You will not be penalized for not seeking legal aid when handling the probate process. But it is important to do so when there are specialist probate lawyers how can handle all the hard bits for you.
A grant of probate is the legal permission that an executor or executors must possess if they are to handle the instructions of a will. The executor needs it if they are to collect all that the deceased owned and divide it among the beneficiaries as they wished through their will. They may be one of the beneficiaries, which shall not stop them from doing their job. There are cases where there are more than one beneficiary mentioned, which allows for not more than four to apply for the grant. They shall thus proceed to handle the issue as a team.
If there are no probate solicitors to handle it; the executor will have to rely on probate services to get the grant. For cases where there was no will, there would have to be an application for letters of administration. This shall also be the case where the named administrators are now ready to do what is expected of them. When you are handling a grant application, you will have to present a copy of this letter to the probate office. Probate solicitors are normally left with the wills, which allows them to offer expert probate legal services.
Since there shall be an inheritance tax charged on the estate, some part of it will have to be paid before the grant can be given. The grant can be issued before the inheritance tax officials declare how much the full tax amount shall be. In case they come up with unfair figures according to you, you need to seek the counsel of a solicitor. A probate solicitor has the expert view of all matter surrounding inheritance laws and taxes. You need such a person to manage the complexities of our situation.
The executor will most likely have to deal with so many banks and other financial institutions when conducting their duties. This is how they shall have to carry so many copies of the sealed grant. There is no instance where unsealed copies or photocopies are applicable. The executor will, therefore, need to know the number of copies needed when applying for the grant. The serviceable rates shall be within the grant application.
The things involved in carrying out such a process is what forces most people to turn to the professionals. The probate solicitor will get this done much faster. They shall also come in handy where you need to sell any property in the estate of the deceased.
They will also see to it that the inheritance tax amounts is not too high.