

Kind Regards Janet

Paul Lewis

On April 9th 2010 it was my turn to be involved in a traffic accident with an uninsured driver. Although my injury was only a minor back injury, I wanted to be able to claim some sort of compensation if only for some treatment of physiotherapy. George Ide LLP, appointed by my insurance company, have been absolutely superb in representing my claim for personal injury against the Motor Insurance Bureau. With the expertise of Paul Lewis, Head of Accident Management, he has managed to increase the original offer made by the MIB almost threefold. It has been a long process, as Paul advised from the outset, but has been worthwhile and rewarding. I do hope that I do not need to use Paul’s expertise ever again, but know that if I do I would be in the hands of a very capable and friendly team.

Ms H

Paul Lewis

Thank you for all your effort and excellent advice and work in this matter. It’s very much appreciated and I will certainly use you and your firm again in the future should I require legal services.

Roger Koep

Paul Lewis

Thank you seems such a trivial word and yet without your tenacity, we would not be here today. For all the medical providers you sought out and your words of stability at each and every stage I cannot thank you enough. You will never know how much of a difference you have made, without your constant reassurance and steps of transition to medical assistance especially during Covid I know I would not be at this stage on my journey.

Michele Scott-Green

Paul Lewis

Just to confirm the safe receipt of the settlement money into my account,and also want to take this opportunity to thank you for all your hard work not just regarding the fee but also treatment wich help me getting in track with normal life after the accident. Again many thanks for all your hard work.

Mauricio Goncalves

Paul Lewis

Thank you very much for your email. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all your advice and perseverance, especially with regards to the final settlement. Both myself and my wife are so pleased that this matter is finished! We wish you all the best for the future. Kind regards,

Garry

Paul Lewis

Thank you for your email and thank you so much for your help with it all. You have dealt with everything brilliantly so as not to cause me any stress or worry so thank you.

Rachel Cook

Paul Lewis

I would like to inform you that I have received the money and I am very happy about the amount. I would like to thank you for the help and for always having time to write back to my emails. You were always in contact with me. I will recommend you and only you to my friends. Regards,

Anna Pomorska

Paul Lewis