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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 | Paralegal

Litigation and Family

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

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Client Testimonials

I just wanted to drop you a quick email to thank you for all you have done for us regarding our daughter’s burn. You made the process a lot less scary for her so thank you for that and we are pleased with the outcome. Your professionalism and care for our daughter throughout was very much appreciated by us all.

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Paul Lewis

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

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Michael

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

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

Hello Paul. The money has arrived safely thanks. May I say a very big thank you for your excellent service on this case you have been incredibly upfront and honest and have dealt with my case with superb attentiveness. It was frustrating for me at times as it took a long time to get it concluded, but I do appreciate the effort on your part. Many thanks again.

Luke Leleu

Paul Lewis

It is essential to feel complete confidence in the advice given and the person of one’s solicitor. I have experienced situations in the past where this has not been the case. When seeking a reliable practice some years ago I asked for a recommendation from a neighbour and was given the name of Mr Ian Oliver. I followed this advice, have used this practice ever since and have recommended it to others with complete confidence. It is very reassuring to be in this position.

C Elderfield, Arundel

Ian Oliver

I would just like to thank you for all your hard work in settling my father’s case and in coming to an agreeable settlement with the insurers. Thank you for being so patient with us, and taking time to explain things in layman’s terms. You have led us through this process with ease and my father is very happy to have reached a conclusion in this matter . All your efforts are very much appreciated. Wishing you all the best.

Nancy Ackermann

Paul Lewis

Following a very traumatic car accident I found myself in the extremely capable hands of Paul Lewis.
He spent time explaining the legal procedures and helped me through every step of my very stressful personal injury claim. Thank you for all you have done for me, you were fantastic.”

Ms L

Paul Lewis

Dear Mr Lewis. First of all I would like to say a huge thank you to you and your team about the hard work, time and money which you spent to deal with my claim. I agree with you that the settlement is reasonable enough and I know that you’ve did your best to get it.

Plamen Krastev

Paul Lewis

Hi Paul. Thank you for your email and all your help over the past 2 years you’ve been fantastic and I would highly recommend you to anyone, I will of course let you no when I revive the funds and couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Kind regards,

Sam Halliwell

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